Delving into the World of Simultaneous Interpreting

I spent a week in Buenos Aires taking a course in simultaneous interpreting given by interpreters Lucille Barnes and Lawrence Wheeler.

I loved every second of it.

There were a myriad of challenges involved: the ability to think on your feet, the level of concentration, the speed of the delivery, the accents. They are so many that, for years, I deemed it nearby impossible.

I discovered it can be done, though. I discovered it is something that I could do. I discovered that it suits me, my personality and my nerves of steel.

For those of you who are not sure about the definition of “simultaneous interpreting”, I am referring to the activity of listening to a message in one language and immediately transferring that same message in another, orally. This form of interpreting (as opposed to consecutive interpreting), generally requires a booth with headphones and microphones.

I found the whole deal very much exhilarating, so I’ll keep you posted as to where this takes me in the future.