Glossary
Interpretation glossary: 40 terms explained
The terms that come up in quotes, proposals and conversations with interpreters, explained in one or two sentences. For organizers, speakers and anyone hiring interpretation.
Quick answer
- Simultaneous: the interpreter speaks along with the speaker, in a booth. Consecutive: speaks afterwards, in segments.
- Relay: one booth interprets from another when there is no direct interpreter between two languages.
- Décalage: the few seconds between the speaker's words and the interpreter's.
- RSI: simultaneous interpretation delivered remotely, through a platform.
- A, B and C languages: how each interpreter's working languages are classified.
Interpreting modes
- Simultaneous interpretation
- The interpreter renders the speech while the speaker is talking, a few seconds behind, working in a booth with headphones and a microphone. The audience listens on a receiver in the language they choose.
- Consecutive interpretation
- The speaker talks in segments and pauses; the interpreter renders each segment right after, often with the help of notes. Speaking time roughly doubles.
- Chuchotage (whispered interpreting)
- Simultaneous interpretation whispered next to one or two people, without a booth. For larger groups, a portable kit is used.
- Liaison interpreting
- The interpreter accompanies a person or delegation at meetings, visits and negotiations, usually in consecutive or whispered mode.
- Remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI)
- Interpreters work remotely through a platform, and the audience hears the language channel on the event's own platform, such as Zoom or Teams.
- Hybrid event
- An event with an in-person audience and remote participants at the same time. Interpretation must reach both audiences, with the channels kept in sync.
- Relay interpreting
- When there is no direct interpreter between two languages, one booth interprets into an intermediate language and the other booths work from it.
- Pivot interpreter
- The interpreter who provides the bridge in relay. Their accuracy determines that of every booth working from them.
- Retour
- Interpreting from the interpreter's mother tongue (A language) into their B language, that is, back into the foreign language.
Languages and team
- A language
- The interpreter's mother tongue or equivalent, into which they interpret from all their other working languages.
- B language
- A language the interpreter masters and also interprets into, from one or more of their other languages.
- C language
- A language the interpreter fully understands and interprets from, but does not interpret into.
- Language combination
- An interpreter's set of working languages (A, B and C), or the language pair an event requires, such as Portuguese and English.
- Décalage (lag)
- The gap between what the speaker says and what the interpreter renders. Too short hurts sentence construction; too long overloads memory.
- Booth partner
- The colleague who shares the booth. While one interprets, the other follows along, notes numbers and names, and takes over at the next turn.
- Turns
- The switch between the two interpreters in a booth, usually every 20 to 30 minutes, to keep accuracy up throughout the day.
- Team coordinator
- The person who organizes the interpreting team and is the point of contact with the organizer during the event.
- Conference interpreter
- A professional specialized in simultaneous and consecutive interpretation at events, meetings and conferences.
- Translation vs. interpretation
- Translation deals with written texts; interpretation deals with speech, in real time. They are different skills and often different professionals.
- Sworn translator (Brazil)
- In Brazil, official translation of documents is done by a public translator and commercial interpreter, qualified through a public exam and registered with their state's Commercial Registry.
Equipment
- Interpreting booth
- A soundproof space where the pair of interpreters for one language works, with a view of the stage and screen.
- Mobile booth
- A booth set up for the event and taken down afterwards. Requirements are in ISO 4043.
- Permanent booth
- A booth built into the room itself, as in convention centers. Requirements are in ISO 2603.
- Interpreter console
- The panel where the interpreter turns the microphone on and off, selects the output channel, adjusts volume and hands over to the colleague.
- Language channel
- Each language takes one channel in the transmission; the listener selects the channel they want on the receiver.
- Floor channel
- The channel carrying the stage audio in the language the speaker is using, without interpretation.
- Receiver
- A device with headphones that the listener uses to select and hear the language channel.
- Transmitter
- Equipment that sends the language channels in the room to the receivers.
- Infrared system
- Transmission by infrared light, confined to the room: the signal does not pass through walls, which helps confidentiality.
- Radio frequency system
- Transmission by radio waves, such as UHF or FM, which allows more mobility and range, including outdoors.
- Portable kit (tour guide)
- A booth-less system with a handheld transmitter and receivers, used for technical visits and small groups.
- Silent conference
- A format in which several sessions take place in the same space and each audience listens to its own on headphones, on separate channels.
- LED headphones
- Headphones with a light that changes color by channel, so you can see from afar which language or session each person is listening to.
- On-site technician
- The professional who operates the interpreting system, runs the tests and fixes problems throughout the event.
- Sound check
- A test of microphones, channels, videos and receivers before opening, ideally with the interpreting team present.
Preparation, standards and associations
- Briefing
- The material and information the organizer sends interpreters before the event: program, slides, texts, names and acronyms.
- Event glossary
- A list of the event's terms with their equivalents in each language, built from the briefing and reusable in future editions.
- ISO standards for interpreting
- The main ones are ISO 2603 (permanent booths), ISO 4043 (mobile booths), ISO 20108 (sound and image quality for interpreters), ISO 20109 (equipment) and ISO 24019 (remote interpreting platforms).
- AIIC
- The International Association of Conference Interpreters, founded in 1953, which brings together interpreters from many countries and publishes professional standards for the field.
- ABRATES and SINTRA
- Brazilian bodies in the field: the Brazilian Association of Translators and Interpreters and the National Union of Translators.
Event glossary template
Download the spreadsheet, fill it in with your event's terms, names and acronyms, and send it to the interpreters with the briefing. It has columns for the term, its equivalent in each language, context and pronunciation.
See also: Organizer's guide · Speaker guide
FAQ about interpreting terms
What is the difference between simultaneous and consecutive interpretation?
In simultaneous, the interpreter speaks at the same time as the speaker, a few seconds behind, in a booth. In consecutive, the speaker pauses and the interpreter renders each segment right after, which roughly doubles speaking time.
What is relay in interpreting?
It is when one booth interprets from another. If there is no direct interpreter between two languages, a pivot interpreter works into an intermediate language and the other booths work from them.
What is chuchotage?
It is whispered simultaneous interpretation, done next to one or two people, with no booth or equipment.
What does décalage mean?
It is the gap between what the speaker says and what the interpreter renders, usually a few seconds.
What is the difference between a translator and an interpreter?
A translator works with written texts; an interpreter works with speech in real time. They are different skills, and many professionals focus on only one of them.
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