Note: All the text of the introduction to the Simultaneous Interpretation chapter of The Interpreter's Edge, Third Edition is reproduced here. No attempt has been made, however, to make the HTML version look like the page layout of the book.

Simultaneous interpretation, in which the interpreter speaks at the same time as the speaker, is the most common mode of interpreting used in court. Generally, simultaneous interpreting is done from English into Spanish, because it is intended to enable the defendant to understand what is going on in court proceedings. The U.S. Constitution states that every criminal defendant has a right to be present at all stages of the proceedings, and the courts have interpreted this to mean that non-English-speaking defendants are not "present" unless everything is interpreted into their native language for them. Therefore, the court interpreter is required to interpret everything that is said in the courtroom so that the defendant hears exactly what an English-speaking defendant would hear. This does not mean that the court interpreter explains what the proceedings mean; the interpreter must convey every single statement that is uttered in the courtroom, at the same language level or register in which it is stated, regardless of the defendant's ability to understand the concepts involved. Many of the proceedings are conducted at a rapid pace, as judges and attorneys are going through routine steps that they have done countless times before. The language they use is often difficult, if not impossible, for the uninitiated to understand. The challenge for the court interpreter is to render their statements into a target-language version (the target language is the language into which you are interpreting; the source language is the language out of which you are interpreting) that is as intelligible to the average Spanish-speaking layman as the original message is to the average English-speaking layman, without adding or omitting anything.

Simultaneous interpretation is actually a misnomer, in that the word simultaneous suggests that the interpreter is interpreting a message as she hears it. In fact, there is a delay between the moment the interpreter hears a thought and the moment she renders that thought into the target language, because it takes time to understand the original message and generate a target-language rendition of it. Meanwhile, the speaker goes on to the next thought, so the interpreter must generate the target-language version of the first thought while processing the speaker's second thought, and so on. This delay is known as décalage, from the French word for time lag. The longer the interpreter is able to wait before beginning the target-language version, the more information she will have and the more accurate her target-language version will be.

Note that we have been speaking in terms of thoughts rather than words. It is the interpreter's task to convey the meaning of the original message. Every language organizes meaning differently, and trying to find direct equivalents in two languages often leads to absurd results. For example, consider the English expression to hand down a ruling. To translate that into Spanish as a mano abajo una regla is clearly ludicrous. The correct Spanish equivalent would be dictar un fallo. Thus, as the interpreter is listening to the source-language message, she must cast aside the external structure, the words, and attend to the underlying meaning.

The exercises in this chapter are designed to help you acquire the ability to lag behind the speaker while you analyze the meaning of the source-language version and generate your target-language version without losing the train of thought. This chapter presents 20 structured exercises (Lessons 1 - 20, recorded on Tapes 1A - 3A). The directions for each lesson are given both on the tape and in the script. Additional recordings of a variety of typical court proceedings are provided for additional simultaneous interpreting practice: The second half of Tape 6B and all of Tape 7A contain expert witness testimony, Tapes 7B - 8B contain general court proceedings and jury instructions.

Here are definitions of the terms used in this chapter:

The approximate speed at which the lesson is recorded is indicated in the script at the beginning of each lesson (e.g., 140 wpm). The tapes begin at a slow speed (100 - 110 words per minute), and build up to a maximum speed of 170 words per minute. Judges in the courtroom sometimes speak at a much faster rate (200 words per minute or more), especially when they are reading from a book. These exercises are designed for novice interpreters, however, and it is unrealistic to expect to be able to interpret at 200 words per minute at this stage. Moreover, most interpreter certification exams are given at 140 to 160 words per minute. Additional speed will come with practice and experience.

Note that you may repeat the interpreting exercises as many times as you need; even if you have gotten to the point that you have memorized the tapes, you are still benefiting from the exercises. Lessons 1 - 20 will develop the individual components of simultaneous interpretation (concentration, analysis, speed, etc.), and repeating them many times can only enhance those skills. It will also help you to practice Tapes 7 and 8 many times, as the language of the courtroom is extremely formulaic and repetitious. Do not read the script while you are interpreting the tape; consult it afterwards to check for accuracy and to look up problem terms.