Simultaneous vs Consecutive Interpreting
Simultaneous interpreting happens while the speaker talks, keeps the event at its normal length, and requires a booth or platform plus two interpreters per language. Consecutive happens in the pauses, needs no equipment and one interpreter, and roughly doubles how long the session takes.
Which mode should you choose?
Let the room decide. An audience listening to presentations needs simultaneous, because doubling a conference agenda is not an option. A small meeting where every phrase is negotiated is better served by consecutive, where the pauses create thinking time and precision is easier to verify.
What does each mode cost you in practice?
Simultaneous costs equipment and a second interpreter but no extra hours. Consecutive costs hours — twice the running time — but no equipment and often one interpreter. For a full-day event, the doubled time usually makes consecutive the more expensive choice overall.
Can you mix the two in one event?
Yes, and it is common. A conference may run simultaneous in the plenary and switch to consecutive for a small press briefing or a site visit afterwards. Plan the switch in advance, because the equipment and team requirements differ.
Simultaneous vs consecutive at a glance
| Simultaneous | Consecutive | |
|---|---|---|
| When it happens | While the speaker talks | In the speaker's pauses |
| Effect on running time | None | Roughly doubles it |
| Equipment | Booth or RSI platform, receivers | None required |
| Interpreters per language | 2 beyond an hour | 1 for most sessions |
| Audience size | Any | Best under about 10 |
| Best for | Conferences, broadcasts, large meetings | Negotiations, depositions, audits, interviews |
Frequently asked questions
Is simultaneous interpreting less accurate than consecutive?
Not inherently, but it is less forgiving. Consecutive lets the interpreter hear a complete argument before rendering it, which helps with dense or contested material. Simultaneous trades a little of that for keeping the event on schedule.
What is whispered interpreting?
Whispered interpreting, or chuchotage, is simultaneous delivery whispered to one or two listeners without equipment. It is useful for a single foreign delegate in an otherwise monolingual meeting and does not scale beyond a couple of people.
Describe your room and we will tell you the mode
Send the agenda, the audience size and the languages.
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