How Interpreters Learn Languages Fast

How do these linguistic magicians listen and speak at the same time? How do they keep their cool when the stakes are so high, all while working directly with world leaders and business magnates? In this video, I take a deep dive into the world of simultaneous and consecutive interpretation, uncovering how these linguistic magicians work, and sharing some expert tips on how you too can become an interpreter.

⬇️ GET MY FREE STORYLEARNING® KIT

🎤 FEATURED INTERPRETERS:
Special thanks to the three professional interpreters who spoke with us:

① Barry Olsen

② Martin Djovčoš

③ Andrea Millington (Tokárová)
Professional interpreter & former student of Professor Djovčoš

📺 WATCH NEXT:

How U.S. Diplomats Learn Languages Fast

📖 LEARN A LANGUAGE THROUGH THE POWER OF STORY

Want to master a language so you can become an interpreter some day? Stories are the best way I have found to learn ANY language. Forget the boring textbooks and time-wasting apps and learn a language the natural, effective way with one of my story-based courses.

📷 FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM

📚 RESOURCES:

European Union Speech Repository (with Interpretation)

Middlebury Institute Master of Arts in Translation, Translation and Interpretation & Conference Interpretation

⏱ TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Intro
0:25 - What is Conference Interpreting?
2:10 - The Personality of an Interpreter
5:29 - The Skills of an Interpreter
8:45 - Preparation
20:02 - The Job
27:32 - Simultaneous vs Consecutive Interpreting
30:30 - Translating vs Interpreting
31:42 - What Kind of Training Do Interpreters Do?
38:36 - Technology
40:39 - Problems
44:28 - Best Days vs Embarrassing Days
48:01 - I want this Job… What Next?

📜 SOURCES & ATTRIBUTIONS:

Spanglish or Code-switching?

25 Accents in 5 Minutes!

Jurgen Klopp Excited By Translator's 'Erotic' Voice

Fists Fly As Lawmakers Brawl In Turkish Parliament | NBC News

Interpreter Breaks Down How Real-Time Translation Works | WIRED

Zoom Simultaneous Interpretations for Meetings and Webinars

[Skyla_Tier]

I am Thai-Japanese simultaneous interpreter, the hardest part for being an interpreter here is everyone think our job is very very easy and we're not deserve high salary for our skill, my brain got so much loads for interpreting all day some time I start to cry in the meeting because my brain is very tired...

[djw]

I knew a guy from Canada whose "native language" was English--but he was from Quebec, so he grew up with French, as well. On top of that, his grandfather was Russian, and from childhood he spoke Russian exclusively with his granddad. When he first started training to be an interpreter, he was supposed to go to Cuba for negotiations in some field (I forget which field now). So, he studied Spanish intensively--but the plans for negotiations fell through. And that's why he came here to Japan to immerse himself in Japanese. Eventually, he started working as an interpreter between Japanese and Russian businessmen. His biggest headache was that the Japanese always wanted to start off with small talk about the weather--and even cherry blossoms. This infuriated the Russians, whose basic attitude was that they hadn't come all the way to Japan to make chit-chat--but rather to buy Japanese tractors! He told me that this was the most exhausting job he'd ever had. Poor guy. I wonder what he's doing now! 😒

[desiko]

It's even harder when you interpret between languages that are totally different from one another. Imagine having to wait for the sentence to end so you finally get the main verb...

[jairolondono]

Since I started interpreting, the fear of being exposed as a fraud or getting into misunderstandings because of lack of comprehension, made me learn fast. Now, I'm learning other languages intuitively, and I understand better than when I studied languages before. It is the fact that you know you'll be out there, and most certainly will encounter some new words, expressions and you must not hesitate and aim at delivering the whole message. It is not that you want to learn, you have no other choice and, believe me, they'll notice when you make a mistake.

[rociodikun]

I am an English <> Spanish Interpreter and, as Olly said, apart from being proficient in your working languages, the journey to become an interpreter involves building and strengthening a lot of essential skills that are usually not taken into consideration, even though they are really important. It is difficult but super worth it ♥ Wonderful video!!!!

[NotURToy]

I’m a medical interpreter English and Russian languages. And the most stressful part is people with strong accents and fast speakers who no zero pauses. Once I was translating a Nobel prize winner in Chemistry and it was all good until a filming crew member ran into the booth and started telling something to me, distracting me and shoving some note into my face. That was such a weird experience to get distracted by someone else during such a hard moment.

[aslvideosforbluevalleyscho]

I've been an ASL/English interpreter for more than 35 years. It's all simultaneous. I mostly work in education settings and I've worked from pre-school to college. No one really understands the mental exhaustion that comes from interpreting. But I love, love, love my job!

[Persianborn]

I've been a court interpreter for 28 years, and I must say court interpreters also cover immense amount of subjects in court rooms and simultaneous interpreting is a daily part of our jobs, but we don't have the luxury of headsets and booths, the only booth we get to stay in is the accused's box sitting next to the accused. I love what I am doing and I really appreciate this video giving the public an idea about our profession.

[essexitagermeng]

Most challenging scenarios I sometimes have to face as a telephone interpreter:
1) the speaker of my own native language speaks my language in a very broken way, so much so it is difficult to understand their pronunciation and/or what they mean to say. They are not native to my language, they just learned it by living in my country for some time as immigrants. It sometimes feels like they’re translating in their mind word by-word idioms from their own native language, which I don’t speak. That requires me to ask for clarification, with the service user’s permission. Obviously, the agency has usually tried to get them an interpreter for their native language first but with no luck so the end user asks for an Italian interpreter.
2) one speaker speaks over you while you are interpreting without listening to the interpretation of what the other speaker has said.
3) end-user answers in a way that is not appropriate to what the service-user has said despite the correct interpretation, which can lead to the service-user thinking that you haven’t interpreted their message correctly. Unfortunately, some people are stubborn or won’t listen even in their own language, it won’t be otherwise with an interpreter.
4) spelling in one language is different in another. Some people don’t understand this. The client I had yesterday, being impatient, kept interrupting the spelling of the other speaker assuming that he had guessed the letter before I could interpret it.
5) impatient speaker who speaks over the interpreter, asking the next question without listening to the interpretation of the other speaker’s answer
6) in telephone interpreting, background noises. Particularly obnoxious: the speaker unexpectedly puts their high-pitch screaming baby on the phone while you are listening attentively to hear them speaking.

[dr.gaosclassroom]

I totally agree with you and Barry. I interpreted between Mandarin and English for a while many years ago, and I realise cultural awareness is very important. The technical jargons are also pitfalls that can easily trip you. Martin is absolutely right that you have to have a broad knowledge base.

[robertwise]

I have interpreted English-German simultaneously and consecutevily in court and in business. I found it actually very relaxing. At some point of time you get into some ZEN mode, where you can think of other things while your brain and voice function automatically. My biggest job was 8 hour shifts in a chemical plant where German operators learned the Acrylic Acid and Butylacrylate production plants. Whenever I could I took double shifts, and I didn't find that problematic. My "technique" was always to look at the person that talked, and of course speak in the first person. You lose your personality and drift more and more into the background. After a short time the English and German teams got used to it and looked at each other when they had a conversation. I loved every minute of it. German vocabulary is simple in the way that it's always compounded words. US English is very idiomatic. There is a nickname for every single piece of equipment in the plant. If I was stuck because I was not familiar with that particular word, I just asked questions until I knew what it was. In court it's much more difficult since you are not allowed to explain any legal issues in your translation. E.g. the concept of "no contest" in the guilty plea doesn't have an equivalent in German law, so every now and then I had to call a quick timeout (I actually made the timeout sign since the judge and the attorneys are familiar with that) and explained in very modest and polite words that it might be valuable to explain what consequences this specfic plea has. For the interested, even though you don't plead guilty it means you don't contest the charges, and any appeal becomes very difficult. Compared to written translations it's much better paid, and in my mind much easier, once you hit Zen mode. Unfortunately the market in the Southern US is very small, so I have a different day job. :)

[kawings]

I speak 4 languages. Until now I found it difficult to switch from language A to B followed by C to D .... Interpreters are super human in my opinion because they just translate an exclusively phase native into a foreign language which others could understand.

[antonioespinoza]

Your videos are precious gems for the learning languages community!! Thank you so much!

[alinarivera_]

I finally passed a masters entry exam for conference interpreting! I am so excited for it! The interpreters inspired me to keep working on the goal of becoming an interpreter 😃 thanks for such a video

[AngiePerezTV]

Simultaneous interpreting can be stressful, especially when audiences in over 25 countries are listening in. I’ve been the live English to Spanish interpreter for all Live From The Red Carpet and Live From E! on E! Entertainment Television for all Latin America for almost 10 years now. Sometimes, our audio also gets used as SAP En Español for E! Domestic. It’s pretty interesting because we must be up to date on all things Pop Culture, Music, Television and general Entertainment, Fashion and Social Media, as we interpret any and all types of live interviews on the red carpets for the Oscars, Emmys, Grammys, Billboards, MET Gala, People’s Choice Awards, etc. It’s fun, though. I feel like I’m literally spitting whatever phrase I get in my ear piece out through my mouth in Spanish, including tone, emotions, and reactions. It’s not just “translating” word-for-word, but also acting like the subject speaking at that time. P.S.: that drill noise used in one of the trainings is definitely a great strategy. Red carpets are usually so loud! Sometimes fans’ screams drown out interviews and we must literally read the artist’s lips to decipher what they’re saying.

[marcviscovi]

Another excellent video, Olly!!

I got my Masters Degree in Conference Interpretation in 1989 and have been a freelance professional ever since. I also taught in that same Masters program for 20 years. I fully share the views expressed by the colleagues you’ve interviewed and gained some new insights from their experiences.

I’ll add that interpreting on Zoom or other online platforms, even when the sound is at its best, requires greater concentration than when using a fully hardwired system in a conference room. Certain consonants, notably fricatives, can take just a few milliseconds longer to decipher. When the sound is less than optimal, which happens at every meeting I service at some point(s), the effort required to understand the speaker winds up taxing the interpreter’s energy even more quickly. It also takes longer to recover after your turn on mic.

One other thing your interviews didn’t mention is how this very challenging mental task becomes palpably more so when people are reading prepared texts instead of speaking freely.

Semantic density and complex sentence structure make for great reading - to oneself!! But when speakers read a carefully crafted text, often at a very quick pace, we interpeters have to turn on the afterburners and keep them on until the whole ordeal ends.

(That’s when the Chair gives the floor to the next delegate, and it’s off to the races again…)



Anyhoo, thanks again, man, for taking a deep dive into our world, then telling the story of what you’ve learned so simply and clearly!!

[GosiaatjeQui]

Thank you for this very thorough video, Olly! To me, being an interpreter has always been the pinnacle of proficiency in a foreign language. I've always been in great awe of the work interpreters do, it seems almost unreal. I recently managed to get my diploma in conference interpreting and passed the EU accreditation test, so I guess sooner or later I'll find myself in one of those important meetings. I'm excited and terrified at the same time 😅 Wish me luck!

[shuruiliu]

Thank you Olly for covering my profession! Conference interpreters often work behind the scenes, so very few people know what exactly we do and how we work. I always find it hard to explain my profession, but now I can send people the link to your video.

[r.rachid]

Two "bêtes noires" of conference interpreters: ambiguity and humor. Excellent and most informative video. Kudoz to Olly :) !

[yokoharumi]

Ive been a simultaneous interpreter for decades. Anticipation, true. After working one on one with my boss for months, I was finishing his sentences. The staff called me his avatar. As an in-house interpreter, the job becomes natural and easy. Freelancing is much harder as you’re dealing with new fields and terminology each time. Either way, it’s an incredibly physical, demanding job.