In consecutive interpreting, the interpreter waits until the speaker has finished speaking before translating his or her words into the target language. Our interpreter stands next to the speaker and takes notes of what the speaker is saying, and then, when the speaker has finished, provides the translated version of what was said. No technical equipment is required.
As a general rule, the speaker pauses every one to five minutes to give the interpreter a chance to communicate what has just been said. This allows the speaker to put a complete idea across before the interpreter begins providing a translation. This type of interpreting calls for specific mnemonic rules, experience and skill in public speaking and an excellent command of the source and target languages.
Consecutive interpreting is generally used in situations where there are few participants, where only one language needs to be translated and where the duration of the interpreting is not too long. For example, consecutive interpreters work in settings such as press conferences, interviews, meetings and one-to-one negotiations.