Simultaneous translation can be described as translating a speech in organizations where people from different nationalities gather- such as a conference, a symposium or a seminar- orally, without extra time to practice or translate, without interrupting and simultaneously as the speechmaker speaks. For this kind of translation in these organizations where people from different nations gather, the translator has the necessary equipment inside a special sound-insulated cabin so that he/she would only hear the speechmaker’s voice. In simultaneous translation, there is one source language and a target language although translation can be done from the source language into numerous languages. Different frequencies are modulated for each target language and the people among the audience can choose a particular frequency in order to listen to that particular translation.

A simultaneous translator, as the name suggests, is the translator who translates a speechmaker’s sayings into another language orally, without extra time to practice or translate, without interrupting and simultaneously as the speechmaker speaks. For that reason, there is no discontinuation or stop between the translation and the speech itself. Simultaneous translation is the most common and difficult type of oral translations. There are very few simultaneous translators doing their job right and the quality of this translation service in the market is quite low.

Simultaneous translation becomes necessary when foreign people participate in an event you organize and there is not enough time to translate the text of the speech in a written form. How many translators are needed for simultaneous translation? In some cases, more than one translator might be needed. On such an occasion, it might keep you busy to determine how many translators are needed. In order to solve this issue, you must know how a simultaneous translation process works. Simultaneous translation can be performed by very few translators, which makes it even more difficult. The translator is not given an extra time for translation while the speech is being made. For this reason, the translator must carefully listen to what the speechmaker has to say, translate instantly and correctly for the audience.

This process can be referred to as an intellectual miracle and it is extremely extraordinary and tough. The fact that the translator has to stay focused during the entire speech could be very exhausting for the translator. As a result, there might be a decline in the performance of the translator. It is very likely that the translator will get exhausted especially if the speech is long. One solution developed for this in Turkey is to hire two translators for a speech. For long speeches, the two translators work in shifts in every 45-60 minutes. However, the possibility of a translator getting exhausted is an issue to consider under any circumstance. This issue must be solve as fast as possible in order to keep the performance declination and loss of concentration at minimum. On the other hand, if you already took the chance to pay for simultaneous translation, why not hire two translators to get more satisfactory results?