History of Interpretation: Chuchotage to Remote
September 14, 2022
Interpretation is the act of explaining, reframing or otherwise demonstrating one’s understanding of a message being translated from one language to another. An interpreter is the person who explains what a speaker is saying to someone that does not understand the source language. Reliefs taken from carvings found in the rock tomb of Princes of Elephantine in Ancient Egypt suggest interpreters provided routine administrative services as far back as 3,000 B.C.
Unlike the ancient Egyptians and Greeks, who held very little respect for the languages of other nations and basically considered foreigners to be barbarians, the Romans were educated to be at least bilingual, if not multilingual. Citizens who spoke several languages and did not require an interpreter were accorded special respect. As the Roman Empire evolved, Latin was declared the official language, but even officials who spoke the local language often used interpreters as a show of respect when communicating with the indigenous population.
Romans recognized the need to transact business across Rome’s far-flung empire and interpreters were well paid by the state or directly by the official who required the translation. Since interpreters were essential for foreign representatives, almost every known language has a word for "interpreter", and the role of an interpreter has covered a wide range of assignments from summit meetings to negotiating in conflict zones to working as a liaison for trade issues.
Importance of Whispered Interpreting
Chuchotage is a French term used to refer to whispered interpretation. A linguist would usually kneel down in close distance to their client (or small group of clients) and whisper the interpretation of what was being said in a relatively quiet setting. This in-person form of simultaneous interpretation was very efficient and considered by most as the ideal form of communication for multilingual groups as the interpreter could accentuate a message with body language and nuances to elucidate ambiguities.
Whispered interpreting certainly has its advantages. For starters, there were no special needs for any kind of equipment or infrastructure making it very portable. Nonetheless, it is always a challenge for an interpreter to listen to the source language, translate the message, and speak in the target language at the same time. Plus using an individual interpreter limits conversations to certain language pairs as well as the size of the group served must be small. Chuchotage is, however, an important reminder of the influence French interpreters had on the development of modern conference interpreting.
Consecutive Interpretation & Sight Translation
Consecutive Interpretation evolved as a technique where the interpreter would listen to a speech in the source language, and when the speaker paused, repeat what was said in the target language. Depending upon the situation, consecutive interpretation can be made in a pattern of short or long segments. Interpreters that provided consecutive interpretation needed language skills combined with a good memory and unique note-taking skills for long segment translations.
The popularity of consecutive interpretation came from the interpreter’s ability to deliver whole thoughts. Rather than delivering bits and pieces of what was being said, the interpreter was allowed to hear the whole message before it was delivered in another language. Sight translation required the interpreter to create a source-language document or notes that could then be translated as though they were written in the target language. Consecutive interpretation is commonly used today for meetings, negotiations, judicial hearings, and informal tours as well as multilingual medical conversations.
Rise of Simultaneous Interpretation
During the nineteenth century, interpreters were often not needed for diplomatic discussions as many government officials and others were educated to speak a common source language like French. However, after the end of World War II, simultaneous interpretation equipment was used at the Nuremberg Trial. Suddenly, interpreters had access to the latest audio equipment to speak invisibly from interpretation booths directly into a listener’s headset. The historic trials marked the first time multiple languages were immediately delivered as simultaneous conversation.
As technology has created an ever-shrinking world, the reality is that remote simultaneous interpreting services is what is now used to bring millions of people together as they communicate efficiently and effectively on common ground.
The need for accurate interpretation of what is being said may date back to the ancient world, but with the rapid growth of today’s global markets, comes an increase in demand for interpretation of important messages by numerous multinational organizations and companies. Advancements in remote simultaneous interpretation is also meeting new demands by providing more cost-efficient online solutions. Chuchotage, on the other hand, has its place and will be around forever as it does not require equipment set up, extra infrastructure, or access to the Internet.
If you need to render an important message orally or in a signed language, ProLingo can help ensure the communication from one language to another is accurately and professionally interpreted or translated. Our event planners can help you navigate the options for simultaneous interpretation to make your in-person, hybrid, or virtual event a huge success. If you have questions or concerns, Click Here to ask the pros.
