What different types of interpreting are there and for what purpose?
All in all there are five different types of interpreting, namely simultaneous, consecutive, whispered, liaison and community interpreting. Whispered and liaison interpreting are akin to simultaneous interpreting insofar as a speaker’s presentation is transposed into another language at the same time (= simultaneously) as the speaker speaks. Unlike with simultaneous interpreting (SI) in whispered interpreting the interpreters do not sit in sound-proof booths but “in the audience”, i.e. next to their listener(s), which is why this type of interpreting is suitable only for a maximum of three listeners. In liaison interpreting your interpreters will “liaison” you, e.g. during a business trip abroad or a guided plant tour. The mobility aspect inherent to this type of setup makes the use of interpreting booths impossible. Portable equipment, so-called bidules, can remedy this inconvenience. Conversely, in consecutive and community interpreting the spoken word is transposed into another lang
