finetext translations GmbH - We break down language barriers

finetext’s interpreting service will provide your company with experienced qualified interpreters to lend your international engagements professional and completely trustworthy support. So you can be sure that no information will be lost, however complicated the topic.

Whether at presentations, congresses, negotiations, training programmes… or wherever efficient spoken communication is a priority, our interpreters get the content and style right in all aspects of international business.

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Which interpreter is right for you?

What technical equipment is needed?

How do we guarantee the quality?

How can you get the best results?

Which interpreter is right for you?

Interpreters are responsible for the oral transmission of a spoken text into another language. The particular type of interpreting appropriate depends on the situation (type and size of event, practicalities of the location and financial factors...). In general one can distinguish between the following interpreting practices:

Simultaneous interpreting

When used: official occasions, speeches, conference addresses, national and international institutions, authorities; live TV interviews with public personalities such as politicians, sports stars and artists.

How it works: The interpreter hears the speech or other spoken text through headphones and interprets with a very short time-delay (about half a sentence). At lengthy conferences teams of interpreters work in shifts. The appropriate technical equipment is required (an interpreter’s booth, microphones etc.)

What makes a good simultaneous interpreter:

Excellent active knowledge of the first and foreign language(s)
Broad general knowledge
Perfect mastery of simultaneous interpreting techniques
The ability to familiarise oneself with new fields – both the content and the terminology – quickly and accurately
Knowledge of the various interpreting tools and how to use them
A pleasant voice with an appropriate tempo

Consecutive interpreting

When used: as for simultaneous interpreting: official occasions, speeches and addresses, at conferences, at national and international institutions, authorities. Also: product presentations, private viewings at art galleries, opening ceremonies and similar events.

How it works: The interpreter speaks after or alternately with the person holding the speech, who holds their speech or a section of it (lasting up to 20 minutes). The interpreter makes notes using a notation system for interpreters (not to be confused with stenography; the system consists of symbols or abbreviations standing for complete units of meaning) and then gives the speech or section of it in the target language.

What makes a good consecutive interpreter:

As for simultaneous interpreting
The ability to adopt the style and expression of the speaker, such as irony, references to others etc. A certain dramatic talent is often necessary.
Eye contact with the audience
A professional appearance
Perfect ability to take interpreter’s notes

Liaison interpreting

When used: negotiations, conversations between two or more people, interviews, training programmes, work in committees, etc.

How it works: The interpreter listens to the speaker and then interprets the passage (which can be up to 5 minutes long) for the other party in the conversation. They respond whilst the interpreter listens again and then interprets into the other language. During this process the interpreter notes down details such as dates and names, but the vast majority is interpreted from memory.

What makes a good liaison interpreter:

As for simultaneous and consecutive interpreting
A good short-term memory
A confident and courteous appearance and the ability to create a pleasant atmosphere for conversation
Polite conversational skills (politeness when requesting more information, asking the speaker to pause if they speak for too long, etc.)

What technical equipment is needed?

Simultaneous interpreting requires relatively complex technology equipment: an interpreter’s booth (if possible with a direct view of the speaker), in which the interpreter works using an audio headset or alternatively with headphones and a separate microphone. The corresponding interpreting system has input and output ports through which the original sound is fed in from the main room and the output signals are transmitted to the listeners.

There is no need for any particular technical equipment for liaison and consecutive interpretation. If there is to be consecutive interpreting at an event with a relatively large number of participants it is, however, advisable to provide a PA system with microphones for the speakers and interpreters to ensure they can be understood.

How do we guarantee the quality?

We are especially careful when selecting our interpreters: we work exclusively with qualified interpreters who have many years’ work experience and have specialised in specific fields.

We are happy to provide references if required.

An individual discussion of your needs is also part of our quality control process: we enquire as to exactly what is required and can thus offer you the most effective solution.

How can you get the best results?

We contribute to the success of your event through the careful selection and preparation of our interpreters. You can also help to get the best results:

Book early: good interpreters are in demand and are often booked out well in advance, particularly in the trade fair season.
Give us as much detailed information as possible about the planned event: type, time frame, place, approximate size, languages to be interpreted, field/topics. This enables us to put together an offer that fits your specific requirements.
A good interpreter must be able to improvise, but it is still better if you provide us with information and materials (manuscripts, brochures, lists of terminology) as early as possible. This gives the interpreter the opportunity to familiarise themselves fully with the specific topics.
For speakers: try not to become carried away and forget the interpreter. A moderate tempo when speaking regular pauses aid the optimal transmission of your text into the foreign language.