Consecutive Interpreting (CI)

In the fast-paced world of cross-border business communications, one of the most recognizable forms of multilingual interpretation is consecutive interpreting (CI). Commonly employed to facilitate cross-cultural business meetings and political summits, consecutive interpreters begin the work of interpretation when the speaker they will translate has paused naturally or during dedicated intervals, depending on the speaker’s and the audience’s preferences.

Usually standing or sitting next to the speaker, the consecutive interpreter will listen intently to the speaker and use notetaking to keep pace and assist in moment-to-moment translation. A CI interpreter’s notetaking includes notes to guide the interpreter and assist in delivering a complete picture of the whole meaning of what is being said, rather than interpretation in small pieces. While note-taking, interpreters will typically hold eye contact to focus solely on the speaker (rather than their own notes) to capture the speaker’s true intentions in communicating. Notes taken by one interpreter may be difficult to read by another, as these notes convey a story through a sequence of unique, language-neutral abbreviations and symbols that allows the interpreter to convey their reconstruction of the last two, five or even ten minutes with professional skill and ease. These notes allow the reader to combine both memory and the record of written symbols to recreate the message during a pause in the exchange.