Professional Simultaneous Interpretation Services in Switzerland
Simultaneous interpreting is used at events held by international organisations, speeches by heads of state, court hearings, board meetings, major conferences, lectures and presentations. Simultaneous interpreters (also known as simultaneous translators in layman’s terms) have the challenging task of translating what is being said into the target language in real time. This type of interpreting usually requires special equipment.
What does a simultaneous interpreter do?
Simultaneous interpreting involves translating what is being said into the target language almost simultaneously. This makes it ideal for events where several participants need to follow the action live and which are due to last for several hours. So no extra time is needed for the interpreting and you can keep to your planned schedule.
Technique used in simultaneous interpreting
For simultaneous interpreting (or conference interpreting), an interpreting booth is used. It is soundproof and can therefore be conveniently placed in the conference room. This also gives the interpreters a good view of the presentations and speakers, making their work easier.
Simultaneous interpreting is one of the most stressful professions in the world. To ensure optimum performance, interpreters therefore need regular breaks. That’s why two, sometimes even three interpreters work together on assignments, taking turns every 30 minutes (or according to their preference). But this doesn’t mean they then sit back – they continue to follow what is happening, listening to their booth partner and supporting them by making a note of numbers and names, for example.
In addition to a table, two chairs and two lamps, an interpreting booth also contains special interpreting equipment with headphones and microphones for the interpreters. These are available from various manufacturers, but they all work in the same way. Simultaneous interpreters learn how to use this equipment during their studies.
Audio guide systems
At your event, the audience will be guided through different showrooms. If simultaneous interpreting is needed, so-called audio guide systems (also called tour guide systems, TGS) can be helpful in this situation. You have probably already seen them in action on a guided tour of a museum. Using mobile technology, they allow the interpreter to follow the group and translate what is being said as usual.
Here, too, it is important to take breaks. The advantage of a TGS is that there is no need for a booth, interpreting equipment or a lengthy sound check, which saves both time and money.
Whispered interpreting
A special type of simultaneous interpreting is whispered interpreting, which is only really suitable when interpreting for one or two people. It involves the interpreter sitting directly behind the listeners and whispering what is being said simultaneously into their ears in the target language.
This type of interpreting involves a high cognitive load, as the interpreter has to speak in a whispered tone and remain focused despite the surrounding noise.
Language portfolio for simultaneous interpreting
Thanks to our long-standing presence in the Swiss language services market, CB Multilingual has a large network of qualified conference interpreters with diplomas or MA degrees. Over the years, we have gained valuable experience working with them on countless projects for renowned Swiss companies and organisations, from which you can now benefit.
In addition to the most common target languages (English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, etc.), we also offer our interpreting services in other European and non-European languages. Feel free to contact us at any time and we will find the right interpreters for your event.
Is simultaneous interpreting perfect for your planned event? Then please contact us – we will discuss the procedure with you and take care of the interpreters, technology and everything else that will make your event a success.
Client testimonials
"I would like to thank you for the fast, straightforward, and efficient cooperation and especially commend the outstanding performance of your English-German simultaneous interpreters during the live broadcast of the interview with Elon Musk and Alice Weidel. Their ability to seamlessly assume the roles of each speaker ensured an accurate and dynamic interpretation of this complex dialogue."
Burkhard Müller-Ullrich, CEO und Gründer Kontrafunk, Steckborn
"On behalf of Honegger AG, I would like to thank CB Multilingual for their excellent support before and during the CEO keynotes. Thanks to your support, we were able to ensure a flawless execution that perfectly highlighted our internal communications. The positive feedback from our company confirms the success of this event."
Alessandro Schmied, Head of Marketing & Communications, Honegger AG, Köniz
"At a three-day conference with a Brazilian delegation of education policy makers, researchers and philanthropists from various foundations, CB Multilingual's English-Portuguese simultaneous interpreters provided excellent simultaneous interpretation both on site and during various site visits. CB Multilingual's partner technician also provided perfect support throughout the event, immediately correcting any brief interruptions caused by an external signal. We are very grateful for the excellent cooperation with CB Multilingual, which contributed greatly to the success of the event. The entire organisation ran smoothly and very professionally. Even in the case of a spontaneous assignment, Ms Silvia Cerrella Bauer immediately organised a consecutive English-Portuguese interpreter, who also did an excellent and extremely pleasant job. All the interpreters are very good at what they do. We can highly recommend CB Multilingual."
Heidi Riess, Project & Relationship Manager, Wylkomm GmbH, Remetschwil
"We were extremely satisfied with the German-French interpreters at our conference. The French-speaking participants found the quality of their work to be very high! Everything went perfectly!"
"The feedback on the simultaneous interpretation services in German, English and French at our medical congress was overwhelmingly positive, with delegates praising the accuracy of the translation. I received excellent all-round support, all the professionals involved (interpreters and technical staff) were punctual, highly motivated and well prepared."
Catharina Cziczkat, Medical Advisor DACH, Wellspect Healthcare, Elz (D)
"We would like to thank CB Multilingual for their excellent interpreting work. The simultaneous interpreter played a key role in the success of the conference. All of the clients were highly satisfied. Should we need a Hebrew-German interpretation again, we would be more than happy to return to you."
Barbara Schütz, Member of the Executive Board, swissbeautypoint Tobas GmbH, Bassersdorf
"I would like to thank you for the excellent service you provided and for your positive response within a very short timeframe. The simultaneous German-French interpretation at our delegates' meeting was flawless. The collaboration was excellent."
"The event was a great success! I would like to express my sincere thanks for the simultaneous German-English translation. Our international guests were delighted and thanked you repeatedly for the excellent interpretation. I have no hesitation in recommending your services and will keep your contact details in our system for future projects."
Christian Nicola Schwarz, Junior Brandmanager Hi Trade AG, Baar
"We have never had such skilled German-French interpreters as at our autumn conference in 2023, so we must extend our utmost appreciation. Thank you very much for the simultaneous translation."
Otto Steiner-Lang, President Schweizerischer Verband Network Management, Uetliburg
"We used French-German interpreting services from CB Multilingual (CBM) for our wholesale customer event in September 2022. We found the entire organisation and coordination together with CBM to be very professional and helpful. The two interpreters were very well prepared and also exceptionally flexible when it came to discussions in the plenary. The feedback from our clients from French-speaking Switzerland regarding the interpreting services provided was extremely satisfactory. The use of the equipment was explained to us in detail, so everything worked excellently.
We would like to thank the CBM team again for the great support and service, which met our expectations. We will certainly consider CBM again for future larger meetings."
"I can only confirm that 2024 was once again an excellent service and we are completely satisfied and will certainly call on CB Multilingual for future events."
"We have used CB Multilingual's interpreting services mutiple times and have always been very satisfied. Competent, fast and reliable - thank you very much!"
Evita Schildknecht, Marketing communication, Hoval AG, Feldmeilen