Practice interpretation with Freelensia’s videos

Have you always dreamed of becoming a simultaneous interpreter?

As we discussed in Different Modes and Types of Interpretation, simultaneous interpretation (also called real-time interpretation or cabin interpretation) is considered the most challenging form of interpretation to master. For more details on this mode of interpretation, please visit this article.

If you have never interpreted before or have only worked as a consecutive interpreter, achieving your dream of becoming a simultaneous interpreter needs a lot of practice. In the article What Are Good Ways to Practice and Develop Simultaneous Interpretation Skills?, we once suggested that you follow structured speeches, which are 10-20 minutes long and try to repeat everything that has been said in the same language ​​as in the speech. That will train your brain to listen and speak while continuing to listen at the same time. Once you feel comfortable and able to adapt, you can begin interpreting the speeches. 

However, we understand that finding appropriate speeches for interpretation practice can be tricky. Therefore, we have created a video playlist called Practice Simultaneous Interpretation Videos on our YouTube channel for you to test and improve your simultaneous interpretation skills.

Practice Simultaneous Interpretation Videos

Besides, we also have Practice Consecutive Interpretation Videos. As the name suggests, consecutive interpreters can use it as consecutive interpretation exercises.

Practice Consecutive Interpretation Videos

1. What makes these videos perfect for interpretation practice?

Unlike some random speeches you may find on YouTube, the videos in our series are recorded from real interpretation events. The topic varies from politics, sport to culture. Regarding the interpretation type, you will find debate, courtesy visit, consecutive seminar, real-time seminar, and MC. In addition, each video has at least two languages, in which English is always there and the second language can be Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, French, Spanish, etc. We sometimes add subtitles in languages not spoken in a video. Last but not least, the videos in the Practice Simultaneous Interpretation Videos playlist have 2 audio channels which you can listen to separately in your left and right ears with your earphones.

With these features, we believe that our playlists will provide you with the right video matching any of your practicing needs.

2. How to use the playlists to practice interpreting?

When you want to practice interpretation, you can follow our general guidelines below.

1. 1. 1. 1. Pick a video from the appropriate playlist, preferably with the two languages you want to practice, otherwise one is OK too.
         2. Pause the video. Read the video description and try to understand the context of the interpretation event. You can take notes of key terms that may appear in the video. You can also switch your Youtube page or app’s language to view the video description in a second language. This process is similar to what you would do to prepare for an interpretation event in real life.
         3. For simultaneous interpretation videos, you may find hearing two voices at once is confusing. This is where our special two audio channels feature can be helpful! Use just your left or right earphone to only listen to only one language at a time, which makes the sound clearer and helps you focus.

1. 1. 1. 4. Resume the video and listen to one of the languages spoken in the video (i.e. original language by the speaker or interpreting language by the interpreter). For beginners, just repeat what you are hearing, in the same language. You can turn on subtitles to further help your understanding.
         5. Once you are used to speaking while listening, start interpreting what you hear into the desired target languag For consecutive interpretation, you should take notes while waiting for the speaker or interpreter to finish his/her turn. For simultaneous interpretation, you can start right away!

1. 1. 1. 6. If your target language matches the one spoken in the video, don’t forget to compare your performance against the interpreter’s performance, or the subtitles

We constantly update these two playlists with new videos. If you do not want to miss any, subscribe to Freelensia's YouTube channel. You can also visit our channel for other interesting videos on languages.

See also

• The Secrets To Become a Better Interpreter- Shared From Freelensia’s Interpreter Workshop in Ho Chi Minh City in 2019
• 4 Keys Elements of a Successful Interpreter
• Movies About Interpretation and Translation (Part 1)
• Movies About Interpretation and Translation (Part 2)