As a conference interpreter my task is to translate orally from English to Italian and vice versa and from Spanish to Italian and vice versa. In simultaneous interpreting the translation is immediate, no additional time is taken compared to the duration of the speech.

This method is useful both in contexts involving many participants, such as conferences or large international events, and also with smaller groups such as work meetings, bilingual weddings and other private ceremonies.

All that changes is the equipment, moving from the soundproof booth with a headset for the interpreter and headphones for the audience, to a bidule with a portable headset for smaller groups, to no equipment at all in the case of whispered interpreting, in which the interpreter whispers directly into the ear of a single listener.