Link: Interpreting Europe Conference - European Commission

Simultaneous Interpreters - the better Dancers? Judge for yourself.

A LinkedIn-article written by Sophie Llewellyn Smith, also known as The Interpreting Coach. 1 year ago.

A while ago, Julia Poger , Business, Conference and Diplomatic Interpreter wrote a post about the similarities between interpreting and rally driving.
Every since, I've wanted to write about simultaneous interpreting and dancing (by which I mean dancing that involves steps, not just boogying on the dance floor, or what my generation used to quaintly call 'bopping').

🕺 Technique
Dance (tap, ballet, ballroom,...) involves technique; once you've mastered technique, you can invent your own steps and add your own flourishes.
Interpreting requires technique (mastering décalage, salami technique, reformulation, public speaking); building on that technique, you can improvise!

💃 Personal style
Everyone has a personal style, in dance as in interpreting.

🕺 Teamwork
Whether you're dancing as part of a couple or working with a boothmate, your 'solo' skills have to be top notch, but the overall effect will depend on your partnership.

💃 Natural talent
People tend to think that dancers - and interpreters? - are born, not made, but everyone can improve their skills with perseverance and the right guidance.

🕺 Learning by doing
You can watch as many tutorials as you like, you won't become a great dancer or interpreter unless you get stuck in, try it out, make mistakes, analyse your technique, and try again.

💃 Practice
It takes a lot of hours of practice, and a lot of muscle memory, to be able to look effortless when dancing. Simultaneous takes many hours of practice too.

🕺 The zone
It's easy to get 'in the zone' when dancing. Time falls away, and you're fully engaged in the moment. I've sometimes experienced that 'flow' when interpreting. But not from German. 😉

What's your sport? Does it resemble interpreting? 🙂