The Art of Waiting – and Anticipating: Simultaneous Interpreting between German and English
As a simultaneous interpreter, working between English and German is like doing mental gymnastics at high speed. You’re not just translating words – you’re processing meaning, structure, and tone in real time, all while speaking.
One of the biggest challenges? Sentence structure.
🔹In English, key information tends to come early: subject, verb, message – quick and efficient.
🔹In German, the punchline often comes at the end – especially in subordinate clauses, where the verb may be the last word you hear.
That means we interpreters are constantly anticipating, waiting, and mentally restructuring sentences on the fly. You can’t just translate word by word – you need to know where the speaker might be going, sometimes even before they do.
And this is exactly why solid training and strategic preparation are non-negotiable.
A university-level interpreter education doesn’t just teach you vocabulary – it trains you to:
– stay calm under pressure
– apply specific strategies for difficult language pairs
– master memory, anticipation, and reformulation
– make split-second decisions without losing accuracy or flow
Simultaneous interpreting isn’t something you “pick up as you go”; it’s a profession built on skill, discipline, and practice.
Behind every seamless interpretation is a mind working at full speed – and years of preparation most people never see.