In practice, interpretation is nothing more than the oral translation of speech.

There are basically two forms of interpretation, consecutive and simultaneous.

The hiring of a conference interpreter is applicable to many different circumstances, such as:

• Monitoring of authorities in public and private sphere
• Interviews with foreigners 
• Business meetings 
• Inspection and/or company audits
• Presentations and speeches 
• Congresses and conventions
• Filmings 
• Training sessions
• Among many others

Consecutive interpretation

Consecutive interpretations applies to situations when a speaker or orator speaks in his or her native tongue while the interpreter listens and takes notes. When the speaker leaves for a break, the interpreter translates what he or she has heard and written down. This type of situation is common in meetings or formal presentations on a stage with microphones, for example. For this type a activity, an interpreter should not work consecutively for more than two hours. If an event lasts for more than two hours, two or more interpreters should be hired for the job to work in shifts.

Simultaneous interpretation

Simultaneous interpretation applies to a situation when an interpreter translates at the same time an orator is speaking. This type of translation is the most common activity performed by a professional interpreter and it is generally performed with the aid of special equipment. An orator will be speaking in an auditorium while the interpreters operate within an isolated acoustic booth that provides them with the audio of the orator through fixed equipment (headphones, microphones, etc…) thus permitting them to simultaneously translate what is being spoken. The translated version of the interpreter is then transmitted to the listeners which can listen to it via portable sound receptors on a head phone.