Simultaneous interpretation happens while the speaker is talking: the interpreter translates in real time, a few seconds behind, and the audience listens through headsets. Consecutive interpretation happens when the speaker pauses: the speaker delivers a passage, stops, and the interpreter repeats it in the other language. The first keeps the pace of the event but needs equipment. The second needs almost no equipment but takes more time. Live AI translation belongs to the first family.
What simultaneous interpretation is
In simultaneous interpretation, the interpreter listens to the speaker and speaks the translation at almost the same time. They usually sit in a soundproof booth, hear the speaker through headphones and speak into a microphone. The audience receives the translation on a receiver with a headset, choosing the channel for their language.
It is demanding work. The interpreter has to understand a sentence, translate it and say it while the next sentence is already arriving. For this reason, simultaneous interpreters usually work in pairs and take turns during a session. It is the standard format for international conferences, large meetings and any event where several languages must be served at once.
What consecutive interpretation is
In consecutive interpretation, the speaker and the interpreter take turns. The speaker talks for a passage, from a few sentences to a few minutes, then stops. The interpreter, who has been listening and often taking notes in a personal shorthand, then delivers the same content in the other language.
The interpreter usually stands or sits next to the speaker. No booth is needed and, in a small room, often no microphone either. Consecutive interpretation is common in bilateral meetings, interviews, press conferences with a foreign guest, site visits, medical or legal appointments and ceremonies with short speeches.
There is also a variant called whispered interpretation, or chuchotage. The interpreter sits beside a very small number of listeners and translates quietly as the speaker goes. It is a form of simultaneous interpretation without equipment, and it only works for a tiny group.
The equipment each one needs
Simultaneous interpretation relies on a full technical setup. There is a booth for each language, fixed or mobile, with a console and microphones for the interpreters. There are receivers and headsets for the audience, and a technician who manages the sound and the channels. All of it has to be booked, delivered, installed and tested, and the headsets have to be handed out and collected.
Consecutive interpretation needs very little. In a meeting room, the interpreter's voice is enough. In a larger hall, the interpreter needs a microphone connected to the room's sound system, like the speaker. No headsets are handed out, because everyone hears both languages from the same loudspeakers.
This difference explains much of the appeal of consecutive interpretation for small events. It also explains why it rarely works with more than two languages: every extra language would add another full pass after each passage.
How each one affects the length of a talk
This is the most practical difference for an organizer. With simultaneous interpretation, a talk lasts as long as it would without translation. The interpreters follow the speaker, and the program does not move.
With consecutive interpretation, everything is said twice. A speech, a question or an answer is first delivered in the original language, then again in translation. A talk planned in consecutive mode therefore takes noticeably more time, or the speaker has to say less to fit the same slot. The rhythm changes too. The speaker has to stop regularly, which can break the flow of a story or a demonstration, and part of the audience waits while the other part listens.
On the other hand, consecutive mode can feel more personal. The interpreter has a moment to choose the right words, and listeners hear the speaker's own voice and tone before the translation. In a toast, a short interview or a delicate one-to-one meeting, that can be an advantage.
When to choose simultaneous or consecutive
Choose simultaneous interpretation when the program is dense, when time is tight, when several languages are needed or when the audience is large. Conferences, general assemblies, training days and multilingual panels all fall into this category.
Choose consecutive interpretation when there are only two languages, a small group and enough time. It suits bilateral meetings, interviews, visits, short speeches and situations where precision and personal contact matter more than speed.
In both cases, human interpreters need preparation. Send them the slides, the speakers' names, the technical vocabulary and the program well before the event. They are usually booked weeks ahead, so the format has to be decided early.
Where live AI translation fits
Live AI translation is simultaneous by nature. It listens to the speaker, transcribes and translates continuously, without waiting for a pause. With Glot, the translation reaches attendees about two seconds after the words are spoken, so the speaker never has to stop and the talk keeps its original length.
What changes is the equipment. Instead of booths and headsets, attendees scan a QR code and follow in their phone's browser, with no app to install and no account to create. They can read live captions in their own language, listen to a natural translated voice, or keep the original sound. Captions can also appear on the room screen, and the system shows which speaker is talking. The sound comes from the room's mixing desk, a wireless lavalier microphone or a USB table microphone.
The other difference is the number of languages. With interpreters, each language needs its own team. With AI translation, each attendee picks a language, and Glot covers more than 60 of them for the same price. That makes it practical for audiences where many languages are each spoken by a few people, a situation where neither simultaneous nor consecutive interpretation is easy to organize.
AI translation does not replace a human interpreter in every case. For a diplomatic negotiation, a court hearing or a moment where tone carries as much weight as the words, an experienced interpreter remains the safer choice. For the conferences, training sessions and corporate events that fill most calendars, it offers the pace of simultaneous interpretation without its setup. You can compare the formats on the pricing page.
Follow every talk in real time, in each attendee's language.
See how Glot works