What does it take to become an interpreter? What skills are needed, and how does one begin this professional journey? These were the key questions explored during the two-day interpreting training hosted by Bahasa Interpreters in collaboration with TranslationPapers Bali, Transloka Lingua and Natali Tjahjadi on 11–12 October 2025.
Participants from diverse academic and professional backgrounds came together with a shared purpose: to better understand the interpreting profession and assess their own potential within it. Some arrived driven by curiosity, while others were actively considering interpreting as a future career. Over two intensive days, they gained firsthand experience of what the profession truly demands.
Building a Strong Language Foundation
Language mastery remains the cornerstone of interpreting. Participants quickly learned that excellence is required not only in the target language, such as English, but also in their native language, Bahasa Indonesia. Understanding cultural context, expressions, and intended meaning is just as important as vocabulary and grammar.
A key insight emerged during the training: many participants found interpreting from Indonesian into English easier than the reverse. Interpreting from English into Indonesian demanded significantly greater mental effort, involving rapid comprehension, memory management, structural reformulation, and fluent delivery — all in mere seconds. With guided practice, participants began to recognize where improvement was needed and how progress could be achieved.
Beyond Language: Listening and Speaking
Interpreting is not only about language proficiency. It also requires two essential professional skills: active listening and confident public speaking.
Through focused exercises, participants learned to sharpen their listening skills in order to capture not just words, but intent and nuance. They were also challenged to step outside their comfort zones during public speaking sessions, simulating real working conditions where interpreters must perform in front of audiences, accompany speakers, and deliver clear, confident interpretations under pressure.
From Practice to Performance
The training was conducted in a progressive manner, beginning with an introduction to theoretical foundations, followed by parroting exercises and basic consecutive interpretation practice—including consecutive interpreting for police investigation role-play—and culminating in simultaneous interpretation practice in a real interpretation booth. Participants faced the ultimate test in the interpreting booth, where they experienced the intensity of simultaneous interpreting — fast, demanding, and unforgiving.
Working in pairs, they tested their concentration, speed, subject knowledge, and composure, discovering firsthand the discipline and mental agility required of professional interpreters.
Closing: Looking Ahead
The training concluded with a strong sense of achievement and motivation. While the program was short, it delivered substantial insight, practical skills, and professional perspective.
Yet the true journey begins after the training ends. The success of each participant will depend on their commitment to continuous practice and development. With the foundation laid and the challenges understood, they now carry the tools and confidence needed to take the next step toward becoming professional interpreters.
Every great interpreter begins with a single step — and this training was that step.
See you in the next interpreting training in Bali!
Contributor: Nanda Wijaya
Bahasa Interpreters Bali
Interpreters in Bali and Beyond
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