Interpreting Courses: How to Choose the Right Program

Someone knows a language reasonably well - has used it in correspondence, gone on business trips, maybe done some freelance text translation - and decides to take the next step: learn interpreting. They open school websites and see the same kind of listings: "translation courses," different hour counts, words like "intensive," "signature," "professional." The difference between programs is almost never explained on the site - yet in practice it is the difference in what you will actually be able to do after graduating, and what kind of assignments you will be ready to take on.

Where the choice really starts: not the school's name, but the type of interpreting

The first question is not "where to study" but "what kind of interpreting do I want to earn from." Interpreting is not one profession but at least three different skill sets, and they are not interchangeable. Someone trained to translate written text quickly and accurately cannot simply be put into a simultaneous booth without preparation. And the reverse is true too: a trained simultaneous interpreter will not necessarily do a good job on a contract, where what matters is not speed but the literal precision of the wording.

So before comparing programs, it is worth deciding where you see yourself in six months to a year: at a conference, in the booth; at negotiations, next to the speaker; or at a desk, working with documents. The answer immediately rules out some of the courses - and saves time you would otherwise spend comparing programs that were never a fit to begin with.

Simultaneous, consecutive, written: what each one trains

Simultaneous interpreting is the rare skill of speaking and listening at the same time, a couple of seconds behind the speaker, restructuring each phrase on the fly to fit the grammar of another language. The load is so heavy that, as standard international practice, interpreters in the booth rotate every 20-30 minutes - beyond that, accuracy drops, and numbers and proper names are the first things lost. A simultaneous interpreting course should train exactly this - verbal multitasking and compression, meaning the ability to shorten a phrase while keeping its meaning: Russian text runs longer than English on average, and a simultaneous interpreter physically cannot get through all of it.

Consecutive interpreting works differently: the speaker pauses, and the interpreter reproduces what was said from memory or from notes. Here, what matters most is not reaction speed but note-taking - a shorthand recording system - and the ability to hold a large chunk of speech in memory without losing its structure and details.

Written translation is a separate discipline: what matters is terminological precision, work with reference materials, style and editing - not real-time reaction. It is trained differently too - not in a booth and not on recorded speech, but on texts, with editorial correction.

Who each one suits: if you are comfortable working under time pressure and can hold a fast pace, look toward simultaneous interpreting. If your strength is memory and structured thinking rather than reaction speed, consecutive interpreting will show results faster. If you are more confident working with text than with live speech, and you value precision of wording over speed, that is written translation - and for that, check with the specific school whether it offers a separate program: the courses discussed below do not teach written translation.

What separates a program that works from one that doesn't

A school's website description rarely tells you what you will actually be taught. There are four signs worth checking before you pay, not after the first lesson.

• Share of practice. A lecture about what simultaneous interpreting is does not train the skill of simultaneous interpreting. A program that works means hours in the booth or with a recorder, not hours spent listening to theory.
• Working with live speech, not only text on paper. Simultaneous and consecutive interpreting mean working with sound: accents, slips of the tongue, pauses, and a pace the speaker will not adjust for you. A course that trains only on pre-edited texts is preparing you for an exam, not for a real booth.
• Instructor feedback on every attempt. Interpreting is a skill you cannot assess on your own: a student does not hear their own mistakes the way an experienced interpreter does from the outside. Without a breakdown of specific phrases after every practice session, progress slows down or stops altogether.
• Volume. A stable simultaneous interpreting skill does not form in a few hours - the difference between the introductory and full course below makes that clear: 30 hours and 320 hours produce fundamentally different results.

SINKHRON PLUS courses in simultaneous and consecutive interpreting

SINKHRON PLUS runs three interpreting programs: two in simultaneous interpreting and one in consecutive. All three are online, enrollment is open, and you should confirm the exact price and the next start date when you sign up - the courses section is updated separately for each program.

The "Online Simultaneous Interpreting Course" is an introductory program for beginners: 30 hours, translating from English and into English. What sets it apart is that it is taught by three to four instructors rather than one: from the start, students see different approaches to interpreting the same speech, rather than a single specialist's one way of doing it.

The "Andrey Falaleev Signature Simultaneous Interpreting Course" is built for an intermediate level - those who have already completed an introductory stage or arrive with prior experience. It runs 320 hours split into eight modules: four in English-to-Russian translation, four in Russian-to-English. This is the volume at which a skill has time to take hold, rather than simply being demonstrated once in class.

The "Online Consecutive Interpreting Course" is also an introductory program, 30 hours. Its content shows it is built around a specific skill rather than a general introduction to the profession: retaining and relaying what was heard, note-taking, compression, and practice on real audio recordings rather than textbook examples.

What level of language you need to start

The "beginner" label in a course description refers to interpreting skill, not language proficiency: the program does not teach the language from scratch - it assumes the student already has it, and teaches interpreting itself, the real-time switching between languages. Before signing up for any of these courses, it is worth honestly assessing whether you can read, listen, and speak your working language fluently at a normal conversational pace, with no extra time allowed to think.

If your language is not quite there yet - conversation practice is shaky, and finding the right phrase takes time - it makes more sense to bring the language itself up to a level where interpreting will not be held back by the language, and only then take on interpreting. A course that trains interpreting skill does not substitute for language proficiency and is not designed to build it along the way.

This is even more true for the "Andrey Falaleev Signature Simultaneous Interpreting Course," built for an intermediate level: its eight modules across 320 hours work with an interpreting skill that already exists, rather than building it from zero.

Online or in person: what you gain and what you lose

All three SINKHRON PLUS courses are online, and it is worth understanding exactly what that changes compared with in-person interpreting training.

What you gain: access to instructors and a group regardless of what city you're in, and the ability to study from a recording and rewatch the breakdown of your own mistakes, instead of having to remember everything after a single class. For an introductory course this is especially valuable - as already noted, feedback on every attempt matters more than simply being present in the room.

What you lose: the physical feel of the booth - the actual tight space, the headphones, a rotation partner at the same panel, the hall noise behind the glass. An online course trains the interpreting skill itself but not the practical details of working on-site - those are picked up during your first real assignments. That is not a reason to avoid the online format; it is a reason not to treat a course certificate as a guarantee that your first time in a real booth will go smoothly without an adjustment period.

How long training actually takes

Nobody becomes a simultaneous interpreter over a weekend - and the difference in volume between the introductory and full course shows this clearly: 30 hours and 320 hours are not the same program in different packaging, but fundamentally different outcomes.

The 30 hours of an introductory course are enough to understand the mechanics of simultaneous or consecutive interpreting, try yourself in exercises with feedback, and decide - based on actual practice, not theory - whether this is for you at all. It is a starting point, not readiness to take on a real assignment.

Eight modules, 320 hours, and work in both directions - English to Russian and back - build a skill that can handle the load of a real event: the booth rotation mentioned above, live speech with no chance to ask the speaker to repeat. That amount of practice is usually what stands behind a stable professional skill in any discipline that demands a real-time reaction.

What to ask the school before you pay

A list of questions worth asking before you enroll - whichever school you are considering.

1. How many hours of the total are practice with live sound, rather than lectures?
2. Who teaches the course - one instructor or several, and why was that format chosen?
3. Is every interpreting attempt reviewed individually, or is feedback given generally, to the whole group?
4. What material is used for practice: textbook exercises or real speech recordings?
5. What does completing the course include: a certificate of completion, or a skill check, such as a test interpretation?
6. What level of language is assumed at the start, and how is that checked at enrollment?

The answers to these questions usually show quickly whether a program can explain exactly what it teaches, or whether it stops at general words like "effective" and "intensive."

Frequently asked questions

Can I take the "Andrey Falaleev Signature Course" straight away, without the introductory course?

Formally, nothing prevents it, but the program is built for an intermediate level and eight modules of work in both translation directions - without a basic skill of switching between languages in real time, it will be harder to get through than starting with the introductory course.

Do SINKHRON PLUS courses teach written translation?

No, all three programs are about interpreting - simultaneous and consecutive. You can read about written translation as a separate service on the site, but there is currently no dedicated training course for it.

How much does training cost, and when is the next intake?

Confirm the price and intake dates when you sign up - each course page and the courses section publish information current as of your inquiry.

Will an online course work for me if I have never interpreted before?

Yes, both introductory courses - in simultaneous and consecutive interpreting - are built for a beginner level: they do not assume you already have interpreting experience, only command of the language.

What to do next

If you already know what kind of interpreting you want to pursue, open the relevant course page and look at the program in detail: the introductory simultaneous interpreting course, the advanced Andrey Falaleev course, or the consecutive interpreting course. If you are still weighing simultaneous against consecutive, look at how the work itself is set up: the simultaneous and consecutive interpreting pages describe how these formats differ at real events, not only in a training room.

More material on interpreting is in the blog. And if you still have questions about enrollment or the training format, you can ask them in the FAQ section or write to us directly through contacts.