Linguistic Compression in Oral Interpretation and Its Impact on Translation Accuracy

This article examines the role of linguistic compression in oral interpretation and analyzes its influence on translation accuracy during real-time communication. In simultaneous and consecutive interpreting, interpreters frequently encounter time pressure, rapid speech delivery, and information overload, which require them to shorten or restructure utterances without damaging the speaker’s intended meaning. Linguistic compression is therefore considered one of the most practical strategies for managing cognitive load and maintaining fluency in interpretation. The study explores the main forms of compression used by interpreters, including omission of redundant elements, simplification of syntactic structures, lexical substitution, and condensation of repetitive information. Particular attention is given to the balance between brevity and semantic accuracy, since excessive reduction may lead to partial information loss or distortion of meaning. The article also discusses how professional interpreters make quick decisions to preserve key ideas while adapting speech to the target language in limited time conditions.