Short definition
The A-language is an interpreter's native language – the language in which they work actively at the highest level and into which they primarily interpret.
Detailed explanation
In professional conference interpreting, every interpreter's languages are sorted into categories. The A-language sits at the very top: it is the language into which an interpreter, as a rule, exclusively interprets – in other words, their active target language.
Why does this matter? Because simultaneous interpreting places extreme cognitive demands on the interpreter. Listening, understanding, formulating, and speaking in real time – this can only be done flawlessly in a language the interpreter truly knows inside and out. Nuances, irony, technical terms, idioms: all of this has to be rendered spontaneously and precisely.
In practice, the A-language determines which interpreters get booked for which language combination. At international conferences with multiple languages, the technical team plans the booth staffing according to the A-language combinations of all interpreters involved.
Relevance in this subject area
For planning multilingual events, understanding A-, B-, and C-languages is essential. It affects the number of booths required, staffing plans, and the technical setup of the simultaneous interpretation system.
Practical example
At an EU summit with eight languages, interpreters whose A-language is German work exclusively toward German. For every active target language, correspondingly qualified native speakers are needed in the respective booth.
Related terms
B-language, C-language, Passive language, Active language, Simultaneous interpreting, Interpreting system