Live Language Access Without Breaking the Conversation

Interpreters receive live audio feeds of speakers through online platforms and relay the conversation almost immediately over a different channel to an audience that can’t understand the source language.

Where This Fits and How It Works

Remote simultaneous interpretation services are a popular language solution for businesses and organizations hosting virtual or hybrid meetings and events, like:

Virtual conferences

Training sessions

Town halls

Product launches

Webinars

These services work by combining interpretation services with audio technology. Interpreters provide live interpretation for events, and participants tune in to the interpretation feed using event technology. This way, multilingual events can run smoothly without losing steam.

The interpreter listens to an event speaker and simultaneously provides an interpretation of what they’re saying (usually with a slight time lag). Remote simultaneous interpretation happens in real-time as the event takes place, rather than after the fact. Participants tune in using technology such as headphones or their devices’ speakers.

Here’s a typical breakdown of how remote simultaneous interpretation services work:

The event speaker shares their comments over a reliable microphone connection.

The interpreter listens to the feed.

The interpreter relays their comments over a different channel.

Participants can select their desired language channel to follow along.

Often, there is an event host or technician that manages access and levels and moves participants from one session to another.

Choosing the Right Interpretation Format

Simultaneous interpretation services require human interpreters to capture the speaker’s intended message, meaning, tone, and cultural context in another language. This type of live interpretation is vastly different from machine translation or captioning services.

There are two main types of live interpretation:

In consecutive interpretation, the speaker pauses periodically to allow the interpreter to provide comments in another language. This can work well for one-on-one meetings, interviews, facility tours, and other events where there isn’t as much of a need to keep things moving.

In simultaneous interpretation, the interpreter comments in real-time, while the speaker is talking. This is a popular option for webinars and virtual/hybrid events with larger audiences, since there are fewer interruptions. This way, attendees don’t have to sit through every segment twice.

Ultimately, your choice of interpretation services should depend on your event format, the size of your audience, your speakers’ styles, and how much back-and-forth conversation you anticipate.

What Remote Interpreters Need

It’s one thing to participate in a virtual event. It’s another for an interpreter to try and keep up with speakers so participants can stay caught up! For this reason, interpreters typically have special equipment and set-ups for remote simultaneous interpretation services.

Here are some of the tools and resources remote interpreters rely on:

Reliable internet connection

Quiet work environment

Special headset

Access to the event technology

Just like other participants, remote interpreters should have a stable internet connection (www.cnet.com/home/internet/how-much-internet-speed-do-you-really-need), access to event technology, and a quiet work environment. Interpreters typically also use special headsets, so they can focus on the task at hand.

Why Visual Cues Still Matter

Depending on the format of your event, interpreters may benefit from seeing your speakers, in addition to hearing them. This can help them pick up on nonverbal communication – more info here, body language, slides, and other helpful contextual information. That said, interpreters do rely primarily on receiving a quality audio feed of your speakers.

For this reason, speakers should take steps to provide interpreters with a clear, high-quality audio feed, including:

Using a reliable microphone connection

Speaking clearly

Avoiding background noise

Before your event begins, we recommend setting aside 15 minutes to test audio levels, event access, presentation sharing, and more. This way, your interpreters and event participants can hit the ground running!

Preparing Speakers and Participants

Successful remote simultaneous interpretation services start long before your speakers log on! To perform their jobs effectively, remote interpreters benefit from advance access to as much information about your event as possible. This allows them to better understand the topics you’ll be covering, your goals and objectives, any technical terminology, and more.

While most interpreters are highly skilled multilingual professionals, advance preparation ensures the best results, especially when you anticipate technical jargon, legal terminology, or other language that can’t be accurately “guessed.” Even if you don’t anticipate using a lot of industry-specific lingo, consider sending along any acronyms, company or product names, or other language that may be helpful for your interpreters to know in advance.

Other advance materials that can help interpreters better prepare for your event may include:

Event agenda

Slides/talking points

Information about speakers and/or event panelists

Background information about topics

Industry-specific glossaries

Anticipated questions from attendees

This isn’t to say that your remote interpreters will present all of this information to your audience! Instead, advance materials simply help them better understand your event so they can make quick and accurate decisions throughout.

When using remote simultaneous interpretation services, event participants will typically select which language channel they’d like to tune into so they can follow along in their language of choice. Interpreters do their best to keep up with speakers in real-time, though there will likely be a slight delay as they listen, understand, and interpret what’s being said.

Making the Experience Run More Smoothly

There are several steps event hosts and speakers can take to improve the remote interpretation experience:

Hosts can designate a point person to help event participants access the correct interpretation channel, if needed.

Hosts can designate a point person to control technology aspects of the event while another manages the speaker queue.

Speakers can avoid reading complex material straight from a script or slide. Even for listeners following along in their own language, this can be difficult to follow!

Speakers can try to avoid talking too quickly, enunciate, and take short pauses between major points or ideas.

For longer events, hosts may want to coordinate with their interpretation provider about switching out interpreters to ensure high-quality audio and interpretation throughout.

To make sure you get the most out of your remote simultaneous interpretation services, keep these best practices in mind:

Start planning early! The sooner you decide you’ll need interpretation services, the better.

Consider all aspects of your event when deciding which interpretation services will work best, including your event format, level of participant interactivity, technology and equipment being used, number of languages needed, and more.

When in doubt, communicate with your interpretation provider! From conducting technology check-ins using your actual event equipment to figuring out how to best facilitate Q&A in multiple languages, your provider can help you tackle unique challenges.

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