What do you need to organize the perfect “simultaneous interpreting”?
The implementation of simultaneous interpreting involves symbiosis, well-coordinated work of people and technology. In the prepared material, we detail the information on how to make your event with the need for simultaneous interpreting go like clockwork. This article can also be used as a kind of checklist.
Getting the most background information
As you know, the information is one of the components of the success of any project. The more background information you can provide, the better it will be in the end. In advance, you must disclose to the contractor:
- Exact date, time and location of the event
- Language(s) to be translated
- How many invited guests the event is designed for
- Its format (roundtable discussion, lecture, conference, symposium)
- Technical parameters of the room or open area, including: layout, footage of the room, floor of the office and hall, availability of an elevator in the building to lift equipment.
Provide additional time before and after the simultaneous interpreting
Simultaneous interpreting requires a large number of sound devices, especially if the room is not equipped with suitable equipment at all. They need to be delivered to the venue of the event, lifted, installed, configured, and tested. In most cases, installation and proper configuration require at least two hours of work by the specialists. Dismantling takes about the same amount of time. In this connection, the time shall be coordinated with the site in advance, and we must receive information in advance in this regard.
If transportation to the event is provided, include interpreters in the list
If the planned event will be held in the vicinity, away from the city, and transportation to the venue is provided for employees, we ask that our translators be included in the list of people. In turn, we will exclude transport services from the estimate, and you will be sure and calm that our staff will arrive in an organized manner, i.e. the risk of getting lost and be late for our employees is reduced to zero.
Appointment of persons responsible for the event
- Responsible for the organization of the simultaneous interpreting
Make sure that the issue of simultaneous interpreting is entrusted to one person. This will make it possible to avoid the “Pass the Message” situation, and will allow you to quickly fix problems and solve organizational issues.
- Responsible person in the hall, on the site
Appoint a responsible executor who can be contacted promptly if necessary, and who will be in the hall or on the site during the simultaneous interpreting. He will be the main contact person for the technical engineer, installers, employees for the issuance of interpreters, and receivers. In case of unforeseen moments, those who have problems will go to him first of all for help. Ideally, if the person responsible for organization of the simultaneous interpreting is also responsible for the coherence of work in the hall or on the site.
Provide source material for the preparation of a simultaneous interpreter
The opinion that verbal translation belongs to the category of purely mechanical processes of “hear and translate” type is unfounded. All professional interpreters prefer to prepare in advance for events. The sooner the basic material is received, the better (preferably a couple of days or even earlier before the day of the event). Absolutely any information is useful for a simultaneous interpreter, but the following are especially important:
- Full names of the guests, speakers, names of legal entities, toponyms and proper names mentioned in the speakers’ speeches;
- Numbers, dates;
- Topics, titles of reports, links to websites (e.g. organizer, manufacturers), minutes of meetings, brochures, presentations, etc.;
- Similar materials on activities carried out in previous years.
For a number of events, the availability of preparatory content is critical. This is especially true for scientific conferences, where translation without prior preparation is likely to be of poor quality. As an example of a competent approach to the cooperation, we cite our participation in the conference “The Written Heritage of Dunhuang”. Our linguist had enough time and materials for preparation, and in this regard, at the time of the conference, he effectively coped with the translation, designed primarily for an international audience.