In this article, we will talk about proper organization of interpretation at a conference or any other event.
First of all, it is necessary ask the client, who is requesting organization of an event, how much he needs interpretation in principle, since provision of interpretation service means additional costs and additional technical organization measures. If translation is needed, i.e. the conference will be attended by foreign speakers or participants, it is necessary to correctly determine the type of interpretation.
The fact is that if this participant is only one, then it is possible to organize the interpretation by the principle of "whispering", i.e. an interpreter sits next to a foreign participant and simultaneously translates right into his ear . Actually, the same can be done with a larger number of participants - up to four, who in this case can be asked to take adjacent seats and the interpreter sits next to or between them. In this case, it should also be taken into account that the interpretation organized in this way may interfere with the rest of the participants sitting next to them, therefore they should be asked to take other places, further away. This is a disadvantage of this type of interpretation in comparison with interpretation using equipment for simultaneous interpretation, which must be taken into account when organizing an event.
Another situation is when only one or two speakers are planning to speak at a large event with a large number of participants. Simultaneous interpretation is usually used to save on venue rental and other related costs, since with a large number of foreign speakers or participants it can help to almost half the overall timing of an event, and at a large event it can amount to tens of thousands of US dollars. However, if all the participants are Russian-speaking, and there is only one foreign speaker, then it is reasonable to involve just one consecutive interpreter. Usually, in the case of such an order, the interpreter charges a higher rate due to the high degree of responsibility and stress of this type of work, but this, of course, is incommensurate with the cost of renting equipment for simultaneous interpretation and simultaneous interpreters themselves for the whole day.
Often, when organizing conferences with a large number of participants, several interpreters should be provided who would be located in the lobby and other places of the venue to provide assistance and support to participants during coffee breaks, or acquaint them with the site configuration, fix everyday issues ...
The www.interforum.by team hopes that these simple tips will help you make the most of the funds allocated for translation in the event budget and, in general, make successful events.