INTERPRETING AT VIDEOCONFERENCES
Remote interpreting refers to meetings with interpretation taking place at a distance. With reference to the remote parties three situations can be distinguished: 1. The interpreter(s) are the only parties located in a place different than the meeting room, whilst those who will use interpretation are assembled in a single venue; this means interpreters may not have a direct view of the speakers, the rostrum or what is going on in the room;2. Both interpreter(s) and all participants in the meeting/call/videoconference/broadcast are remotely located; 3. One or more participants are only remotely located, whilst the interpreter(s) and some other participants are in one physical location.
“Videoconference” with interpretation is one specific kind of “remote interpreting”. The term is most widely used for events (e.g. business meetings, associations’ meetings, press conferences) at which one or more speakers address a meeting at which interpreters are in the same room as participants. The off-site speakers are projected on a screen in the meeting room (and sometimes also on monitors in or in front of the interpreters’ booths) and their speech is transmitted directly to the headsets of participants and interpreters.
Thanks to technological developments the quality of sound and image is now much improved. The technical setup however needs to be such to avoid possible problems of sound-image synchronisation. Possible sound and image transmission problems may render the already difficult interpreters’ job even harder.
Because of the extra difficulties presented by remote interpreting it would be too risky to entrust it to anyone. P&A Interpreters have been interpreting at videoconferences for years and are able to successfully perform this difficult task.
Do you need interpreters for your next videoconference? Call us today!