Selecting The Best Interpretation Equipment For Your Needs

You are here:

If you hire an interpreter for a one-on-one business negotiation, odds are the only components required are you, the client, an interpreter and everyone’s respective laptops. In the case of simultaneous interpretation, or where a larger, multilingual audience will be present, the right interpretation equipment ensures everyone’s message is heard and understood, without the confusion and noise disturbance that exists when multiple interpreters are working in the same space.

Is it better to purchase or rent interpretation equipment?

Since high-quality interpretation is not cheap, most clients choose to rent the equipment when needed rather than buy their own. The key is to budget your rental funds such that you have access to the most superior equipment available. This is a worthwhile investment since the quality of the interpreting – not to mention the impression you make on clients or prospects – may have everything to do with the equipment available and access to on-hand tech support.

Even if there is an event that you host/attend annually, or bi-annually, it is incredibly rare that purchasing equipment would be in your best interest. Like cars or other mechanical equipment, equipment should be used regularly so any glitches, malfunctions or issues that arise are caught and repaired immediately. Having it be in storage for months at a time is never a good idea.

Most high-quality equipment rental packages will include complete A/V equipment support and/or conference technicians so you’re never left alone with any potential glitch or technical issue that may arise. Renting equipment without technical support is risky.

What pieces of interpretation equipment do you need?

Interpretation equipment runs the gamut from a set of small microphones, receivers and headsets (ideal for a group tour) to full-sized, simultaneous interpretation booths that can accommodate two or more interpreters at a global conference. Specialized interpreter equipment may also come in handy for teleconferencing and other communications requiring multilingual remote participation.

Your professional interpretation firm should recommend the right equipment for the situation. For this reason, we advise spending time vetting the best and most qualified language services provider. Your ideal match is a company that uses top-of-the-line and can include all necessary equipment in your quote for services.

Here are some of the most common scenarios requiring interpretation equipment:

A general presentation or scenario requiring consecutive interpretation. As mentioned above, many situations requiring consecutive interpretation require no equipment whatsoever. However, for larger or longer functions, consecutive interpretation is not likely to be the best choice.

Large business or government conferences. In almost all cases involving large business or government conferences, you’ll be working with simultaneous interpreters. At the very minimum, they will need to have an interpreter console and/or monitoring unit, a headset with both microphone and headphone, receivers and transmitters. All of this will require the appropriate cables. Depending on the venue and goals of the conference, using a soundproof booth is likely to be beneficial. If the venue will not accommodate a soundproof booth, arrangements can be made for a booth to be placed outside of the room with video monitoring.

Regardless, it is imperative that the equipment provided is high-quality, so there is no irritating static, interference, delayed sound signals, etc. In many cases, headsets are worn by all parties for hours at a time, so you want something that is ergonomically shaped for comfort.

Facility tours, demos or training sessions. Perhaps your event will require a tour of your facility or a training session where involved parties will be continuously on the move. In these cases, we recommend using portable transmitters. These are typically clipped to the participants’ waistband and connected to a headset that is equipped with both earphones and a mic. This allows the tour, demo or training session to progress fluidly while everyone remains hands-free and mobile.

Teleconferencing equipment. Applications like GoToMeeting, Skype, Webex, and Google Hangouts have certainly made it easy to host teleconferences – – unless you’re dealing with two or more languages. When language services are necessary, it is essential to access teleconferencing equipment that streamlines the communication process in a much less confusing or audibly unpleasant way. Using innovative telephonic platforms, your language services provider will be able to streamline teleconferencing – even for larger groups. These systems are designed to work well with your online presentation platform of choice while ensuring efficient simultaneous or consecutive interpretation.

Don’t allow your message to get lost in a sea of interference or a cacophony of cheap electronic mayhem. Work with CCA and we’ll make sure your events come equipped with top notch interpreters and the highest quality equipment.