What is Remote Simultaneous Interpretation and why is it important?

With global economies coming closer since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, remote simultaneous interpretation services have become the need of the hour. Such a setting is much more feasible and affordable in comparison to interpreter services – a major reason why many multilingual events are now preferring the remote version to the usual setting. In short, translation services online can be accessed easily and helps organizers save big bucks.

In this blog, we dive deeper into all things details of remote simultaneous interpretation: its definition, use cases, benefits, interpreters services, and its relevance today and what lies ahead.

Simultaneous interpretation happens when the interpreter interprets the speaker’s speech as he or she speaks. The interpreter does not wait for the speaker to complete their sentence. Instead, the interpretation happens in real time.

The interpreter performs language translation over video-conferencing platforms such as Zoom. So, basically, in simple words, it’s Zoom live translation or Zoom language interpretation happening in real time. Similarly, Zoom Webinar or Google Meet simultaneous interpretation are performed.

Simultaneous interpreting or real-time interpretation dates back to November 1945 at the Nuremberg trials. Since then, it has been adopted across the world and is used in a range of settings from government to private.

However, Simultaneous Interpretation is a complicated process, even for bilingual people. A lot of training and experience is required to be able to accurately perform simultaneous interpretation. The interpreter has to listen carefully to each word of the speaker and simultaneously interpret the speech into another language. From Spanish to English interpreter to French to German translator to simultaneous interpreting from English, you can find a slew of language translators on our platform. This is easier said than done.

Hans Martin Jörimann, an interpreter working for the Swiss Parliament says, “I was absolutely nervous the first time I did it!” Learning the context and the jargon gradually helped him.

On-site simultaneous interpretation often requires expensive equipment such as soundproof booths, interpreter consoles, infrared receiver headsets, and more. All of this has to be well maintained. Usually, simultaneous interpreters work in pairs, as the job can be quite tiring at times.

Remote simultaneous interpretation (RSI) is the new age version of the traditional service, performed online with all meeting attendees, including the interpreters who receive the continuous live audio and video feed in a remote setup.

With Covid-19 cases coming down globally, there is a pressing need for RSI services, as events and conferences make a comeback after two years of uncertainty

With every advance in communication technology, the interpreting process has kept pace . Before RSI telephone interpreting was the only possible solution. While that still exists, RSI has obviously caught the popular fancy for a slew of reasons

However, For one, it being visual allows professional interpreters to do their job from any part of the world. Also, since everything is online, it’s super-fast and much more affordable than having professional interpreters at the venue.

RSI has been popularly used at diplomatic events, online events, press conferences, and so on in domestic and international levels. Such a system can be deployed easily in completely online events as well as hybrid ones, where some part of the event might be held in-person and some parts are streamed.n the popular imagination, interpreters have only existed in diplomatic meetings of high importance. And, with good reason. This is because simultaneous interpreting is highly demanding and is only done by interpreters who have a very good grasp on both languages. Inviting such interpreters at the event venue is a tough nut to crack and could leave the organizers in a fix.

Also, in-person simultaneous interpreting is expensive, as the organizers have to bear the cost of travel, stay and more of the interpreters. Hence, not all can afford to have simultaneous interpreters at their events, making remote simultaneous interpretation services an unmatchable offering.

Though RSI is not new, there has been renewed interest in it, courtesy of the global pandemic which brought the economies closer than ever. We list some of the benefits here:

1. RSI beats on-site simultaneous interpreting hands down when it comes to cost. Imagine all the travel costs involved in getting an interpreter on site, arranging for their stay in case of multi-day events, and the equipment cost. These physical simultaneous translation cost can add up hugely at multi-language events where large teams of interpreters would be required. In contrast, RSI gets going with a few clicks. You book interpreters online, they log into the event at the assigned time and day, and start interpreting from wherever they are. Interpreters need to have a quality headset, microphone, and a powerful and reliable internet connection, and a quiet place to work from, but other than that the equipment cost is nil. Travel cost, of course, can be completely avoided.

2. Any number of languages. Events now don’t have to be constrained by interpreter cost, logistics , and the technical infrastructure. Speeches, debates, talks and more can now be interpreted in many languages. At in-person events, all of these would turn out to be constraints, forcing organizers to arrange interpretation only into select languages. Speakers of many other languages would not have access to the content of the conferences in their own language. Not so any more. Remote language interpretation services have made it much simpler, easy and affordable. The complete translation from one language to the other is done in a remote setup. And with interpreters of multiple languages connected globally, translation in more than one becomes a piece of cake.

3. RSI helps interpreters avoid travel. This results in huge reduction of the carbon footprint of an event, since there is no requirement of inviting interpreters of multiple languages from various parts of the globe. Also, there is no requirement of buying translation equipment for a single event, thus reducing the electronics waste generated via large scale events.

4. Ideal for the pandemic situation. It’s only RSI that has allowed many multilingual events to take place online in a pandemic-ridden world. Speakers, interpreters, and attendees can log on to any event in the comfort and safety of their homes. If communication technology hadn’t managed to make enough advances to enable RSI, it would have been indeed difficult to conduct multi-lingual conversations across the world in the real-time.

5. Enables hybrid events. Remote simultaneous interpretation can be used in hybrid events which combine in-person and online. Interpreters can interpret on-site from their booths and can also be broadcast to online attendees. However, organizers must make sure that both the receiving and transmitting end are connected with high-speed internet.

6. Everyone wins. RSI is not just advantageous to event organizers because of the cost and convenience benefits, it’s also helpful for speakers because they don’t have to stop in their speech and wait for the interpreter to catch up. Instead, they can follow their line of thought and deliver the speech unhindered. Attendees too can listen to the speech in their native language without any breaks.

It’s super easy to book an interpreter on vSpeeq

• You log into the vSpeeq portal
• Fill up a form indicating the languages you want the interpretation from and into.
• You can also specify the duration of the event.
• The pricing wizard gets into action and gives you an instant, obligation-free cost estimate.
• It can even create a custom package for you.
• We help you not only from booking your event in the languages of your choice but also help you host them on the platform of your choice.
• When you book an interpreter from vSpeeq, all your concerns regarding interpreting are taken care of. In addition, we offer a recording facility for your events and translation of your PowerPoint (OPT) files.

vSpeeq is the latest offering from the people at Braahmam, a veteran translation and localization company based in Dublin, Ireland.

Braahmam’s years of working closely with international clients from different sectors comes in handy in shaping, vSpeeq’s interpretation services for the global interpretation market, and as an upcoming Interpreting company in the USA.

Braahmam is an ISO 17100:2015 certified company headquartered in Ireland with a global clientele

vSpeeq which is an upcoming Interpretating company in the USA can plug into any online meeting solution provider that you might already be using. If you have none, you can use vSpeeq’s solution.

With vSpeeq, increase the attendance at your events and the engagement levels of the audience by interpreting in their languages. Your events will become more successful when our professional interpreting services are of a high quality and the attendees are able to enjoy and understand the content.

Simultaneous interpretation makes sure the speakers can be understood in real-time without any time lag saving time in business meetings

Remote simultaneous interpretation or remote interpreting services has become the default setting for online and hybrid multilingual meetings. Even if the pandemic situation no longer exists, this service will continue to be in high demand, thanks to the many advantages it brings to event organizers, speakers, and attendees.

If you are an interpreter, it makes a lot of sense to work with vSpeeq, which is on the list of upcoming Interpreting company in the USA. From saving on multiple rental spends for devices to logistical challenges, with vSpeeq you get the advantage of a firm offer.

You no longer have to concern yourself with arranging your travel, accommodation, or any other venue-specific details. Your venue is your home and you can choose your hours of work and the events you want to interpret for. You just need to invest in the setup and you’re ready to translate for the world!