Interpreting under Corona
André Josten • 16. Februar 2021
Interpreting under Corona
The Corona pandemic is not stopping people from communicating with each other across borders. Whether Interreg programmes, EU environmental protection programmes, European works councils, supervisory boards or other international gatherings, work has to go on – despite Corona.
With physical meetings out of the question, the focus is now on ICT: Instead of sitting in a conference booth, interpreters are now sitting in front of a screen at home, performing their work remotely. The buzzword here is Remote Simultaneous Interpreting (RSI).
RSI software
Interpreting platforms are now available for simultaneous interpreting at virtual international conferences. The market leaders in the RSI segment are Kudo, Voiceboxer and Interactio. Moreover, the Zoom software often used for teleworking can be a simple and low-cost alternative for multilingual conferences. All of these programmes are subject to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Zoom allows video conferences with up to 100 participants. Unfortunately, neither Webex nor Teams currently allows simultaneous interpreting.
We are here to take care of your remote interpreting needs
JOSTEN.LU S.A. now has considerable experience in remote interpreting. What we offer: we can send out invitations to participants, perform a trial run before a meeting, provide participants with instructions on how to use the programme, as well as providing technical support during the meeting – all at a good price.
Important: you need to have a good Internet connection and the right equipment.
For a successful remote conference, you will need a robust Internet connection, suitable equipment such as a PC or a laptop fitted with a camera, as well as a headset or headphones with a microphone – we all want to be heard and understood properly!
Simultaneous interpretation = real-time translation
Whether at international conferences, cross-border meetings, European works council meetings or board meetings, participants expect to be able to speak in their own language and nevertheless to understand everything that is said. Simultaneous interpretation means that what is said is translated into the target language virtually simultaneously.
The Corona pandemic has greatly boosted remote interpreting
Special ICT programmes allow simultaneous interpreting into many different languages for video conferences, webinars and other online meetings. The pandemic has greatly boosted the development of RSI software and its capabilities.
What does simultaneous interpreting involve?
Interpreting means that what is said by one person is translated virtually simultaneously into one or more different languages, allowing it to be understood by another person or group. To work as an interpreter, you need to have a perfect command of both the source and the target language. You also need to be able to concentrate for a long time, have good all-round knowledge and be quick to react. Interpreting can be very demanding work!
Interpreters require a good knowledge of a meeting's subject matter and its specific terminology
In an ideal world, the client will make PowerPoint and other presentations available to interpreters, allowing them to immerse themselves in the subject. Generally speaking, interpreters translate verbatim.