> Portable systems use RF technology. Portable analog FM systems are simple to operate without the need for a simultaneous interpretation (SI) technician.

> If you rent a simple to use portable FM system, you'll save on equipment cost and labor but take on responsibility for the technical planning, onsite operation, management and any troubleshooting of the interpretation equipment.

>Consider that any noise that is not the presenters' voice can be a distraction for the interpreters and should be minimized. A full size interpreter booth rental goes a long way towards providing a comfortable space for the interpreters to work and the needed sound isolation. A tabletop booth rental with partial sound isolation can also work well for many scenarios. Keep in mind the footprint of the booth and the available space in the room. The interpreter's station should have proper comfortable seating, room temperature and a reading lamp for each interpreter.

> Potential issues with RF equipment at the location include:

• anyone close by using the same RF transmission frequency, with an equal or more powerful system;
• a nearby TV antenna signal that can cause interference;
• any physical elements (like pillars and walls) between the transmitter and the receivers, which might block the transmission. This includes metal walls, thick brick, concrete or masonry walls that exist in the deployment space
• If you're considering using a portable 2.4 Ghz digital interpretation system with many people in a small area, the closer the receiver is held to the body, the more likely there will be body shielding. There is no calculator to predict body shielding. It's a trial and error test. Every person uses the system in a different manner

>The audio quality of analog RF (FM) interpretation systems from leading brands is more or less comparable. For a slightly better audio experience at a tour, you could consider a digital portable 2.4 Ghz system or, for hi-fidelity audio at a conference upgrade to a digital infrared system.

> In a UN-style format, interpreters only interpret into their respective mother tongue (called “A” language). Alternatively, if you are operating with a tight budget, you can have interpreters work "dual language direction" by having them also interpret into their other language in which they are fluent but not native (“B” language).

>The number of interpreters will affect the amount of interpretation equipment required. For example: If you are having interpreters only interpret into their "A" language, in most cases you'll need twice the number of interpreters, channels and booths.

> Calculate one channel per language direction.

Example A: English into Spanish is 1-channel.
Example B: English into Spanish and Spanish into English are 2-channels.

>For the interpreters to hear clearly what is being said, audio of the presenter(s) is to be transmitted directly to the interpreter's station. Find out if there will be a dedicated audio feed from the AV provider so that a direct line can be run from the conference room’s PA system to the interpretation equipment. To perform their job at the best of their ability, the interpreters need to hear the speakers/presenters well at all times during the event. There are four ways to accomplish this.

1. recommended: dedicated audio feed from mixing board

the presenters or panelists are given individual microphones as part of the venue's sound reinforcement setup and the simultaneous interpretation system provider receives an audio feed from the venue's mixing board.

Best practice calls for interpreters to use headphones, a microphone and an interpreter console from where they can control the sound level during the event and make adjustments as needed. If there is sound reinforcement at the event and the interpretation equipment comes with an interpreter console (portable FM systems do not), the interpreter’s headphones should connect via the interpreter console to the sound system’s mixing board “audio out” (usually via a 3-pin male XLR floor out), which feeds the audio directly from the speakers.

the interpretation equipment provider should coordinate with the sound reinforcement provider and do a sound check prior to the start of the event.

2. alternative: headphones from mixing board

using a sound system (either the one provided by the event venue – if available – or a rental), the interpreter’s headphones are connected directly to the system’s mixing board “audio out”, which feeds the audio directly from the speakers. If the venue has an AV technician working your event, they will likely be able to do this for you. If not, you will have to set this up yourself.

(coming soon: visual of mixing board with audio out)

this is the best solution to give the interpreters quality audio when using a simultaneous interpretation system without interpreter console (like a portable FM system). You just have to make sure the interpreter’s headphones have a long enough wire to reach from the mixing board to the interpreter booth (or wherever the interpreters are going to be, if you are not using a booth). Take this into consideration while drawing your room diagram.

the downside of this approach is that, without the console, the interpreter does not have a way to control the incoming audio levels and instead relies on the technician operating the mixing board to provide an optimal sound volume. This is why it is important to test the system before the event and make sure the audio level is optimal for the interpreters.

3. workaround: ad-hoc wireless feed

if there is no sound reinforcement, you can rent an additional portable beltpack transmitter and an extra receiver. The presenter will use the transmitter on a separate channel from the one selected for the transmitter used by the interpreter. The interpreter will then tune the extra receiver to the presenter's transmitter’s channel to get a direct wireless audio feed.

for your room setup, you will have to take into account that the transmission range of a portable beltpack transmitter is approx 100 feet, so the interpreter cannot be set up farther than 100 feet from the presenter's transmitter.

in addition, since you will be working with multiple transmitters, you must make sure to leave at least two free channels between each transmitter’s frequency to avoid interference.

this solution can be acceptable for small-scale one-person presentations or if multiple presenters will await their turn to speak using the same microphone.

for scenarios with multiple presenters or panelists using table mics, in a many to many meeting, it is advisable to use discussion units or a wireless conference system that routes the microphones to a system control unit such as Bosch. To buy or rent a conference system, please visit our section AV Rental & Sales.

4. no audio feed

At times, for budgetary or technical reasons, there is no possibility to get an audio feed to the interpreter. As a last resort, you could have the interpreter simply listen naturally to the speaker - with no headphones and no audio feed.

in this scenario, the quality of the audio heard by the interpreter will be inferior as it is affected by room noise such as: audience members talking among themselves, the sound of people eating during a luncheon or dinner, waiting staff serving or clearing tables.

any extraneous noise might impair the interpreters' ability to concentrate. Some interpreters may be reluctant to accept to work without a proper audio feed. To avoid surprises, it is best to discuss the absence of an audio feed with the interpreter team or interpretation company at booking time.

>Are the interpreters in the same room as the presenters or panelists with a clear view of the presentation and screens? If the interpreters are going to be located in another space, you should budget for a camera package with video monitors and associated cabling so the interpreters can get a real time video feed of the speakers.

> Relay interpretation involves one interpreter taking the output of another interpreter as the source and rendering the message in a language understood by all the other interpreters. This "indirect interpretation" is then rendered to the target language audience. This technique is used when there are multiple target languages in an event and no single interpreter works in all of the languages, or when no interpreter can be located for a certain language combination.

> The interpretation of the Q&A can be performed in consecutive mode where one of the interpreters steps out of the booth, gets mic’d separately and is seated next to the panelist so he/she can take any necessary notes. Alternatively the Q&A session can be interpreted in simultaneous mode using the interpretation system.

planning the interpretation of the Q&A session

if you are planning to have a question and answer session, you have two options.

Q&A setup without using the interpretation system

the Q&A session is done in consecutive interpretation mode, which will require the interpreter to go sit next to the presenters without the need to use the simultaneous interpretation system. The interpreter will hear the question from the audience, interpret it to the presenter, then listen to the presenter's answer and interpret it back to the audience.

A Q&A session using consecutive interpretation with two language combinations takes about twice the time as compared to simultaneous interpretati

Q&A setup using the interpretation system

if you want to do simultaneous interpretation during the Q&A session, you will need a roving Q&A microphone to pass around to the members of the audience who want to ask questions or the people asking questions can walk up to a centrally placed Q&A microphone on a stand.

the interpreter gets a direct audio feed from the roving microphone (in addition to the audio feed from the presenter's microphone). The presenters get their own wireless FM receivers [does this apply to every case? if not, how should we edit?] to listen to the interpretation, then give their answers speaking into their microphone. Just like during the presentation, the interpretation of the answer is transmitted to the attendees through their receivers.

example

let’s assume your event includes presenters speaking in English to a Spanish-speaking audience. During the presentation, the interpreters will interpret English into Spanish on, say, channel 1.

after the presentation, you have a Q&A session where the audience asks questions to the presenters. If you are providing simultaneous interpretation for the Qamp;A session, you are now dealing with a second language direction, as the interpreters have to interpret the questions from Spanish into English for the presenters.

the more audience-friendly solution is to have a separate channel (say, channel 3) for the Spanish into English interpretation. This way, the presenters will only hear the Spanish into English interpretation of the questions and the Spanish audience will only hear the English into Spanish interpretation of the answers because you have a dedicated channel for each language direction.

however, if you want to rent only one transmitter, you will have to use channel 1 for both the Spanish into English interpretation of the questions and the English into Spanish interpretation of the answers. This means the audience and the presenters will hear both directions of interpretation, even the one they don’t really need. Their only other option is to take off the receiver’s headsets during the interpretation of their own language.

while we recommend having one channel per language direction, the best solution for you will depend on your budget and the type of experience you want your attendees to have.