Interpretation
Simultaneous interpretation:
the art of faithful reproduction
Interpreters work either in a booth equipped with microphones and headphones or with a bidule system (portable microphones and earphones). They reproduce, with only a few seconds’ delay, what the speaker is saying in the language or languages of the audience.
Planning interpretation services can be a daunting challenge if you have never done it before. More Than Just Words handles all of the technical and human aspects. Here are a few questions that new clients often ask.
1. What is the difference between an interpreter and a translator?
A translator works with written texts, while an interpreter specializes in live, oral translation.
2. Why do we need more than one interpreter?
Interpretation is physically and intellectually demanding work. Just like in an Olympic relay race, interpreters take their turn at the microphone in order to maintain a high level of performance for the entire day.
- For a day from 9 am to 5 pm or equivalent, a team of three interpreters is necessary.
- For work that does not exceed four hours, a team of two interpreters will suffice.
- For a one or two-hour meeting, one interpreter can work alone.
3. Why do we need several interpreters when only one person is listening?
Whether one person or a thousand people are listening, the work load is the same for the simultaneous interpretation team.
4. Why should I pay a team of interpreters for a full day when they only work half a day?
Professional interpreters are paid based on fees that are not broken down into an hourly rate. When an interpreter reserves time for a half-day assignment, he or she is actually reserving the entire day for you and will not accept any other assignments.
5. How can I know what type of equipment to rent?
More Than Just Words will help you determine and will supply you with the most suitable and most reliable equipment. We also organize the installation of booths, if necessary, and technical assistance throughout the event.
6. Why do you need our program/ agenda and our PowerPoint presentations beforehand?
In order to ensure high quality simultaneous interpretation services, our teams prepare beforehand. The interpreters will review your documents, prepare an ad hoc glossary, familiarize themselves with the jargon of your business sector and arrive prepared for the task to be performed.
7. My speaker plans to read his presentation, so why do you need it in advance?
The speaking rate of someone who is reading a written text is very quick. The speed is much faster, which makes interpretation more difficult. This is why we recommend that interpreters be able to familiarize themselves with the text in advance.
8. What happens if our speakers do not write their presentations in advance?
A presentation that is not drafted in advance is actually easier to interpret because the speaker will naturally speak more slowly, since he has to take the time to articulate his thoughts in coherent sentences. In this case, the outline of his presentation may be helpful to us.
9. How far in advance should I send my presentations?
As soon as they are available. In fact, as early as possible is preferable in order to allow the interpreters time to better prepare.
10. Why do we need to pay the interpreters’ fees of our meetings are cancelled?
This is standard practice in the interpretation profession. As soon as an interpreter has signed a contract for your meeting, he or she declines any other commitment for the same work day or days. If your meeting is shortened, cancelled or postponed, he or she loses income.
11. What happens if my meetings run over the number of hours agreed to in the contract?
As professionals, More Than Just Words interpreters will never leave you hanging. Depending on the circumstances and the number of additional hours, More Than Just Words can call in a new team or bill accordingly, as stipulated in our quotations.