Recommendations for event organisers and clients of distance interpreting

If a conference or business event cannot be organised with the interpreters and organisers physically present at the same location, there are online solutions for virtual meetings, including multilingual ones. Such technology (e.g. video conferencing applications or conference interpreting platforms) comes with certain limitations, so it is necessary to provide appropriate organisational, technical and legal solutions to ensure the success of your conference or a business event.

Organising a conference – what should be considered?

Online conference interpreting solutions enable both consecutive and simultaneous distance interpreting, including a variation called remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI), where interpreters work remotely using an internet connection. However, whenever possible, all interpreters should be present at a conference or meeting venue, or, in the case of RSI, they should be at the same location in an interpreting hub.

The following should be considered when organising a conference:

  • Professional interpreters with relevant references and experience should be engaged.
  • There are always two interpreters working together in the same language team, i.e. for one output channel (or three interpreters in the event of a more complex language regime or a longer conference). Simultaneous interpretation involves teamwork and interpreters need to able to engage in visual, verbal and non-verbal communication. Complying with this standard is crucial even in the case of remote interpretation, as a number of unforeseen circumstances and technical disturbances can occur.
  • If it is not possible to organise work from a standard interpreting booth located at the venue, interpreters should work from an interpreting hub, where the technical and other working conditions resemble a regular booth. Engaging interpreters who work from home, physically separated from each other, should only be a last resort in extreme, crisis conditions (large-scale natural disasters, pandemics where staying in the same space is forbidden, etc.), since such work does not comply with professional standards, it can significantly impair the quality of interpretation and interpreters’ health and, consequently, put the success of the conference at risk.
  • A technical check (i.e. testing the platform and the equipment to be used) should be conducted before the conference, all participants should be instructed on how virtual conferences work and how they should behave, and technical support should be provided for participants and interpreters. Due to the challenging working conditions, it is especially important to provide interpreters with materials (detailed agenda, presentations, papers, speeches and a list of participants) in advance and in good time.

Technical aspects

The technical basis for the operation of interpreting platforms has been available for thirty years and is based on VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), a technology that allows for the transmission of audio communication over the internet. Event organisers should keep in mind that remote interpreting platforms are based on a low-investment business model that relies on the devices and equipment of end-users (i.e. you as the organiser and other participants and interpreters), rather than on specialised professional hardware used for simultaneous interpretation in professionally equipped booths, where quality and functionality is ensured by professional conference technicians. With interpreting platforms, once the sound reaches the user, the responsibility of the platform provider ends, and the quality can no longer be significantly altered on account of a number of unknown variables and algorithms for sound correction in the participants’ devices and equipment (computers, tablets, mobile phones, etc.). A number of studies on the effect of such an environment on participants and interpreters has recently been conducted, indicating significant differences from standard conference equipment. These studies look into the phenomena of greater cognitive load, increased stress and fatigue, acoustic shock and other negative effects on hearing, so they should certainly be weighed accordingly. The decision to hold a virtual conference with distance interpreting should therefore be based on objective reasons, and not taken as a result of uncritically following current trends.

Given that the technical requirements for holding a conference with distance interpreting using a platform are more complex than those under normal conditions, the awareness of organisers and participants of all aspects necessary for such work is crucial. In addition, organisers and clients should not be misled into thinking that distance interpretation is more cost-effective than the standard form of interpretation. On the contrary, considering the fee for the use of the platform (the amount of which varies depending on the settings, the language regime, the number of participants, the total annual number of conferences on the same platform, etc.), the technical support, additional fees for interpreters working under special conditions and other factors, these costs will in some segments be even higher.

The following should be considered during technical preparation:

  • Defining technical needs with regard to the language regime, the number of participants, etc., in agreement with interpretation platform providers and interpreters.
  • Determine the equipment and infrastructure necessary for the best possible quality of audiovisual transmission (the Internet connection, computers and other devices to be used, headphone and microphone types) and for protecting the health of participants and interpreters; the platform chosen should comply with the ISO 24019:2022 standard.
  • Conducting a technical check before the conference and providing technical support throughout the event.

Legal aspects

While arranging a Distance Interpreting assignment, among the numerous issues to be taken into account is whether the assignment is being arranged with an interpreter or a DI hub operator. Irrespective of location and mode of interpretation, professional standards and working conditions must be complied with at all times. It bears noting that conference organisers and clients should always strive to recruit professional conference interpreters with good references and relevant experience as this is key for a successful conference.

When concluding a contract or compiling an offer for distance interpreting, in addition to complying with standard principles adopted by the Croatian Society of Conference Interpreters, the following should be contracted:

  • The location of simultaneous interpreting (an interpreting hub, on-site interpretation or, in extreme cases, working from home) with the accompanying fees (rent, infrastructure costs, etc., depending on the location).
  • The number of interpreters in the team (two interpreters for the same language combination, i.e. output channel, or three, depending on the length of the conference and the language regime and their place of work (in the same location or separated).
  • The name of the platform for remote simultaneous interpreting and the language regime.
  • The duration of the interpreter’s working day as a basis for fee calculation, and mandatory breaks (interpreters working via a platform on a virtual console should not work more than two hours without a break, the total working day with two interpreters should be four hours, with a break of at least 20 minutes, and if the conference lasts longer than four hours, a third member of the language team should be engaged).
  • Limits of liability in the event of technical interferences, disconnections, a poor quality or incomprehensible audio or video signal or other disturbances that prevent or interfere with the quality of communication of participants and the work of interpreters (with the corresponding interpreters’ disclaimer clauses regarding technical difficulties affecting the quality of interpretation or preventing interpretation altogether, and the right of interpreters to suspend interpretation in such cases).
  • Interpreter’s consent to the recording, web streaming or other broadcasting of interpreting services, as well as appropriate compensation for same.
  • The cost of interpreters’ work, including compensation for difficult working conditions due to increased cognitive load in working on a virtual conference interpretation console over a platform, exposure to potentially harmful sound (acoustic shock) and other health risks associated with this type of work.
  • Responsibility for data security and protection.
  • All other special conditions that may arise in a specific case, such as the working conditions for blind and partially sighted interpreters who cannot use the interface (virtual console) of a remote interpreting platform. In this case, interpreters should be provided with a traditional console with manual selection of input and output channels, sound volume, microphone and mute function.

Event organisers and interpreters can clarify and define other organisational, technical and legal issues that have not been listed or explained here, in accordance with the specific needs of a particular conference or business event in a virtual environment. If you need any other information or advice on organising conferences with interpretation, in physical form or online, please feel free to contact us at info@hdkp.hr.

Note: You can download these recommendations as a PDF.