Interpreting equipment and interpreters for your online event via video conference
Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Webex, town hall, kick-off, virtual EWC meeting, online trade fair or live stream with global reach: for every online event there is a technical solution that works. We find it with you, set it up and provide the interpreters for your languages. You run your event, we make sure your content gets across in every language.
Online interpreting: how we work
Your online event, fully supported
Which video conferencing solution suits your event? How does the interpretation get from the interpreters to your participants? And who looks after the technology during the event?
We clarify these questions with you, set up the right interpreting equipment in your tool and take care of organisation and support. From the first consultation to the final test run.
For events with an audience on site, you will find everything you need on our page about interpreting equipment.
Which approach suits your event?
There are many options, so we advise you individually. As a guideline:
- In most cases we interpret remotely from our own premises, directly into your tool.
- For full-day events, or if you value technical support and an interference-free working environment for top performance, we recommend our interpreting studio.
- If your tool has no interpretation channels of its own, your participants listen to the interpretation via a web link in their browser or via an app.
What is included in our service?
For your online event we provide the interpreting team and the complete interpreting equipment for online events. This includes:
- advice on the technology and tool for your event
- advice on the best implementation in the tool you use
- if required, selection of the right interpreting studio by location, equipment and cost
- organisation and coordination of the interpreters
- instructions for your participants in German and English, multilingual on request
- a test run before your event
- on request, recording of the language channels and the video conference
- technical support throughout the event
Event examples: online events with interpreting
Remote interpreting: from our premises or from the interpreting studio
Equipment and support in the studio
Interpreting studios for remote interpreting, also called remote hubs, are equipped with professional interpreting equipment: booths, interpreter consoles and screens. Technicians who specialise in online events support you and the interpreting team throughout the event.
For hybrid formats, we also set up the solution directly at your venue so that participants on site and online hear the same interpretation.
What exactly is an interpreting hub?
Interpreting hubs are studios with professional interpreting equipment: interpreting booths, interpreter consoles and screens. From there, the interpreters follow your video conference and interpret simultaneously. The interpretation is delivered either via a separate audio channel or directly into your conferencing tool.
simultando runs its own interpreting studio in Overath near Cologne.
Stable connection, secure transmission
The studios work with a secured internet connection and their own transmission technology. Many languages can be interpreted remotely from there at the same time.
We test the technology with you beforehand. And during the event the interpreting team is not alone: our technical team supports them on site the whole time.
Interpreting in Zoom
Simultaneous interpreters directly in Zoom
If your video conferencing tool has its own interpretation channels, the interpreters speak directly into them, without a hub. Zoom can do this: your participants select their language in Zoom and hear the interpretation via the built-in channel.
The interpreters then work from our own premises, in a quiet environment with a fast, stable fibre-optic connection. On request, a second line provides additional backup.
Zoom hosting: one thing less to worry about
The interpretation feature is only included in certain Zoom licences. If you don't have it, we can host your event for you. Our technicians set up the video conference and support it throughout.
With the co-host function, you stay in control of your event at all times.
When the interpreting studio is worth it
Zoom now handles relay interpreting itself, so this also works without an interpreting studio. With a studio you play it safe, and we recommend it if
- your event lasts a full day,
- you value technical support right where the interpreters work,
- you want an interference-free working environment for top performance,
- you want to be on the safe side regarding network stability.
Live interpretation in Microsoft Teams
Teams and relay channels
Microsoft Teams transmits interpretation but has no relay channels. As long as only two languages are involved, or interpretation always goes from one source language into one or more others, this makes no difference. Only when interpreting is needed from several languages do we need a different approach. We will work out which one with you.
Set-up in your own Teams
We recommend setting up the interpretation in your own Teams. That way your usual structure with all rights and settings remains fully intact and you stay in control of your event. In this case, the set-up is up to you. If you would rather hand it over, we will take care of it for you.
Convenient, with no set-up in Teams
You don't want to set anything up in your Teams and would simply like it to be easy? Then we take a different route and handle the interpretation completely: you run your event in Teams as usual, we interpret from our interpreting studio and provide the interpretation via a separate channel, by app or in the browser. Your participants select their language there. Nothing changes in your Teams, and you don't need to worry about the set-up.
Events with many languages
Interpreting platforms for many languages
For some events, online platforms without a fixed licence are the better choice. They can be booked by the day, and the entire event including interpretation takes place on them.
This is particularly worthwhile when rare or very many languages and language combinations come together, or when the interpreters cannot come to an interpreting studio. We are happy to work out which solution suits your event.
An AI simultaneous translation can also be added as an extra language channel, for example for languages where a dedicated interpreting team would not pay off. We set it up and keep an eye on it during the event. Find out more on our page about AI interpreters.
What exactly is relay interpreting?
With relay interpreting, not every language combination is staffed individually. Each language is first interpreted into a common pivot language, for example German or English. The other interpreters listen to this channel and interpret from it into their target language.
This way, many languages can be covered with a manageable team.
What our clients say
"Your online technology for the simultaneous interpretation of our digital event convinced us completely – truly professional."
"As IT service providers in the finance sector, we attach great importance to precision and flexibility. That is why we cooperate with simultando when we need interpreters or a translation. simultando is a reliable partner who never fails to meet our demanding standards. "
"The participants in our digital event were full of praise. Despite the difficult subject, the interpretation was accurate and fluent. The interpreting service you provide encourages diversity at our events. Cooperation with you was highly professional and made our lives easy from the start ..."
Frequently asked questions about online events
Which video conferencing tools are suitable for interpreting?
Some tools have their own interpretation channels, such as Zoom or Webex. There, the interpreters speak directly into the tool and participants select their language in it. Tools without their own channels can be supplemented with a separate language channel that participants listen to via an app or in the browser.
What is remote interpreting?
In remote interpreting, the interpreters do not work in the event room but from their own premises or from an interpreting studio. They follow the event on screen and interpret simultaneously. The interpretation reaches participants via the conferencing tool or a separate channel.
Do you need an interpreting studio for Microsoft Teams?
Not necessarily. Interpretation can be set up directly in Teams, so the organisation's own Teams structure remains fully intact. Anyone who wants to hold the event in Teams without dealing with the set-up can have the interpretation provided from the interpreting studio via a separate language channel.
How many languages are possible at an online event?
In principle as many as the tool allows language channels, with two interpreters taking turns for each language. With a very large number of languages, relay interpreting comes into play: each language is first interpreted into a common pivot language, from which the others interpret further.
What does interpreting equipment for an online event cost?
The price depends on the number of languages, the duration of the event, the tool used and the scope of technical support. Whether the interpreting is done from an interpreting studio also has an effect. A reliable quote is possible as soon as the date, languages, tool and approximate number of participants are known.
Can participants on site and online listen at the same time?
Yes, that is a hybrid event. The interpretation is then played out both in the room via receivers and headphones and in the conferencing tool. More on this on the pages about interpreting equipment for hybrid events and interpreting equipment for on-site events.
Can AI take over online interpreting?
An AI simultaneous translation can be added as an extra language channel, for example for languages where a dedicated interpreting team would not pay off. It needs the same clean audio feed as human interpretation. When it suits an event and when it doesn't is explained on the page about AI interpreters.
What kinds of events and subject areas does simultando work in?
Typical events include town halls, kick-offs, works meetings and European Works Council meetings in industry and business, annual general meetings and supervisory board meetings, conferences in medicine, science and pharmaceuticals, and events in politics and associations. Online trade fairs and live streams are also part of it.
Can an online event be recorded together with the interpretation?
Yes. The original audio and the language channels can be recorded, for example to publish the event later on the intranet or on YouTube.
Interpreters and interpreting equipment for your video conference
Planning a multilingual online event?
Webinar, online meeting, online conference or virtual event: we support you on all common conferencing platforms, advise you on implementation and make sure the interpreting equipment runs smoothly. Tell us about your event and we will tell you what it needs.