Most large conferences require a ton of planning (sometimes over a year in advance) for the event to proceed smoothly. Conferences with multinational/multilingual attendance require special planning.
Your goal should be to impress delegates with a memorable, flawless event that takes into consideration their needs and preferences.
Language Needs:
Conference Interpreters: Most meeting planners are aware that they will need to hire a conference interpreting team for each language pair for the main presentations. What may not be common knowledge is the demand for this premium service. Conference interpreters and their preferred partner usually are booked two or more months in advance. Additionally, are there any other presentations, business meetings, or even breakout sessions that will also require simultaneous interpreting and equipment? For an untarnished event, make sure all of it is considered.
Conference interpreting solutions combine conference interpreters and simultaneous equipment so non-English speaking delegates can hear the information in their language.
Consecutive Interpreters: Consecutive interpreting occurs when: an English speaker delivers a message in her own language, the interpreter renders it into the foreign language; the listener speaks in her own language, the interpreter renders the statement into English, etc. Usually in consecutive interpreting, the interpreter can hold the message in her short-term memory for 60 to 90 seconds. Business conferences with one-on-one sessions or interviews may require consecutive interpreting. Consecutive interpreting may also be useful during a multilingual workshop with various participants.
Liaison Interpreters: This is another premium service worth considering for very special clients. Liaison interpreters are assigned to accompany one person and serve as his or her voice. They also function to make that person feel at home in a different culture and explain any cultural differences or issues that will help the client have a super experience. At times, they even serve as advisors to aid the client from making any embarrassing cultural mistakes. They are more sociable than most interpreters while prioritizing your client’s experience.
Therefore, foreknowledge of your client types present at your conference and the different planned events will allow you to anticipate the needs of your foreign-speaking delegates. Premium liaison interpreting services may not always be needed or even in the budget. However, this option allows meeting planners to offer more options and an impressive service.
Finally, this friendly public service announcement reminds you to please book the interpreters immediately. Conference interpreters are in high demand and won’t be available if you wait too long. In fact, it is common for attendees or their employers to privately retain interpreters for the same event. Then, when you call them, they are not available. Don’t let that be you.
