How simultaneous translation works at events in Brazil: for those who are in charge of organizing events, whether it be a congress or a simple business meeting and need to hire simultaneous translation services for the first time in Brazil, many questions arise, such as “Is this service expensive?”, “Will I need a lot of physical space for the translation booths?”, “How does the translation process work?”; after all, it is perfectly correct to research everything beforehand, in order to hire the best professionals on the market. If your wish to understand how translation or simultaneous interpretation works at events in Brazil, then reading this content is right for you.

How Simultaneous Translation Works at Events in Brazil

Simultaneous translation is the art of translating orally, in real time, what the speaker says, into the language of one or more listeners. This magic happens as follows: first, interpreters use some “working tools,” such as the translation booth, microphones, transmitters and receivers.

How simultaneous translation works at events

At events, interpreters or translators work inside a small, soundproof booth. They use a microphone and translate what they hear into the intended language, so that the audience can understand what the speaker says in their native tongue. It is essential that the speaker is always told to speak into a microphone so that the interpreters can hear what was said, allowing for accuracy in the translation.

Can people in the  audience ask questions? 

One should also take into account if the speaker will allow the audience to ask questions after he has finished, or during his talk; if so, two receptionists should be ready with microphones in their hands watching out for who raises their hands to ask a question. When a person asks a question, he or she should always do so using a microphone, otherwise the interpreters in the booth will not hear the question and will not be able to translate it.

The speaker at this time must also be equipped with a receiver and a headset in order to hear the translation of the question. When he responds, he or she needs to remember to remove the headphones from his ears, otherwise he will hear the interpreters translating his own response and this may confuse him! We have often seen the speaker quickly removing his headphones as he begins to hear the translation of what he himself is saying in his ears. It’s fun to watch when this happens !

What is said by the interpreters is transmitted to a translation center, and what the speaker says is also relayed to the interpreters through this central device. This device is what connects interpreters, the speaker and participants. When the speaker speaks, the translator listens through headphones and translates simultaneously using a microphone.

This interpretation goes through a transmitter that passes it on to the translation receivers that the participants are using. Generally transmitters and receivers work with radio frequencies.

But if the event is small, do you need such large structure in order to have simultaneous translation? 

No. In the case of small events with up to 40 people, such as training sessions, meetings, small marketing events, or something similar, you can use the mini portable equipment, which is available for daily rental through our company, Intérpretes Profissionais.

This equipment is composed of state-of-the-art receivers, transmitters and chargers and it fits snuggly into a small bag with wheels. In these cases, normally the interpreter discreetly sits in a corner of the room or venue of the event, using a simple, wireless transmitter with a built-in microphone. The listener uses a headset and the other tip the user places in the receiver. It works really well and we have done many successful events using this portable simultaneous translation equipment.

simultaneous translation portable equipment

Did you understand the possibilities and how simultaneous translation works? Well, now you can count on our experience and rest assured the simultaneous translation will be excellent at your event. Find out more about all the translation services we offer.

After the 2020 pandemia we started offering remote interpretation English Brazilian Portuguese services as well, using different platforms such as Kudo, Zoom (Zoom Pro + Webinar add-on), VoiceBoxer, Interprenet, and others.

Visit our LinkedIn profile at Interpreters – Simultaneous Translation for Brazil