Remote Simultaneous Interpretation for Events: A Comprehensive Guide

Remote simultaneous interpretation (RSI) is a technological wonder that gathers individuals from all languages—in real-time. In today’s business landscape, inclusivity is at the forefront of business decisions and practices, which also applies to meetings and events. Besides being the right thing to do, inclusive meeting planning allows you to reach more of your audience.

So the big question is – how can you reach people speaking multiple languages in different locations in real-time?

The answer is remote simultaneous interpretation (also known as RSI or simultaneous interpretation).

Do you need remote simultaneous interpretation services for your next event? Contact Interpro’s RSI experts to help you navigate your interpretation options.

As business becomes more global, there is an increasing need for multilingual conference interpreting. Remote simultaneous interpretation is the answer for your next event because:

It’s the best choice for virtual (and often on-site) meetings.
It promotes language inclusivity.
It’s a straightforward interpretation answer (especially with the right software and interpreters).

Remote Simultaneous Interpretation Is the Best Choice for Meeting Interpretation

There are two options for providing interpretation services to your event attendees – on-site and remote interpretation.

Traditionally, on-site interpretation has interpreters physically present in the same room as the speakers. This can be useful in some cases, like if you need American Sign Language interpreters for your audience.

But what if you have a large multilingual audience and need many languages translated at once? Simultaneous interpreting could be a logistical challenge with 12 interpreters in the same room as your speaker. Not to mention the travel expenses to get that many extra people to your event!

On-site interpretation is not impossible; using soundproof booths paired with interpreter headsets and receivers eliminates the potential for clashing sounds. But if your venue is tight on space, has a limited budget, or the event is online, you may consider remote interpretation.

(The key to any interpretation project is to work with a partner who provides a project manager and technical support staff. A great partner for event interpretation will take ownership of the simultaneous interpretation process.)

What Is Remote Simultaneous Interpretation (RSI)?

Remote simultaneous interpretation is an interpretation solution that is 100% remote, using a smartphone app and headphones to provide interpreted information in real-time for multilingual conferences, events, and web meetings. All your audience will need is a strong web connection and headphones!

The “remote” part refers to the interpreters being not on-site but connected remotely to your meeting. Instead of a costly soundproof booth setup for each interpreter, the use of industry-leading technology solutions ensure linguistic comprehension for all attendees, no matter their preferred language.

Remote Simultaneous Interpretation vs. Onsite Simultaneous Interpretation

Remote simultaneous interpretation can have many benefits over traditional on-site simultaneous interpretation.

It’s cost-effective. RSI minimizes travel-related expenses for the interpretation team and simplifies your planning.
It’s logistically simple. There is a less complex venue setup when you use remote simultaneous interpretation. You can even modify interpretation assignments on short notice.
It’s user-friendly. In today’s world, most people own smartphones and are familiar with apps. This makes RSI an easy solution for your attendees to use.
It’s flexible and scalable. RSI software is cloud-based and can be used anytime, anywhere, for various languages. So whether you have one attendee and one language, or thousands of attendees with a dozen languages, RSI can accommodate your audience.

Remote Simultaneous Interpretation makes Meetings, Webinars, and Events Inclusive

Offering your content in multiple languages – for employees or customers – has become vital to businesses expanding globally. Language inclusivity and accessibility have become requirements for organizations that want to continue growing – especially with work shifting online in the past few years.

No matter the location or language of your audience, Interpro delivers multilingual web meetings in tandem with whichever platform you prefer. Whether you use Microsoft Teams, Go-To Webinar, Webex, Google Meet, or Zoom, we provide a streamlined event in accordance with the ISO 9001:2015 standard.

As you might imagine, remote video interpreting is a relatively new field. We find that KUDO is the industry-preferred software for general remote simultaneous interpretation and webinar interpretation. With a 3,000-attendee capacity per language and up to 32 languages simultaneously, you’ll have a truly inclusive experience for people worldwide in real-time.

Can RSI Work with Special Features on Video Meeting Platforms?

Technology often seems magical, and using remote simultaneous interpretation for virtual meetings is one of those cases! Interpro’s webinar interpretation and virtual meeting interpretation capabilities work with presentations and screen sharing, meaning your attendees won’t miss any critical information. RSI also works with on-demand polling, voting, and Q&A sessions, so every attendee has the best experience.

You can also record events using remote simultaneous interpretation for content re-use. This is especially helpful for on-demand virtual conferences, online educational libraries for continuing education credit, or if someone misses a meeting. You’ll provide an inclusive experience for every person who engages with your content.

Zoom Webinar Interpretation

Zoom’s recent explosion in popularity has made it a must-have tool for both meetings and webinars. And we are Interpro get asked a lot about Zoom meeting and webinar interpretation. Fortunately, Zoom interpretation is easy with—you guessed it—the right partner.

If you try to go it alone, simultaneous interpretation can get expensive quickly. Not only will you need to provide the interpreters, interpreting software, project management, and tech support, but a higher Zoom account level is also required. This adds to the time and expense invested in your meeting.

Interpretation for Zoom webinars is a turnkey service that Interpro delivers to our clients. Although KUDO is once again our technology of choice, our dedicated project managers are experts at managing simultaneous interpretation for Zoom webinars.

Facilitating Remote Simultaneous Interpretation Is Easy (With the Right Partner)

The Industry Standard for RSI Software

It’s impossible to use RSI flawlessly without investing in the right technology and the right partner to help you along the way. Interpro Translation Solutions uses KUDO RSI software and the highest quality interpreters available for your event.

KUDO is the preferred remote simultaneous interpretation software and one of the most recommended systems in the industry. KUDO was created by global interpretation experts and can be used with more than 200 languages and American Sign Language.

“KUDO is the best RSI solution we’ve found that can be used not only for on-site meeting interpretation but also integrate and work in tandem with virtual meeting software,” says Nicholas Strozza, Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Interpro Translation Solutions. “It’s used industry-wide for a reason—it works.”

Can I Use RSI Software Myself?

As a professional Language Service Provider (LSP), Interpro does not recommend trying to take on the massive project of using remote simultaneous interpretation software yourself.

KUDO is an amazing resource for conference planners and event coordinators who are looking to make their events more inclusive. But no software solution can fully replace the human experience. You need a partner who has the necessary tech stack AND provides tech support to keep your meeting running smoothly. Your partner should also be able to provide the interpreters and manage the entire process to ensure a successful event.

You can be more efficient and have a better interpretation experience working with a language partner like Interpro who takes ownership of the multilingual aspects of your event.

When working with a language partner, your remote simultaneous partner should:

Provide a project manager as the single point of contact for your event interpretation.
This gives you a single contact to work with, rather than multiple interpreters, technicians, and software. In addition, it reduces confusion during the process for both you and the interpreters.
Manage the RSI software.
Your partner is the language expert. They know how to make the software work for you, not against you, for a flawless event.
Source and schedule qualified interpreters.
You want to ensure your interpreters can actually communicate your message correctly. Depending on your event’s language, location, and industry, your RSI partner will consider local and industry certifications and best practices when selecting interpreters for your event.
Communicate concerns and reference materials between you and the interpreter.
This help minimizes linguistic barriers and ensures the interpreter is prepared for any unique subject matter terminology that may arise during the event.
Offer technical support before and during your event.
Because technology is great when it works, but you don’t want to be without an RSI expert when it doesn’t.
Translate event materials after the event. Need the event recording subtitled in a new language? Or a post-event email with a PDF of the content provided translated? A translation agency like Interpro can seamlessly move from the interpretation services to translation services (all without changing your single point of contact mentioned in #1).

“With Interpro, you provide us the event details and languages needed, and we take care of the rest,” says Letícia Barroso, Project Manager at Interpro. “Each event receives a dedicated project manager to coordinate the meeting interpretation and makes sure the interpreters are prepared during the live event. We also assign a tech support professional who handles sound checks and can handle any issues on the fly. We never leave the planners to face RSI on their own.”

How do I get RSI for my next virtual event?

If you’ve decided to work with a translation agency like Interpro Translation Solutions, you’ll want to provide:

Your event date. The further in advance you can provide your event date, the easier it is to secure an interpreter.
Interpretation language requirements. Easy – what languages do you want your interpretation in?
Event topic. Will your event discuss medical terminology? Technology? Legal? Finance? Safety? Knowing the content of your event can help us source a subject matter expert when possible and prepare them for any language terminology that may occur during your event.

Working with Interpro Translation Services is a hassle-free interpretation solution! We provide seamless on-site or remote simultaneous interpretation services with industry-standard software, experienced interpreters, tech support, and a dedicated project manager.

Get an Interpretation Quote for Your Event