As your company prepares to host a conference or large-scale gathering, it’s important to make sure accessibility is top of mind. 

After all, your team is taking on a large investment by hosting these events, and ensuring your message resonates with all in attendance is key to success – especially for growing global companies. 

If your company is new to hosting multilingual conferences, the idea of making messages accessible to all attending the event may seem overwhelming. But it doesn’t need to be. As you plan for your event, first consider the following questions:

• What languages do the attendees speak? (Do you have a way to find this out?)
• What are the languages most commonly used in the region where the conference is taking place?
• What forms of communication will be taking place at the conference? (Are there in-person conversations? Live video feeds? Pre-written documents or presentations?)

As you answer these questions, it will become clear whether you need additional help in making your messages accessible. The services that INGCO International recommends all companies consider for their events are conference translation and interpreting, live captioning and technical equipment and support.

Let’s dive into why these elements are essential to consider for multilingual conferences and gatherings. 

Conference Translation, Interpreting and Live-Captioning

When there is a disconnect between the languages being spoken or displayed at your event and those spoken or preferred by attendees, you need to consider translation, interpreting and live-captioning services.

Translation services refer to having written materials produced in the appropriate languages. For conferences, this could look like welcome packets, signage, forms, maps, agendas, guides, etc. Often these documents are the first sign to attendees that your conference will be accessible and inclusive, which any global company should be proud of. 

Interpreting services deal primarily with oral communication. When an interpreter is part of your event, they deliver spoken messages authentically by communicating in first person and utilizing the tone and style of the original speaker. Interpreters add unique value to conferences and events, and are often a vital component for successful international gatherings. 

Live captioning refers to translated content (or subtitles) that are displayed in real time during speaking presentations or video messages. Video is becoming an increasingly important tool in delivering messages during conferences and events, especially as virtual and hybrid attendance options become more popular. For virtual events, live captioning can be a great addition or an alternative to interpreting services. Similar to a live interpreter, someone is translating what the speaker is saying into the appropriate language and typing into on-screen software so it is visible to attendees.

Live captioning is also vital for those in attendance who are hard of hearing or deaf. In the US alone, it is estimated that one in eight people aged 12 and older has some form of hearing loss in both ears – further proof that it’s crucial to consider how your message will be accessible to those who prefer or require written communication. 

An added bonus of having live captioning is it caters to visual learners who can better comprehend and relate to a topic when there is visual messaging to support the conversation. 

Technical Equipment and Support for Conferences

With all of the hard work you and your team put into making sure your conference messaging is understood by attendees, turning your attention toward the type of technology that will help deliver these messages is an important step. Whether it’s audio/visual support, in-person project management, interpreting booths or wireless headsets and receivers, there is no shortage of technical items to consider before hosting your multilingual conference or event.  

While all of this can sound daunting, it shouldn’t deter your company from taking the necessary steps ensuring your messages are received in the languages and formats preferred by your attendees. This is why many companies partner with a reputable language services company to help make this happen. 

Making Your Multilingual Event a Success

Whether your conference or event will be conducted in two languages or 20, the various language service options should be at the top of your planning list. After all, if your message isn’t received successfully by someone in attendance, it’s not only a missed opportunity for your company – it’s also frustrating to those who attend who then may have a negative opinion of your event and company’s brand. 

At INGCO International, our dedicated team of linguistics and event professionals have been helping make multilingual events a success – in more than 200 languages – for 17 years. Learn more about our services for conferences and events at the links below.

• Conference Services
• In-Person Interpreting
• Multilingual Translation
• Hybrid Interpreting Solutions

Contact us today

3 steps to failure at your next multilingual event

There are a few surefire ways to set your simultaneous interpreters up for failure at your next multilingual event. (Clearly we are pointing these out so that you DO NOT commit any of these mistakes.) Conference interpreting is a complex and difficult profession requiring precision, training and preparation. INGCO International has over 15 years of experience in the language service industry and we’ve seen all of these mistakes, and more.

We hope that by pointing out how to fail, you’ll learn how to succeed.

1. Failure #1: Don’t provide your interpreters with preparation material.

Yes, we are incredible amazing and talented linguists. But just like every profession on the face of the planet, we need to be prepared. Failing to provide us with preparation material is basically setting us up for failure.

Let us give you an example.

We recently provided simultaneous interpreting at the prestigious Starkey Hearing Foundation Gala. We interpreted for President George W. Bush and President Bill Clinton, and comedian Norm Crosby. In preparation for this event, we spent approximately 15 hours preparing for a 5-hour event.

We received a transcript of all of the speeches and learned them inside and out. No, we didn’t just read a translation of the speeches because all speakers make changes on the fly. Being fully prepared for the speeches allowed us to convey the complete meaning and emotional appeal of the speakers. The act of simultaneous interpreting is so intense that preparing for every detail in advance is a surefire way to achieve success, not failure.

2. Failure #2: Don’t hire a minimum of 2 interpreters per language.

Simultaneous interpreting is really hard and tiring work. We’re talking about stressing out the caudate nucleus of the brain for multiple hours. One person cannot do simultaneous interpreting alone, it just doesn’t work. Expecting one person to listen to complex messages, process them into another language, and push them out to the audience while simultaneously listening to the next message requires constant brain work and puts a lot of stress on the highly trained linguist.

Trust us: one person cannot do this job alone.

We have been asked to do companies a favor because it’s simply not in their budget to hire two professional conference interpreters. We are in the business of interpreting because we love to help people communicate and believe in equal access to communication, so yes, we like to help. But help and hindrance are two vastly different things. Sending one simultaneous interpreter into the battlefield of interpreting is exactly like sending one soldier into the battlefield of war.

3. Failure #3: Don’t hire a professional interpreter.

This is our favorite comment: “Just get someone that speaks Spanish, anyone can do this.” Um well no, “anyone “cannot do this. I know how to brush my teeth, so does that mean I am qualified to be a dental hygienist? Obviously not. Speaking a language does not qualify anyone as a simultaneous interpreter. There are years of practice and studying that go into preparing a professional interpreter for challenging simultaneous interpretations. Simultaneous interpretation is widely considered a professional skill and an internationally revered profession. Failing to hire a professional interpreter will surely leave the audience in the dark.

It’s true that interpreters are often heard yet rarely seen.

Our simultaneous interpreting skill set and training is much deeper than just speaking two languages. We work hard to accurately and completely convey complex messages and are proud to be your voice when you need to speak to the world.

Don’t follow our 3 steps to failure and your next multilingual event will be a success.

INGCO International, based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, is proud to provide the very best simultaneous and consecutive interpreters in over 200 languages across the globe. We look forward to talking to you about your next multilingual event and helping you make it a smashing success. Contact us today.