DS Interpretation is a proud Sponsor of the North American Summits on Interpreting
June 15-16, 2012 - Monterey, CA
Visit the website
Simultaneous Interpretation equipment:
We provide complete on-site simultaneous interpretation services for conferences, meetings & events of all sizes anywhere in the world. Our goal is to break down language barriers - inconspicuously and seamlessly - while providing the very best service in the industry. We believe in always striving for perfect, broadcast level sound quality, in using cutting-edge technology, in recruiting the best people in the business to be part of our team, and continually perfecting our resourcefulness and ability to respond to the needs of the client.
Our conference services include:
- Technical Staff
- Transmission Equipment
- Sound Isolation Booths
- Interpreter Stations and Control Consoles
- Microphones and Sound Services
- Recording Services
Interpreter Organizing & Recruitment
Management of Interpretation Services for Overseas Events
Technical staff:
We pride ourselves in using the best professional talent in the industry to ensure the success of your event. All of our technicians are experienced and resourceful audio professionals who have been specially trained to understand the unique needs of simultaneous interpretation. Most have a minimum of 10 years of experience in general audio and 5 years in simultaneous interpretation and many are are IATSE (International Association of Theater and Stage Employees) union members. (top)
Transmission Equipment:
We use the finest name-brand wireless transmission equipment available. All equipment is current and state-of-the-art and we stock several leading brands. The type of equipment used is determined by the specifics of your event.
Sound Isolation Booths:
Our proprietary sound-proof isolation booths are considered by many interpreters and clients to be the finest in the industry. They meet or exceed all ISO standards and are designed to meet the specific needs of interpreters and clients. They are ventilated, lighted, comfortable, attractive, easy to assemble and disassemble and extremely portable. All booths have plexi-glass double-paned windows, are lined with SonexTM sound absorbing foam, and have dimmer lights for each interpreter. In planning your event, keep in mind that the booths should be located in the rear of the room with a good view of any speakers and visual aids. If the booths cannot be placed inside the meeting room, it is possible to have a 'back-stage" or other remote set and provide video monitors for the interpreters to view the speakers and proceedings. However, since 40% of the information and cues upon which interpreters depend is non-verbal, a good view of the speakers and the audience is critical. (top)
Interpreter Stations and Control Consoles:
We use Bosch brand and our own SimulCom 1200 TM brand interpreter stations and control consoles, which were designed by our company founder, Bill Wood, with the input of professional interpreters. The SimulCom brand incorporates the patented feature "Active Off"® which prevents the interpreter from working without turning the microphone on. Many interpreters tell us our product is far superior to anything they have ever worked with.
Microphones and Sound Services:
At events with simultaneous interpretation, however, the following 2 points are critical:
- All participants must speak directly into a microphone (so that the interpreters can hear and therefore interpret).
- Only one or two microphones be on at a time to prevent background noise (which through headphones can be severe enough to prevent interpreters from working).
For this reason special conference microphones designed to eliminate the above problems are recommended for events that involve group discussion or require more than a few microphones.
We provide a variety of sound services, include push on/off microphones, wireless microphones, Audio Technica discussion microphones, digital recoding equipment and PA systems. We are happy to work with your sound contractor as well. (top)
Recording:
We can digitally record the floor proceedings of your event and/or individual language tracks on MP3/USB. Please note that since simultaneous interpretation is considered the intellectual property of individual interpreters, written permission must be granted by each interpreter if the recording is for any purposes other than the written record or archives. Compensation for recording is normally paid to each interpreter on a daily basis in addition to the cost of the recording equipment.
We are one of the industry leaders in professional interpreter organizing and recruitment with several decades of expertise in the field and a world of satisfied clients and interpreters. Please note that professional free-lance interpreters can work for any agency and even directly for the client. We therefore believe in adding value to the task of interpreter recruiting that the client cannot obtain otherwise, and charging a reasonable fee for this service. Our fee is based on a percentage of the interpreters' fees and includes:
- Selection of qualified professional teams based on our expertise, subject specialization and language combinations for your event;
- Determination of work-loads and any team rotations;
- Management of interpreters on-site (additional costs may apply);
- Acting as a single point of contact for providing all information and materials;
- Handling of all sub-contracting and payments to interpreters.
Many clients have regular interpreters or staff interpreters, but if you have not worked with simultaneous interpreters before, call us to discuss the issues involved. Simultaneous interpretation is only worth the expense if you use qualified professionals! It requires not only the ability to speak multiple languages but years of specialized training and education, the rare talent of being able to listen to one language while speaking another, and knowledge of specialized terminology in varying fields. As a result, the professional circle of conference-level simultaneous interpreters is extremely small -- there are only 3000-4000 in the world for all languages, and many are employed by international organizations. Early recruitment is therefore critical for ensuring availability. Conference organizers should also be aware that it is rare to be able to recruit all interpreters locally in many cities and travel expenses are often involved. (top)
We provide complete management of simultaneous interpretation services for events outside of the United States, including:
- Recruitment and organization of qualified regional interpreters;
- Contracting of regional equipment suppliers;
- On-site Management as required;
- Single Design Specialists Interpretation contract in line-item format in English;
- Single point of contact for all information and logistics management;
- Single payment in US dollars.
Fees for the service are based on a percentage of the contractor's rates for Interpreters and Equipment Suppliers; on-site management is based on a daily fee plus expenses. We will also provide multiple supplier quotes and our specific recommendations upon request. See our Recent Project List. (top)