I have worked on this huge enterprise user conference in San Francisco since 2011. My role changes every year from an interpreter to a webcast producer. This year, I was assigned to setting up translation booths. It was interesting to find out every location has its logistical challenges, and they are all scattered throughout downtown San Francisco. The technical director and the producer for each venue were super cooperative even though some sites were managed by another agency. Luckily, Client O has been providing this translation service and hired the same group of seasoned simultaneous interpreters for a number of years. Agency I also had an established conferencing equipment vendor who utilized the same audio techs every year. It turned out that I was the only newbie, but the executive producer downloaded me all the nuances of my role. The receivers were available to a fraction of attendees out of 60,000. However, this segment of the audience was very important for Client O, and a lot of efforts were made to provide this service.
The equipment setup was quite simple. Each booth had an interpreter console, audio mixer, transmitter, video monitor, and headsets/microphones. Attendees who needed translation check out receivers at a hotel for the entire duration of the conference. The crew brought in desk and equipment first and assembled wall panels next to build a booth. Small venues had to work with desktop interpreter consoles like the photo below. It must have been difficult for interpreters to concentrate on listening to the source language in an open space while the ambiance noise level was quite high.
All interpreters had impressive language proficiency and were subject matter experts for the IT industry. They were also super calm while literally running from one venue to another. I asked one of them “How do you keep up with your language fluency?” He said, “You practice every day.” I know that’s fundamental, but it was convincing when you hear it from a language expert.
