With the growth of online events, internationalization and simultaneous translation have taken the events world by storm.
Even3, for example, had visitors from more than 150 countries in 2020, with the largest numbers coming from Brazil, the United States, Portugal, Paraguay, and South Korea.
The good news is that all these connections bring benefits like a wider event reach, more meaningful encounters, fewer physical barriers, and, of course, greater democratization of knowledge.
But all these changes also come with several challenges for organizers who want to provide the best experience for everyone.
In this case, simultaneous translation becomes essential for hybrid and online events. However, with such a new and fast-growing demand, one question remains: what’s the best solution available on the market today?
With that in mind, we put together this blog post to answer organizers’ main questions about:
- What is simultaneous translation?
- 3 ways to offer simultaneous translation at online events:
- Zoom;
- Subtitled videos;
- Secure recorded video + subtitles on Even3.
What Is Simultaneous Translation?
As the name suggests, simultaneous translation happens at the same time as the event.
Also known as simultaneous interpretation, this service is used at many international events so people can hear the content in their native language, even when the speaker is talking in another one.
It usually works like this: at in-person events, designated interpreters, usually professionals, sit in a soundproof booth, listening to the speaker and translating at the same time.
Attendees, meanwhile, listen to the full translation through headphones, getting a real-time experience connected to the speaker, translator, and other attendees.
This experience is quite complete in person, but have you ever wondered how simultaneous translation works at remote events? Let’s walk you through the possibilities!
3 Ways to Offer Simultaneous Translation at Online Events
Zoom
To start, you’ve probably already heard of Zoom Meetings, right?
Since it’s easy to access, it’s one of the most popular video conferencing tools out there.
It’s also quite full-featured, offering great solutions in its paid plans, such as simultaneous translation, supporting the following languages:
- English
- Chinese
- Japanese
- German
- French
- Russian
- Portuguese
- Spanish
- Korean
In this case, the tool uses a strategy quite similar to in-person events — that is, it requires professional interpreters hired or assigned by the organizing committee.
However, the biggest difference is that they won’t be in a booth, or even in the same location as the speaker.
In practice, what happens during remote simultaneous translation on Zoom is that the host — as we call the organizer who creates the video conference room — sets up the room’s interpreters.
Then, when the video conference starts, interpreters get access to their own audio channels to listen to the speaker and translate them in real time as the event happens.
Likewise, attendees can also select a dedicated audio channel to hear the language of their choice.
So, to use this feature correctly, you’ll need:
- A business, education, or enterprise account, or a webinar add-on plan on Zoom;
- Hiring professional interpreters prepared to handle the challenges of online broadcasting is recommended;
- A great internet connection and, if possible, a noise-canceling microphone for interpreters.
The big advantage of Zoom is that attendees can choose which audio channel — and consequently, which language — they want to follow the talk in.
Captions: The Right Way to Use Them
Another way to offer translation at online events is through captions. In this case, it’s a good alternative for those who can’t afford the Zoom + interpreter package.
But it’s not worth settling for just any solution simply because it’s free, okay?
I say this because, when thinking about ease of use and cost-effectiveness, many organizers choose to use YouTube’s automatic captions.
However, this service isn’t very accurate and has plenty of quality issues.
That’s why YouTube itself recommends prioritizing professional captioning services, which makes it harder to use captions in live broadcasts.
So, a good alternative is to opt for professional captions on recorded videos or simulives.
You can also combine the security of these formats with even more complete tools for your event, such as Even3 Streaming.
Secure Recorded Video + Captions on Even3 Streaming
Anyone who’s ever created captions for videos knows it’s not a simple task, and it takes quite a bit of time. That’s why it’s best to hire an experienced professional for this job.
But events with translation require even more care: you need to test your online broadcast method, check its security, and invest in the format that makes the most sense for your event.
For events with captions, as we mentioned, it’s best to use a recorded video, since this makes it possible to add captions to the content, edit it with quality, and even prevent internet connection issues from interfering with the simultaneous translation.
With that in mind, Even3 launched Even3 Streaming, with options for recorded video and simulive — a pre-recorded format that simulates a live broadcast.
This way, you can create captioned content while enjoying benefits like:
- Secure broadcasting for sensitive educational content (such as footage of surgeries, in medical events), with no risk of the broadcast dropping;
- Another way to generate revenue for your event, by keeping recorded videos on the platform for longer and selling access to the content — a great way to cover captioning costs!;
- A single access link for the broadcast, preventing link sharing, content leaks, and access by unauthorized people.
Want to learn more about Even3 Streaming? Talk to a consultant.
Don’t Forget to Translate Other Parts of Your Event
Finally, our last tip is essential for international events: don’t forget to translate your entire event.
This means you’ll need an accessible events website, from the homepage all the way through ticket checkout, including your event’s documents, such as submission rules.
In addition, if possible, try to ask for nationality information during registration. This way, you’ll be able to track where your event’s attendees are coming from.
All in all, there are a lot of details to think through, but it can be much easier, more automatic, and faster than it seems.
Get to know Even3 — here you can easily switch the language of the entire platform and simplify managing your event.
