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Video conferencing platforms and the ibp Digital Hub (virtual booths)

How can I use different video conferencing platforms with a quality simultaneous interpreting solution? Simultaneous interpreting on one platform can now be coupled with our virtual interpreting booth system.

The multi-platform solution combines an excellent simultaneous interpretation tool, iBridge People’s AudioDesk©, with the video conferencing platform of your choice. Participants find two advantages: they can continue to conduct their exchanges on your usual video conferencing platform while adding an ergonomic interpreting booth system.

iBridge People is a video conferencing solution with simultaneous interpretation. It can be combined with Zoom, GoToMeeting, Teams, etc.

ibp interpretation booths

Interpreting booths play an important role in digital simultaneous interpreting. How important is it? It is true that the participants do not “see” the interpreting booths, nor do they have access to this technical device for interpreters. However, they do hear the words that are translated, and in order to obtain an accurate and precise result, the interpreter is of paramount importance, which relies on a reliable and user-friendly tool. Thus, a videoconferencing system must be effective in more than one way, because in addition to the difficulty of listening to the various participants, there is also the difficulty of translating the words correctly.

So what is the role of interpreting booths? The answer lies in the role of the interpreters. They are the very heart of a multilingual conference, as they seamlessly link the speeches of the participants. And this is true regardless of the language or number of languages in your meeting. It is therefore essential that all the elements are of a high quality in order to express each other’s ideas in a transparent manner.

Two elements are essential for smooth, high-quality simultaneous interpreting: the relay and the handover.

Simultaneous interpretation relay

When a conference is multilingual, even interpreters who work in three or four languages may find themselves at a loss. They will be faced with language combinations that they do not master. To solve this problem, they have to listen to the interpretation provided by another booth. For example, in a meeting with Russian, Chinese or Polish, it is very likely that the interpreters in the other booths will have to listen to the English or French translation of the Polish interpreter. This is called relay work. You can find a more detailed definition of this type of interpreting in the book by Miriam Shlesinger (Bar-llan University) by following this link: https://benjamins.com/online/hts/articles/rel1.fr

Handover: to pass the microphone between interpreters in the same booth

In each booth, the interpreters work in pairs, alternating in 30-minute shifts. When they are in different locations, in order to pass the microphone to each other, iBridge People has developed a system that ensures this smooth transition. This is called handover.

The platform of your choice

Thus, the platform of your choice coupled with the iBridge People virtual booth system is an optimal solution for participants and interpreters.