The most common mistakes made when organizing multilingual events (and how to avoid them)

1. Organizer (Client) Mistakes

The organizer is responsible for the overall vision, budget, and schedule. Their mistakes often stem from a lack of technical knowledge or last-minute planning, which can lead to:

• Ordering technology and interpreters at the last minute:

  • Choosing contractors just a few days before the event results in a lack of availability of high-quality interpreters and the necessity to use substitute equipment.

• Lack of control over the distribution of headsets:

  • The absence of a designated position and protocol for issuing equipment in exchange for an ID or deposit leads to the loss of 10 to 20% of receivers.
  • GDPR errors during the registration of participants borrowing headsets.

• Poor spatial layout of the room:

  • Setting up the interpretation booth in a location without a direct view of the stage and speaker (or lack of HD video feed for interpreters in the interpretation booth).

• Failure to provide materials for the interpreters:

  • Not providing a glossary, agenda, and presentations to the interpreting team in advance.

• Inappropriate choice of technology:

  • Attempting to save costs by using mobile info points in a large, static conference room for multiple languages at once.

2. Equipment Supplier and Technical Support Errors

The supplier is responsible for the reliability of the audio signal and the physical condition of the devices. Errors at this level directly paralyze the course of the event.

These errors include:

• Delivery of undercharged equipment:

  • Failure to verify the condition of batteries in charging cases or lack of spare batteries in the room.

• Lack of disinfection and hygienic covers:

  • Issuing dirty headphones to participants without prior disinfection with 70% IPA alcohol or without disposable prtective covers.

• Incorrect frequency configuration:

  • Failure to scan the radio band in the venue in advance, leading to channel overlap (crosstalk) or interference from local WiFi networks and wireless microphones.

• Lack of technician on - site:

  • Leaving the organizer to fend for themselves during a complicated event (especially in hybrid scenarios and remote simultaneous interpretation).

  • Incorrect setup, insufficient number, and density of IR emitters:

    • Too few emitters, improper placement, or lack of overlap between coverage areas causes dead spots and signal loss. This is particularly problematic in:
      • high rooms (IR signal quickly loses strength with distance from the ceiling),
      • rooms with large mirrors and glass surfaces (reflections cause multipath interference and uneven coverage),
      • rooms with large windows and direct sunlight (interference from natural infrared radiation),
      • dark rooms with obstacles (pillars, suspended screens, dense audience blocking the line of sight - IR is an optical system requiring direct visibility).
         

    Consequence of bad planning:

    Participants in some areas of the room lose the signal, hear crackling, or must constantly adjust receivers, which reduces the comfort and reliability of the entire translation system.

    A site visit is one of the most effective ways to avoid most problems with IR emitters.

    What exactly does a well-conducted site visit provide?

    • Assessment of room geometry
      • Ceiling height
      • Arrangement of pillars, suspended screens, set design
      • Presence of mirrors, large glass panes, metal surfaces
    • Measurement and planning of coverage
      • Determining the optimal number of emitters
      • Their exact positions and angles of inclination
      • Planning for overlap of areas to avoid dead zones
    • Identification of interferences
      • Impact of daylight / large windows
      • Potential sources of heat or other IR emissions
      • Places where the audience will block the line of sight
    • Practical tests
      • Ability to measure signal strength at key points in the room
      • Checking if additional emitters or other solutions are needed (e.g., switching to a wireless system)
    • Summary
      Without a site visit, the supplier often operates "by guess" or based on drawings, which in atypical rooms (high, with mirrors, glassed-in) often results in poor reception. A site visit allows these errors to be identified and eliminated before installation.

3. Errors by interpreters

The interpreter is a key link in the transmission of mesaages from speakers at an event. Even the best equipment won't help if the interpreter makes executional or procedural mistakes.

• Lack of substantive preparation:
  • Working without prior familiarization with the specifics of the industry, abbreviations, and names of speakers ("improvisation" in s livr environment).
• Improper microphone handling in the booth:
  • Too close positioning of the mouth (the effect of vocal "pops")
  • Speaking too softly, which forces the audio technician to raise the microphone gain level which leads to background noises being heard over the earsets.

• Ignoring changes in the booth:
  • Working alone for too long without switching with another interpreter (a drop in concentration after 30 minutes leads to a drastic increase in the number of errors as well as the flow and understaning of the interpretation).

4. Speaker and Presenter Errors

The speaker has direct impact on how easily interpreters can convey their messages.

• "Too fast a pace" (Machine Gun):
  • Reading text from notes or slides at a very fast pace without taking pauses to breathe.
• Improper use of the microphone:
  • turning the head away from the lapel / desktop microphone towards the presentation screen,
  • walking around the stage without a headset microphone or
  • holding the microphone at chest height instead of at mouth level
  • Creating a feedback loop by removing high - volume headphones and placing them directly next to an active microphone on the table.
• Using untranslatable puns and local jokes:
  • Using very specific, local humor or shortcuts without providing context.
• Ignoring signals from interpreters:
  • No reaction to the "Slow" light or a sign requesting to slow down the speech.

5. Participant (Listener) mistakes

Even a perfectly organized event can encounter problems at the level of the end recipient.

• Setting the wrong channel:
  • Listening to the presentation on a channel in a different language or on the "O" (original) channel and reporting that "the interpretation is not working."
• Taking equipment out of the event zone:
  • Taking infoport receivers to the restaurant, hotel room, or for lunch outside the venue and forgetting to return them.
• Fiddling with the volume knobs:
  • Unknowingly muting the receiver to zero while putting the device on a belt or into a pocket.