Everything You Need to Know Before Hiring an Interpreter
- Nourhane Atmani
- Jun 4
- 6 min read
So, you have decided that your event needs an interpreter.
Maybe it's a conference with francophone attendees. Maybe you're hosting an international delegation. Maybe you're running a bilingual panel, and you want to get it right.
So you Google it, and suddenly you're reading about simultaneous versus consecutive, RSI platforms, booth specifications, and relay interpreting. You close the tab. You open it again, and you're no closer to knowing what to actually do!!
But now you're at the right place! By the end of my rambling, you'll know exactly what type of interpreting your event needs, what to say when you reach out to a professional, and how to set everyone up for success on the day of the event!
First: know which type of interpreting you need
Not all interpreting looks the same. The right format depends on your event, its size, its setting, and how the conversation flows.
Simultaneous interpreting is what most people picture: a professional in a soundproof booth, rendering every word in real time while the audience listens through wireless headsets. The speaker never pauses. The conversation flows continuously across languages.
This is the format used at major conferences, international summits, and large multilingual events, and it comes with a technical setup to match. You'll need a booth, audio equipment, and receiver headsets for your audience. Some organizers source this through a separate AV supplier, which means coordinating two vendors instead of one.
However, If you'd rather keep things simple, some interpreters and agencies — including me — can handle the full package: interpretation and equipment, under one roof.
Consecutive interpreting works differently. The speaker talks for a stretch, a few sentences, a paragraph, a full thought, then pauses while the interpreter delivers the equivalent in the other language. It's conversational, requires no equipment, and works well for smaller meetings, roundtables, press conferences, legal settings, and medical appointments.
Whispered interpreting (also called chuchotage) is exactly what it sounds like: the interpreter sits or stands beside one or two participants and whispers a running interpretation throughout. No equipment, minimal footprint, ideal for a small delegation attending a larger event.
A simple rule of thumb: if your event is large and fast-paced, you likely need simultaneous. If it's a meeting or a conversation, consecutive or whispered will serve you better. When in doubt, describe your event to a professional and ask. A good interpreter will tell you honestly which format fits.
What to tell an interpreter when you reach out
In interpretation, there's nothing called "oversharing." In fact!!! The more context you provide upfront, the smoother everything goes. When you contact an interpreter or interpreting service, have this information ready:
Date, duration, and location of the event : including time zone if it's virtual
Language pair(s) : which languages need to be covered, and in which direction (or both)
Subject matter : don't worry if it's technical or specialized; just name it so the interpreter can assess their fit and prepare accordingly
Format: in-person, virtual, or hybrid. Make sure to mention the location in case the format is in person.
Expected audience size: this only affects equipment needs for simultaneous interpreting, and can help the interpreter assess your needs in case you are requesting consecutive for 500 people!
Any materials you can share upfront: agendas, speaker notes, presentation decks, glossaries, even a rough program. You don't need to have these ready before you book. A simple "once we confirm, I'll send over the agenda and speaker notes" goes a long way. Interpreters prepare extensively before an event, and the more material they have in advance, the better they can anticipate terminology, names, and subject-specific language.
That last point matters more than most people realize. Interpreters prepare extensively before an event. The more material they have in advance, the better they can anticipate terminology, names, and subject-specific language, and the higher the quality of the interpretation on the day.
The equipment question (and when it matters)
For simultaneous interpreting, you'll need a booth and receiver headsets for your audience. This equipment is often rented separately through an AV supplier or coordinated directly by your interpreter or interpreting agency, ask when you reach out, so nothing falls through the cracks.
For virtual events, remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI) is handled through dedicated platforms, often through Zoom. Your interpreter will be familiar with these. If your event is hybrid, it's worth having an explicit conversation about the technical setup early, since hybrid configurations can get complicated quickly.
Consecutive and whispered interpreting require no special equipment. What they do require is space for the interpreter to sit or stand near the speaker or participant, and an environment where they can hear AND be heard clearly.
Why you usually need two interpreters (not one)
Before we get into the details, here's the short version: if you want your bilingual event to actually succeed, you will almost always need two interpreters, sometimes three. If you're not too fussed about that, feel free to skip ahead.
Still with me? Good. Here's why it matters.
for any simultaneous interpreting assignment lasting more than 30 minutes, professional standards call for a team of two interpreters per language pair, rotating throughout the event. Yes even if it's just 10 minutes more.
It is not a luxury, it is not interpreters being "too much". It's a quality standard.
Simultaneous interpreting is one of the most cognitively demanding tasks there is. The interpreter is listening, processing, translating, and speaking all at once, with no margin for error. Beyond 30 minutes of sustained simultaneous work, cognitive fatigue sets in and quality drops. Not because the interpreter isn't skilled, but because that is simply how the human brain works under that kind of load.
Two interpreters rotate every 20 to 30 minutes, keeping quality consistent from the first session to the last. Without that rotation, your afternoon speakers and attendees get a noticeably weaker experience than your morning ones.
For events running six hours or longer, three interpreters per language pair is the gold standard. Even with regular rotation, cumulative fatigue across a full day is real. A third interpreter means each person works shorter active stretches, recovers more fully between turns, and arrives at the final session with the same sharpness they brought to the first. It also gives you a buffer: if a speaker runs long, the program shifts, or the content is particularly dense, the team can adapt without anyone being pushed past their limit.
If you receive a quote for a single interpreter to cover a full-day conference, that's worth asking about... A reputable professional will be transparent about why a team is recommended and what the trade-offs are.
For shorter simultaneous assignments, under 45 minutes to an hour, a solo interpreter may be appropriate under certain conditions: a full script is provided in advance, interpretation is only required for select speakers rather than the full duration, or the assignment is unidirectional (English to French only, or French to English only, rather than both). At least for me, those are the conditions I work with when considering solo assignments. For consecutive or whispered interpreting, a single interpreter can cover a couple of hours or more, though two remains the professional standard for longer or more intensive events.
How to set your interpreter up for success
Hiring the right interpreter is the first step. The second is giving them what they need to do their best work.
Share materials early. Even a draft agenda is helpful. A speaker list with full names is invaluable — names are among the hardest things to catch in real time, and a list prepared in advance means nothing gets mangled on the day.
Brief them on the context. Who are the speakers? Who's in the audience, and what do they know? The more an interpreter understands about the room they're walking into, the better they can serve everyone in it.
Let your speakers know an interpreter will be present. Ask them to speak at a natural pace, avoid reading from prepared text at full speed, and flag any slides or documents they plan to reference. Speakers who know they're being interpreted tend to naturally adjust in helpful ways.
On the day, do a quick walkthrough. 10 minutes to check the booth setup, test the headsets, and confirm the flow of the program makes a real difference, both for the interpreter and for your peace of mind!
Remember that interpreters are not subject matter experts, and they don't need to be. Their expertise is language. Yours is the content. Share materials and glossaries ahead of time, and the two work together seamlessly.
A good interpreter is invisible — and that's the whole point
When interpreting works well, the audience forgets it's happening. The conversation flows. The ideas land. The room feels unified even across languages.
That seamlessness is the result of preparation, skill, and a setup that gives the interpreter what they need to do their job. It doesn't happen by accident — but it's also not complicated to achieve.
If you're planning an event and want to talk through what you need, I'm happy to help. Just reach out, and we'll figure it out together!
I'm a conference interpreter and content creator based in Ottawa, and the founder of Words à Words. Find me on Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
Looking for interpreting services or content support? Work with me.
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