One of the main reasons why people hold conferences is to pass information in terms of insights, ideas, data, and knowledge. If you are to make an impact and add value to your attendees, it is paramount that they understand the message that you are passing across. Moreover, the best way to do so is in their language. That is why multilingual conferences need to be in your books in the current interconnected world.
It can be overwhelming especially if you are doing it for the first time. However, with technology and a little innovation, you can hold your conferences in multiple languages to attract a huge number of attendees from across the globe. Read on for five easy solutions for your future multilingual conferences.
1. Simultaneous translation equipment
Simultaneous translation equipment allows real time translations of the floor language to multiple languages in physical conferences. This method requires you to have interpreters depending on the number of languages you want your message interpreted. You also need booths for each language where the interpreters will interpret from.
The simultaneous translation equipment comes with receivers and headphones for your attendees, and transmitters and microphones for the interpreters. When you or your key speakers speak in the floor language, the interpreter translates the message and the translated message is transmitted to the audience. They hear the message in their language of choice in real time.
For proper logistical planning, you need to know how many languages will be interpreted and how many attendees per language will be there. You also need to hire a venue that can accommodate the booths, or search for one that has inbuilt booths.
2. Consecutive interpretation
In this solution, the key speaker and interpreter speak interchangeably. The speaker delivers his message in his or her language, pauses and lets the interpreter convey the message in the target language.
The best thing about consecutive interpretation is that the attendees hear the message in both the original and the target language. This gives an advantage to the attendees who can speak both languages as they can get the message in either of the languages. In addition, it is much cheaper since you don’t need any special equipment and you only need one interpreter. However, it is limited to only two languages for better consumption. Another drawback is that it doubles the duration of the conference.
3. Pre-recorded video in multiple languages
Also known as dubbing, this method is popular in filmmaking. This is where the audio in a video is translated to a different language. The translation is then added to the video and is carefully put to match the actors’ lip movements.
You will be required to record your conference in video and have it dubbed to the different languages that you are targeting. You can then have your attendees choose their preferred language when they login to your event.
Alternatively, you can hire different speakers who speak different languages to present your message in their native language. That way, you will have different videos, in different languages and with different speakers.
4. Remote translation for live sessions
When you are holding virtual live conferences, simultaneous remote translation offers your attendees live interpretations in real-time. You will need to integrate your web conferencing platform with AI software technology such as Interprefy to have your message interpreted in multiple languages.
Alternatively, you can use a video conferencing tool that allows language interpretation. For instance, Zoom allows you to choose language interpretation when scheduling a meeting. However, you will need to have your interpreters. You add their emails and language, and they receive a unique invitation link. They use this link to join in and are prompted to set up as interpreters from their end. Your attendees will then select their preferred language.
5. Multi-language captioning
If you have ever watched a video with a series of words that communicate the dialogue in the video running at the bottom, then you have encountered captioning. You can have captions added to your videos in different languages for your foreign audiences.
If you choose to caption, you will be required to work with multilingual video transcriptionists who transcribe your video in your target languages. You also need to work with a captioning expert to ensure that the captions are well put.
The advantage of this method is that you can reach a wider audience including the hearing impaired.
Conclusion
With technology opening up the world for business, multilingual conferences are almost a necessity. To make sure you are not left behind in attracting global audiences, consider using the above solutions. You can use translation equipment or consecutive interpretation if you are holding a physical meeting. If you would rather go virtual, remote translation, pre-recorded video in multiple languages and multi-language captioning is the way to go.