https://www.proz.com/forum/interpreting/120263-how_to_organize_a_phone_interpreting.html
This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings

Translation - art & business » Interpreting »
How to organize a phone interpreting
Thread poster: Dmitri Platonov
Dmitri Platonov
Dmitri Platonov
Estonia
Local time: 01:55
German to Russian
+ ...
Nov 10, 2008

Dear colleagues!
I need your advice in how to organize a phone interpreting technically.
Two parties and me are in three different towns.
It will be my first interpreting via the phone and I don't know much about this kind of job.
Does anybody have experience with Skype? Mobile phone?
I have a broadband Internet-connection, but I don't have a landline<... See more
Dear colleagues!
I need your advice in how to organize a phone interpreting technically.
Two parties and me are in three different towns.
It will be my first interpreting via the phone and I don't know much about this kind of job.
Does anybody have experience with Skype? Mobile phone?
I have a broadband Internet-connection, but I don't have a landline
I've found this topic http://www.proz.com/topic/26621 but it is for landline-users, I suppose.

Thank you!
Dmitri ▲ Collapse
 
Sergei Leshchinsky
Sergei Leshchinsky  Identity Verified
Ukraine
Local time: 01:55
Member (2008)
English to Russian
+ ...
Skype connects four parties in a conference for free Nov 10, 2008

and more -- for money

do not use video -- the quality will degrade
 
Óscar Delgado Gosálvez
Óscar Delgado Gosálvez  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 18:55
Member (2007)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Use a 2-line phone Nov 11, 2008

Hi Dimitri,

My humble advice:

Use a 2-line phone
Use a skype or any other (VOIP provider) adapter and hook it to the 2nd line.



If you don't have any landline at all, you can use either skype's conference feature. I personally have Net2phone, which also allows for the conference feature. Since I do have a landline, the equipment I use is an innomedia adapter, which converts the LAN signal to one or two regular landlines.

In ... See more
Hi Dimitri,

My humble advice:

Use a 2-line phone
Use a skype or any other (VOIP provider) adapter and hook it to the 2nd line.



If you don't have any landline at all, you can use either skype's conference feature. I personally have Net2phone, which also allows for the conference feature. Since I do have a landline, the equipment I use is an innomedia adapter, which converts the LAN signal to one or two regular landlines.

In any case, my advise would be to:

Call the 1st party,
put it on hold, pressing the 2nd line button.
Call the 2nd party,
Press the "Conf"(Conference) button
and you will have all three parties (the third party being yourself) connected.
Instruct the other two parties:
-to speak in short sentences
- to stop when you say a certain cue like "hold it, please"
- to proceed when you say "please, proceed".

Do a regular consecutive translation.

The big difference with a regular consecutive translation will be the sound quality and the impossibility to see each other, you won't be able to make the speakers stop unless they are used to do this kind of translation or you instruct them to do it beforehand.

I have done this only a couple a times and it went fine, but I did it strictly consecutive.
Sometimes both parties would speak at the same time, so you will be pretty much the director of the show, allowing for the directions of your main client (discuss it before you even start the conference call).

I wouldn't try to do simultaneous translation, because your translation will probably disturb the thoughts of the party speaking.

Most Panasonic phones (the brand I have) have a jack for wired earphones and microphone.

Then figure out a way to bill for the whole thing.


[Edited at 2008-11-11 04:21] ▲ Collapse
 
Natalia Potashnik
Natalia Potashnik  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 16:55
English to Russian
+ ...
2-way phone connection Nov 13, 2008

Hi Dimitri,
This is how it works. You are not supposed to pay for the phone call. So the technical part is the responsibility of your client. Your client ( the one who needs your interpreting services) must have a phone that allows a 2-way connection. The client calls you first, then keeping you on the line he/she dials the number of the other party, so all 3 of you are on the phone at the same time.

it is better to have a landline for phone interpreting. Mobile phones can ha... See more
Hi Dimitri,
This is how it works. You are not supposed to pay for the phone call. So the technical part is the responsibility of your client. Your client ( the one who needs your interpreting services) must have a phone that allows a 2-way connection. The client calls you first, then keeping you on the line he/she dials the number of the other party, so all 3 of you are on the phone at the same time.

it is better to have a landline for phone interpreting. Mobile phones can have background noise. Remember that you need to hear both parties well in order to do your job. You cannot ask them to repeat what they just said all the time. I don't know about Skype. Never used it for phone interpreting. ▲ Collapse
 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
NancyLynn[Call to this topic]
Andriy Bublikov[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

How to organize a phone interpreting


Translation news
» Renowned classicist speaks on translating Homer
(0 comments)
» Translation platform DeepL launches AI assistant for crafting texts
(0 comments)
» Firefox 127 introduces duplicate tab management, Windows auto-start, and selective text translation
(0 comments)


Forum rules
Help and orientation




Protemos translation business management system
Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!

The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.

More info »
TM-Town
Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business

Are you ready for something fresh in the industry? TM-Town is a unique new site for you -- the freelance translator -- to store, manage and share translation memories (TMs) and glossaries...and potentially meet new clients on the basis of your prior work.

More info »