Blog · Common mistakes
10 mistakes when organizing an event with simultaneous interpretation (and how to avoid them)
Most interpreting problems do not happen in the booth: they start in planning. These are the ten mistakes we see most often at multilingual events, with a practical way to avoid each.
30-second summary
- One interpreter per language across a long day pulls quality down in the second half of the event.
- Materials sent the day before, or never, are the biggest cause of terminology errors.
- Read-aloud text with no copy for the team, booths with no view of the stage and an audience with no microphone hurt every language.
- A sound check, a single contact and a margin of receivers solve most surprises.
1. Booking only one interpreter per language for a long day
What goes wrong
Accuracy in simultaneous interpretation drops after 20 to 30 continuous minutes. With a single professional, quality collapses in the second half of the day.
How to avoid it
Plan two interpreters per language pair, taking turns.
2. Sending materials the day before (or never)
What goes wrong
With no time to study the topic, interpreters arrive without a glossary, and acronyms and names become a risk of error.
How to avoid it
Send the program, slides and references at least one to two weeks ahead, even in draft form.
3. Forgetting texts that will be read aloud
What goes wrong
Speeches, ceremony scripts and reports read aloud are fast and dense. Without a copy in hand, the interpreter loses passages.
How to avoid it
Hand every text that will be read to the interpreting team before the event.
4. Booths with no view of the stage and screen
What goes wrong
Someone who cannot see the speaker or the slides misses gestures, numbers and references, and a video without direct audio in the booths goes uninterpreted.
How to avoid it
Place the booths in the room itself with a full view, and connect video audio directly to the booths.
5. Not testing the equipment before opening
What goes wrong
Microphone failures, a swapped channel or a receiver with no battery show up with the audience already seated.
How to avoid it
Schedule a final test with the interpreting team present and keep a technician in the room throughout.
6. Audience questions without a microphone
What goes wrong
The interpreter can only interpret what they hear. A question without a microphone vanishes for those listening on headphones.
How to avoid it
Provide audience microphones and ask that every question be asked into one.
7. Several people talking to the interpreters
What goes wrong
Contradictory notices and changes that never reach the booth create confusion mid-session.
How to avoid it
Name one single contact person who talks to the team coordinator.
8. Underestimating receivers and forgetting relay
What goes wrong
Part of the audience has no receiver, or a language with no direct interpreter is left uncovered.
How to avoid it
Calculate receivers from the audience, with a spare margin, and flag early if a language pair needs relay.
9. Picking the wrong format or not testing the platform
What goes wrong
An event with a live audience and remote attendees treated as on-site only, or an online platform with no rehearsal, leaves one audience without sound.
How to avoid it
Decide whether the event is on-site, online or hybrid and rehearse the platform with the speakers.
10. Speakers with no guidance
What goes wrong
Fast speech, unexplained acronyms, untranslatable jokes and overlapping voices pull quality down in every language.
How to avoid it
Give speakers the pace, microphone, numbers and acronym guidelines from our organizer's guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common mistake at events with simultaneous interpretation?
Sending preparation material too late, or not at all. With no time to study the topic and build the glossary, the risk of terminology errors goes up.
How far ahead should I send material to interpreters?
As early as possible; one to two weeks ahead already helps a lot. Preliminary slides are useful, and texts that will be read aloud should be sent in full.
Can a single interpreter handle a one-day event?
For long days it is not recommended: accuracy drops after 20 to 30 continuous minutes. International practice is two interpreters per language pair.
What if the program changes on the day?
Tell the single contact immediately, who passes it to the interpreting team's coordinator. Professionals adapt, but they need to know in time.
Where can I see the complete step-by-step?
In our guide for international event organizers, with the timeline, equipment checklist, ISO standards and FAQ.
Avoid these mistakes at your next event
STIB supports interpreting planning from the briefing to the final test. Send the date, languages and number of attendees and get a quote within 24 hours.