Venue checklist for interpreting

Most interpreting failures on the day are venue failures, not interpreter failures. This is the list to run through before the contract is signed, because every item on it is expensive or impossible to fix on the morning.

Booths

• Does the venue have permanent booths, and to which standard? This is the largest single saving available.
• Is there floor space for mobile booths with clear sightlines to the stage and screens?
• Are the booth positions clear of pillars, off-angle views and traffic routes?

Power and audio

• Sufficient power outlets near the booth positions and the transmitter locations. Extension cords across walkways are a safety failure, not a workaround.
• A clean audio feed from the house sound system to the interpreter consoles. Interpreters cannot work from room audio at scale.
• Confirm who owns the feed on the day - the venue, the AV contractor, or your technician.

Network, if you are using app-based audio

This is where modern events fail quietly. Delegates streaming interpretation to their own phones need roughly 128 kbps each, sustained. Two thousand delegates is around 256 Mbps sustained and two thousand concurrent connections - a very different question from whether the venue "has wifi".

• What is the concurrent connection ceiling, not the bandwidth headline?
• Can you have a dedicated SSID for interpretation traffic?
• Is the access point density right for the room, or is it one AP for a ballroom?

Receivers, if you are using hardware

• Order 10 to 15 percent above confirmed headcount for walk-ins, flat batteries and units that wander off.
• Confirm a distribution and collection point, and who staffs it.
• Check battery charging arrangements for multi-day events.