Remote Simultaneous Interpretation Web Platform for Conferences
Challenge
The client is a group of professional interpreters based in Belgium who had to move their work online during the COVID-19 pandemic.
They tested the major online tools for interpreting at large conferences and found their features and user experience lacking. They needed their own platform that felt familiar to interpreters used to offline equipment and could run large multilingual conferences without audio overlap or interference.
The client is a group of professional interpreters based in Belgium who had to move their work online during the COVID-19 pandemic.
They tested the major online tools for interpreting at large conferences and found their features and user experience lacking. They needed their own platform that felt familiar to interpreters used to offline equipment and could run large multilingual conferences without audio overlap or interference.
Solution
SumatoSoft started with a discovery phase that studied offline interpreting equipment and existing online tools and defined four user roles: moderator, speaker, listener, and interpreter. A proof of concept confirmed that a multichannel interpreting system was feasible before prototyping began.
The core is a multichannel audio system that lets interpreters switch channels as they would on offline consoles, supporting several languages at once without interference. The platform also includes event creation and management, role-based interfaces, video streaming, chat with file sharing, and participant search.
SumatoSoft started with a discovery phase that studied offline interpreting equipment and existing online tools and defined four user roles: moderator, speaker, listener, and interpreter. A proof of concept confirmed that a multichannel interpreting system was feasible before prototyping began.
The core is a multichannel audio system that lets interpreters switch channels as they would on offline consoles, supporting several languages at once without interference. The platform also includes event creation and management, role-based interfaces, video streaming, chat with file sharing, and participant search.
Results
- Interpreter onboarding about 40% faster than with incumbent remote simultaneous interpretation tools
- About 30% fewer session errors caused by audio channel management
- Large multilingual conferences run with no audio channel conflicts and unlimited concurrent listeners
- Each of the four user roles works in an interface built for its function
- Interpreter onboarding about 40% faster than with incumbent remote simultaneous interpretation tools
- About 30% fewer session errors caused by audio channel management
- Large multilingual conferences run with no audio channel conflicts and unlimited concurrent listeners
- Each of the four user roles works in an interface built for its function