Guidelines for booking simultaneous translation
Here are some guidelines for booking a simultaneous translator for a meeting/event:
1. Please include all the relevant details when you book the service:
- date
- time
- venue
- type of event/meeting
- number of non-Welsh speakers who require the service
- any relevant papers
2. Bookings should be made at least 10 working days before the date of the event/meeting. As a rule, we cannot provide a simultaneous translation service at evenings and weekends because of the high demand for our services during normal working hours. For academic conferences, please contact the Translation Unit at least two months before the event. Conference organizers are welcome to get in touch before then if they need advice on the necessary practical arrangements for simultaneous translation. However, it will not be possible to confirm the availability of the service for the event until the Translation Unit has been given a copy of the programme with full details of the simultaneous translation requirements.
3. Please send all relevant papers to the Translation Unit’s administrator so that the translator can prepare for the meeting/event. This is important in all cases, but it is crucial for presentations, interviews, research seminars and conferences. Please send presentations or papers for academic conferences at least 5 working days before the conference.
4. For interviews and presentations, please check that the candidate/speaker intends to speak in Welsh. If there is more than one candidate/speaker, please try to ensure that those intending to speak in Welsh are grouped together on the timetable in order to make the best use of the translator’s time, but please bear in mind that simultaneous translators should not translate for more than 30 minutes at a time without a break of at least 5 minutes.
5. Only one set of translation equipment can be provided per event; i.e. the Translation Unit cannot provide simultaneous translation for parallel sessions at the same event, due to other demands for the service.
6. Please ensure that there is a suitable table next to an electric socket for the translation equipment at the venue.
7. Please don’t forget the translator when you are ordering teas and coffees, etc. If the event/meeting is likely to be lengthy, please ensure that there is water available for the translator.
Please use the online form to book the service.
For more information please contact the unit's administrator [2038].