To celebrate interpreters’ success stories, Monterey Language Services has put together a video showcasing the friendliness, professional, expertise, and different roles of our interpreters in shaping the harmonious community of our nation.  You can view the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYxpYyoC7z0

Interpreters can spend years honing their skills to become subject matter experts in their fields, such as healthcare, education, or the legal sphere. Some have even worked in these fields as doctors, nurses, teachers, paralegals, and more before becoming language experts.

Interpreters believe in the fidelity and fairness of their work. Interpreters ensure that information is relayed accurately between the parties involved, making sure that nothing is omitted or erroneously said and everyone is on the same page. This is incredibly important in medical and legal settings.

Interpreters describe their work as rewarding and fulfilling. Many times, the act of interpreting contains an emphasis on helping those limited or non-English speakers or hearing disabled persons who are in need, such as to help with healthcare or education. This gives many interpreters great satisfaction in giving back to the community and keeps them looking forward to their work.

Monterey Language Services has the pleasure working with so many talented, devoted, professional interpreters, providing excellent service for your needs, whether your event is large, small, private, or a personal matter.

Thank you so much to our interpreters for working with us for all these years, and for the years to come.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFTzivdlkXk

We hope that this video gives you some insights into our approach to simultaneous interpretation at events. Non-English speakers blend in very well with other audience because they can receive information simultaneously. The interpretation equipment used in these events is portable. The equipment can be taken anywhere in California to suit your needs.

If opportunities arise, we look forward to working with you in Monterey, Silicon Valley, and other parts of California as well. We hope you enjoy the video!

Here at Monterey Language Services, we provide interpreters and interpretation equipment for your multilingual events. Below you will find our YouTube videos showcasing our equipment.

With these videos, we hope that everyone can gain a new understanding of the steps we take to ensure your event’s success, so you can just sit back and relax!

1. If you’re looking for a general overview of what we do to prepare for events, watch this video:

Conference Interpretation and Equipment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp0NF7lvttk

In this video, our office manager describes a typical event that we provide interpretation and equipment for. With thorough preparation, we are confident everything will work out smoothly.

2. If you’d like to see a tutorial on our rental equipment, please look at this:

Interpretation Equipment Tutorial: Rent Our Equipment to Gear for Your Next Event
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KrR3Q9yrlo

Equipment explained in this tutorial includes a transmitter, a receiver, a headset microphone, and an audience headset.

3. Curious about how an interpreter sets up equipment for an event? Check out this video:

Interpretation Equipment Tutorial: Interpreter Perspective
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrjKO7sk0Hk

In this video, you’ll learn how interpreters use the equipment. Equipment used in this tutorial includes a transmitter and a headset microphone.

4. Worried about if your guests will be able to hear? We have a video detailing an attendee’s experience listening to the interpreter:

Interpretation Equipment Tutorial: Event Attendee Perspective
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEXZ8fY0EaY

Our colleague, Shenny, describes how our equipment can assist your guests to receive the relayed information simultaneously from an interpreter. Equipment used in this tutorial includes a receiver and a headset.

 5. What else has Monterey Language Services Done? Check out our event showcase video:

Simultaneous Interpretation Event Showcase 

Simultaneous Interpretation Event Showcase

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFTzivdlkXk

Located in beautiful Monterey, Monterey Language Services has been supporting the multilingual events of companies and visitors everywhere in California, from Monterey to the Silicon Valley, and beyond.

At Monterey Language Services, we do not only provide interpretation services, but also interpretation AV equipment to facilitate understanding. We regularly provide transmitters, receivers, headset microphones, and headsets for simultaneous interpretation events. Transmitters and headset microphones are for the interpreters, and the receivers and headsets are for your visitors. Within seconds, the equipment can be set up and adjusted to your visitor’s comfort.

By using our equipment, the speakers do not need to pause for the interpreters to catch up— instead, they can keep speaking. Simultaneously, the interpreters relay the information to your visitors in their native language. This way, your visitors wearing the receivers and headsets can receive information via the interpreter. At the same time, the audience of the main language does not hear the interpretation and can better focus without any distractions. As a result, the communication at your event will be more effective, and the speech and/or conversations will proceed smoothly and seamlessly.

When we receive a request for interpretation at an event, we gather all relevant information for the event: date, location, language, number of attendees, anticipated length, subject matter that are required for the work.

For smaller events, we provide receivers and headsets for the audience, where the interpreters are able to follow the audience and keep mobility from one location to another. For larger events, we use Interpreter Consoles, where the interpreter stays in a booth to relay information to a larger number of event-goers who speak different languages. We also use a hybrid mix of portable equipment with fixed stations. Please feel welcome to email us to find out more at info@montereylanguages.com

Just as we provide the most suitable interpretation equipment to fit different situations, we ensure to assign interpreters who are experts in the field of your event. For effective interpretation, especially simultaneous interpretation events, multiple interpreters are often needed and we send only those who are knowledgeable in the subject matter. For example, conference interpreters usually specialize in a particular subject, whether it is IT, Business, International Tech Reseller meetings, Product Training, Marketing, or Finance, etc.

We’ve provided services for top tech companies with our portable equipment including for visitors from Latin America and Asia. We’ve provided for large marketing and conference events with interpretation console equipment. Our methodology works. Our easy-to-use and effective equipment, knowledgeable interpreters, and detailed planning rise high to each and every occasion. We owe it to our clients to provide the very best, after all.

Recently, Monterey Language Services provided simultaneous Spanish interpretation at a school board meeting. The parents of many students at this school are Mexican Spanish-speaking with a wide range of English proficiency, and the staff had become concerned that these parents were missing out on crucial information regarding school policies.

As a language service provider, we understand the importance of and advocate for information distribution. We jumped at the opportunity and immediately set to locating the most qualified interpreters in the community.

The Search

We have a vast network of interpreters, which allows us to choose the best interpreters for the job. In this case, we ended up picking two interpreters who were local to the area and subject matter experts.

You might be wondering why we assigned two interpreters. For a simultaneous event, it is standard practice to have team interpreters. Given the mental taxation for simultaneous interpretation, one interpreter will speak for a given amount of time (generally twenty to thirty minutes), then take turns with the other interpreter. This way interpreters can take a break, help with another matter at the event if need be, or provide notes or backup to each other.

We thought it was appropriate to assign interpreters from the area, as the interpreters have a closer association with local events and therefore have more enthusiasm in giving back to the community.

The fact that our two interpreters for this assignment are subject matter experts concerning education is another boon, because they know about the ins and outs of the education system.

The Preparation

Our office carries a plethora of equipment for interpretation events, including microphone headsets, transmitters, receivers, and receiver headsets. As a brief rundown, the interpreter usually whispers their interpretation into a microphone headset, which goes through a transmitter to the receivers; the interpreter’s words then are delivered right to the listeners’ ears through the receiver headsets.

We count out the number of headsets, transmitters, and receivers needed, then test each one to ensure that they work. Once all equipment is checked and accounted for, we wipe them with alcohol swabs to assure cleanliness before packing them into foam-lined cases to make sure nothing accidentally gets damaged.

Setup and Execution

Since this was the first interpretation event performed at this school, our office manager arrived an hour before the event. Preparation on-site began with introduction of the equipment to our client, in which we included written instructions for reference.

We also made sure to give the interpreters a place to be where they could see and hear the speakers, as well as see any supplementary material that the speakers put on a television screen. This setup allowed the interpreters to take in all available information so that their interpretation would be as accurate as possible.

Cleanup

Once all equipment was brought back to our office, we took great care to ensure that everything was still working well. Inspecting the equipment after an event can be a delicate process that includes checking for malfunctions, cracks, broken wires, etc. Given that Covid-19 is still a prevalent concern, we clean the equipment with alcohol swabs yet again before storing it.

Another concern is that, as our transmitters and receivers are battery-powered, we check for battery corrosion, which can harm the equipment and cause it to stop working. Leaving batteries for too long inside any equipment can lead to leakage of the hydrogen gas inside, so we always make sure to take batteries out when our transmitters and receivers are not being prepped for use or in-use.

The Result

The school office advertised to parents that there would be simultaneous Spanish interpretation at their school board event, and many of the people coming into the meeting were excited, even those who did not need interpretation services themselves. Spanish speakers eagerly took receivers and headsets, thanking our office manager and interpreters for the assistance. A conversation with a Spanish-speaking teacher revealed that there had been lots of anticipation around this event, and that the schoolboard was eager to provide an even better experience at the next one.

Getting to see how the Spanish speakers were excited about receiving information in Spanish at the same time as the English speakers is very inspiring and this is what helping people with communication is all about. It’s a rewarding experience and we look forward to the next one!

Although the latter was played off for laughs, by comparing these two portrayals, we can see the differences between the two interpreters and what separates a professional interpreter from others.

The Interpreter 2005, Political thriller
Starring Nicole Kidman, this movie is about a UN interpreter who overhears people planning an assassination from her interpretation booth after hours. The producers did extensive research on conference interpreting as a profession, and in this movie you can see her portraying the work of a conference interpreter simultaneously interpreting both in the booths and in a meeting between dignitaries. According to IMDB, the movie is the first to have been filmed at the actual UN headquarters.

We see her portraying a professional interpreter with a great sense of responsibility in communication shown in her paying careful attention to the smallest nuances of language. She interpreted accurately despite a personal difference in opinion while at the same time protecting confidentiality.

Lost in Translation 2003, Comedy-drama
Everyone who has seen this movie probably remembers the Suntory commercial scene, where Bill Murray’s character struggles to understand the instructions of a passionate, machine-gun talking director despite having Japanese interpreter present. This scene is possibly the most humorous rendition of an unprofessional interpreter.

We noticed a few qualities lacking in this interpreter that are holding her back from doing a professional job. First, she appeared to have a lack of language ability that left huge gaps in the message she was trying to convey, and showed a lack of sensitivity to the frustration in the client when he was unable to understand her interpretation. The client shows a great deal of discomfort and confusion, there is still a language barrier that needs to be broken down.

Interpreters in Real Life at Monterey Language Services
Monterey Language Services understands what a significance a professional interpreter can make in bridging language gaps. Every day, we successfully fulfill our mission to serve by sending professional interpreters to hospitals, clinics, community public hearing events, and high-tech customer conferences in Silicon Valley. Our customers are always happy to see the power of communication take place in everyday life!

Here is a recent encounter that required the skills of a professional interpreter — a Cantonese medical interpretation at a children’s clinic in Capitola, CA.
– The Interpreter was a certified medical interpreter, CMI and CCHI precisely: Thanks to her professional mindset, the client was fully taken care of.
– Thorough communication between the doctor and patient was facilitated: The interpreter showed her dedication and ensured all messages were fully conveyed. The assignment was originally scheduled for two hours while the actual time spent interpreting was three hours.
–A willingness to serve: although the location was a bit far, the interpreter was willing to drive all the way to the hospital to make sure that someone was there to cover the assignment.

Monterey Language Services strives to provide the highest quality of translation and interpretation services. Please feel free to contact us for a quote.

Whatever the reason your business has for holding a conference in Silicon Valley, Monterey Languages Services is here to help.  We come from a conference interpretation background with an amazing network of alumni, graduates from the Graduate School of Translation and Interpetation of the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS), speaking many different languages, and equipped with the most advanced listening and presentation technologies.  We hold ourselves to the industry’s highest standard, and have contributed to the success of many international conferences for our Silicon Valley clients.

Before every conference interpretation event starts, we make preparations in advance. From selecting a team of conference interpreters, putting together interpretation equipment & the audio and video system, setting up interpreter rooms or interpreter booths, to studying the conference materials in advance, there is a design and a goal in mind in order to achieve the best result in an event we are entrusted to provide conference interpretation.

When the audience gets there, each member is provided a headset connected to a radio-like device that receives the channels of interpretation in different languages (English, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, French, Spanish, Japanese, German, etc.). Use push to talk microphones to ask questions.  With all of these high-tech equipments, we come on site to provide technical support and make sure customers are enjoying using modern technology to help them break the language barriers.

At the end of the event, every audience member has clearly understood the conference. They were enthusiastic about it, and good business deals are about to come out of this.

The Monterey Language Services team feels—hey, Silicon Valley–mission accomplished.

Monterey Language Services strives to provide the highest quality of translation and interpretation services. Please feel free to contact us for a quote.

Local interpreters carry out their services in person. They travel to the location – a conference, a business meeting, a doctor’s appointment or a court hearing – and interpret onsite, whether consecutive or simultaneous. There are certainly advantages to sticking with this tried and true approach. Since the interpretation is face to face, there are no worries about technological limitation – no extra delays, always the clearest possible picture and sound, no special adjustment and setup needed.

That is not to say there are no possible pitfalls. Naturally, the pool of available local interpreters is limited, and for rare languages may be entirely nonexistent, not to mention that there is a multitude of travel-related concerns and expenses, from car trouble to traffic.

On the other hand, global interpreters work over the phone or, more often today, through video software. Distance between client and interpreter ceases being a concern, and interpreters’ hours become more flexible. Far more languages and much wider pool of interpreters become available. There are no travel expenses.

However, to balance it out, global interpreters are dependent on cutting-edge technology, with all the attached concerns. Fortunately, nowadays, more and more interpreters can meet these requirements, in terms of hardware, software and internet access, and the technology itself has become much more reliable. We are entering into the future.

There is no clear “superior” choice. Whether selecting a global interpreter or calling up a local one is better depends on the event, the languages, set up and people involved, the situation specifics.

We at Monterey Language Services are always striving to determine the best solution for our customers, and to that end, we offer a full line of interpretation services – whatever your needs, we will find the interpreter for you, whether they are five miles away or on the other side of the world.

Monterey Language Services strives to provide the highest quality of translation and interpretation services. Please feel free to contact us for a quote.

Before the curtain opens, there is a lot of preparation to be done. From selecting a team of conference interpreters, putting together interpretation equipment & the audio and video system, setting up interpreter rooms or interpreter booths, to studying the conference materials in advance, there must be an architecture, a design, a goal in order to achieve the best result in a conference interpretation assignment.

With so many aspects involved, conference interpretation is a perfect example of a team at work.  A team consists of project managers, interpreters, engineers, technicians and conference organizers. Orchestration becomes such a complicated task that it requires a division of work and a smaller team within the team.  Therefore, a conference interpretation event is usually supported by a group of professionals rather than a single-handed individual effort.

At Monterey Language Services, a simulation is often conducted before a conference interpretation event goes live.  This quality check process is valuable to ensure that we contribute to the success of a conference.  From one successful event to another, we have had many wonderful experiences and truly enjoyed every part of conference interpretation.  We are proud to call “conference interpretation services” one of our best expertise!

Monterey Language Services strives to provide the highest quality of translation and interpretation services. Please feel free to contact us for a quote.

Our interpreters are professionally qualified. They have studied translation and interpretation at the graduate or undergraduate level, or are professionally certified, or have received training in medical, legal and technical subject areas. They are experienced medical interpreters, legal interpreters and technical interpreters. Furthermore, they pursue continuing on-the-job training and education.

Our interpreters are not only local, able to come to our headquarters or to our client sites to perform services, but also distant, working remotely through a range of technology options such as video remote.

Our interpreters work consecutively, but also at conference, offering simultaneous interpretation.

Monterey Language Services has been providing language support to hospitals for years. A short list includes Spanish, ASL, Vietnamese, Arabic, Mandarin and Cantonese, Korean, Tagalog, Russian, French, Portuguese, German, Japanese, Punjabi, Gujarati, and indigenous languages such as Triqui, Mixteco, Zapotec. Even when a rare language is needed, we can vet and bring interpreters to our customers in a matter of hours.

We stand by ready 24-7, either work with a regular schedule of interpreting appointments, or provide last minute on-demand interpretation, for example for a hospital’s emergency needs.

It is our goal at Monterey Language Services to provide a full line of interpretation services. And it is to that end that we maintain our huge pool of professional interpreters to serve you whenever or wherever you need them.

Monterey Language Services strives to provide the highest quality of translation and interpretation services. Please feel free to contact us for more information.