Short definition
Simultaneous interpreting technology is the sum of all equipment that enables simultaneous interpreting – booths, consoles, control, language distribution, and receivers.
Detailed explanation
The term brings together all the technical components that make real-time interpreting possible in the first place: the soundproofed booths, the interpreter consoles, central control with channel and relay logic, language distribution (via infrared or radio), and the receivers with headphones on the participant side. Only working together do they form a functioning system.
In practice, "simultaneous interpreting technology" is often used interchangeably with "interpreting system," but it emphasizes the purpose – enabling simultaneous interpreting – more than the individual devices. Anyone planning simultaneous interpreting technology thinks in terms of languages and booths: how many languages, how many booths, is relay needed, how many receivers, which distribution technology fits the room? The relevant ISO standards provide the quality benchmarks for this.
Relevance in this subject area
Simultaneous interpreting technology is the toolkit for multilingual events. It translates the need for "X languages at once" into concrete devices and setups.
Practical example
For a five-language conference, the complete simultaneous interpreting technology is planned: five booths, ten consoles, one control unit, infrared distribution, and 300 receivers – all coordinated.
Related terms
Interpreting system, Simultaneous interpreting, Interpreting booth, Multi-channel system, Central control unit (interpreting)