The 10 most common mistakes at events with simultaneous interpretation in SP — and how lingo solves each one. Practical guide for organizers.
The most frequent mistakes we see at events with interpretation in SP. For each one: what causes it and how lingo solves it.
Cause: The organizer sends only the agenda — no deck, no glossary, no sector context.
Solution: Send the full deck, participant manual and list of technical terms 7–10 days in advance.
Cause: Hiring on price, not specialization. A generic English interpreter has no M&A or medical vocabulary.
Solution: lingo assigns interpreters with proven experience in the event's sector — not generalist interpreters.
Cause: Underestimating the number of participants who need a receiver.
Solution: Request 10% more than the confirmed number. The extra cost of receivers is negligible.
Cause: Testing 15 minutes before, when there is no time to fix problems.
Solution: Full test 2 hours before. lingo arrives 2–3h before the start for set-up and testing.
Cause: No spare receiver or transmitter. When one fails, the event stops.
Solution: Every lingo kit includes 10% extra receivers and 1 backup transmitter on-site.
Cause: Booth placed at the side with no view of the speaker — the interpreter cannot see the screen or the gestures.
Solution: Prior technical inspection to define the ideal position with full visibility of the stage.
Cause: Native English speakers often speak 280+ words/minute — the limit for quality interpretation.
Solution: Brief speakers in advance: moderate pace, pauses after complex concepts.
Cause: With no rotation protocol, interpreters work 4–6h without a break — quality drops in the second half of the event.
Solution: Fixed rotation every 20–30 minutes, agreed between the two interpreters before the start.
Cause: The event's PA has no line out for the interpreter's console — an improvised connection with poor quality.
Solution: lingo checks technical compatibility with the venue's sound system during the prior inspection.
Cause: When there is a technical problem, nobody at the event has the authority to make decisions about the sound system.
Solution: Designate a technical person at the event who can decide quickly if problems arise.
With the popularization of tools such as Wordly and DeepL Voice, many companies test interpretation AI at technical events — and only notice the problem when a critical term is translated wrongly in front of an audience or an international partner.
Ask the tool to interpret a paragraph with technical terms from your sector. For M&A: "representations and warranties", "earn-out", "closing conditions". For agribusiness: "basis", "FOB Paranaguá", "BHKP".
Check whether the supplier can show the glossary specific to your sector before the event — not after.
For high-risk events (M&A, due diligence, medical congress), demand a human lingo interpreter as backup — even when using AI. Wordly and DeepL Voice do not offer this option.
The lingo AI has mapped vocabulary for 24 Brazilian sectors with 222 subsectors. Before each event, the client receives the glossary specific to their sector for validation.
Whoever organizes an event with simultaneous interpretation rarely does it every day. That is why the same problems appear at different events: the interpreter receives the material late, the audio test is short, the booth ends up in a bad spot, a receiver is missing. None of these problems is hard to avoid, but all of them depend on someone knowing, before the event, what to ask. The ten mistakes above were gathered from what lingo sees over 21 years of corporate events, congresses and meetings in São Paulo.
The sections below group the mistakes by type: preparation, equipment, set-up and performance on stage. In each group, we explain what happens when the mistake occurs and what question the organizer should ask the supplier to avoid it.
The first mistake is sending only the agenda. Without the presentation deck, the participant manual and the list of technical terms, the interpreter discovers the subject on the spot, and the interpretation loses precision exactly on the terms that matter most. The solution is to send the full material between seven and ten days before the event. With the glossary in hand, the interpreter studies names, acronyms and figures, and can ask the client about whatever is unclear.
The second mistake is hiring on price. A generalist English interpreter has no M&A, medical or engineering vocabulary, and the difference shows in the first technical sentence. lingo assigns interpreters with proven experience in the event's sector, and the simultaneous interpretation for due diligence page shows how this choice works in M&A operations. When hiring, ask the supplier who the interpreter will be, in which sector events they have already worked and how the glossary will be built.
To organize sending the material in advance, see the guide to preparing your event for simultaneous interpretation, which has the full three-week timeline.
Three mistakes revolve around equipment. The first is underestimating the number of receivers. Participants who did not expect to use the interpretation channel show up on the day, and the numbers never add up. The recommendation is to request 10% more than the confirmed number, because the extra cost is small next to the problem of leaving someone unable to hear.
The second is not having spare equipment. When a receiver or a transmitter fails and there is no replacement, the event stops. Every lingo kit includes 10% extra receivers and a backup transmitter on site, and the operation has spare receivers and a redundant transmitter. The wireless equipment page explains how the systems work and why redundancy matters.
The third is integration with the venue's sound system. If the event's PA has no line out for the interpreter's console, the connection is improvised and audio quality drops. lingo checks technical compatibility during the prior inspection, and the question the organizer should ask the venue is simple: is there a line out, and who operates it?
An audio test done fifteen minutes before the start leaves no time to fix anything. lingo arrives two to three hours early to set up and test, with a full test two hours before: receivers throughout the room, booth volume, the speaker's microphone and the connection to the venue's sound. A problem found in the test is fixed quietly. A problem found at the opening is seen by the whole audience.
A badly positioned booth has a direct effect on quality. If the interpreter cannot see the screen or the speaker's gestures, important cues are lost. The prior technical inspection defines the position with full visibility of the stage, and the comparison between the ISO booth and portable equipment helps choose the solution for small spaces.
Finally, the lack of a technical point of contact on the organizer's side leaves problems without an owner. When the sound fails, someone from the event must have authority to decide. Designate a technical person who knows the venue's system and can act quickly.
Native English speakers often speak above 280 words per minute, which is the limit for quality interpretation. When the pace goes beyond that, the interpreter is forced to summarize. The solution is to brief speakers in advance: moderate pace and pauses after complex concepts. A two-minute conversation before the talk is usually enough.
The other mistake is not defining the rotation. Without a protocol, interpreters work four to six hours without a break, and quality drops in the second half of the event. A fixed rotation, every 20 to 30 minutes, is agreed between the two interpreters before the start. That is why simultaneous interpretation is done in pairs, not by a single professional.
AI interpretation tools have improved, but the mistake appears when the vocabulary is technical. A system that interprets an everyday conversation well can fail on earn-out, closing conditions, basis or BHKP. That is why it is worth testing the tool with a real paragraph from your sector before using it at the event, and demanding the glossary beforehand, not afterwards.
At high-risk events, such as M&A, due diligence or a medical congress, the recommendation is to keep the human interpreter. For lower-risk events, lingo offers in-person AI interpretation and remote AI interpretation. The simultaneous interpretation ROI page helps decide.
The most common is sending the material to the interpreter late or with only the agenda. Without the deck, glossary and sector context, the interpretation loses precision on technical terms. lingo recommends sending the full material 7 to 10 days in advance.
The recommendation is to request 10% more than the confirmed number of participants. The extra cost is small next to the problem of having participants without a receiver on the day. Every lingo kit includes 10% extra receivers and a backup transmitter on site.
The full test should be done two hours before the start. A fifteen-minute test leaves no time to fix problems. lingo arrives two to three hours before the event for set-up and testing.
Simultaneous interpretation requires intense concentration. In pairs, interpreters alternate every 20 to 30 minutes, which preserves quality throughout the event. Without rotation, quality drops in the second half.
It depends on the risk. For M&A, due diligence and medical congresses, lingo recommends keeping the human interpreter as backup, even when using AI. For lower-risk events, there is in-person and remote AI interpretation.
lingo takes over the full logistics — you focus on the event content.
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