Complete checklist to hire a quality simultaneous interpreter in São Paulo. Selection criteria, certifications and how to avoid hiring mistakes.
Selection criteria, what to ask before hiring and how to avoid the most common hiring mistakes.
A technology interpreter with no M&A experience will create noise where legal precision is needed.
Simultaneous interpretation over 2h requires a pair. A solo interpreter compromises quality in the second hour.
Mandatory for M&A, legal and any event with sensitive information.
Confirm whether transmitter, receivers and booth are included or an additional cost.
A technical problem without an on-site technician halts the event.
How and when do you receive the event's technical material?
Not just language fluency — mastery of technical vocabulary
For events over 2 continuous hours
Receives material at least 7 days ahead
Spare receiver and transmitter available
Technical support throughout the event
Without a pair, quality drops after 1–2h
Improvised technical vocabulary
Risk of technical failure with no quick fix
Hiring simultaneous interpretation is different from hiring an isolated interpreter, because the service depends on a set: professionals, equipment, technician, preparation and logistics. The process works best when it follows a clear sequence:
There are three paths. The first is to hire an individual interpreter and rent the equipment separately. It works for small meetings, but requires the organizer to coordinate the pair, booth, transmitter, receivers and technician on their own, and a failure at any point falls on the organizer. The second is to hire an agency that subcontracts interpreters, which makes contact easier but leaves the organizer distant from whoever will actually interpret. The third is to hire a company that brings interpreters, equipment and technician together in a single service, with one party responsible for the result.
lingo operates in the third model. Alex Barros, the founder, is a simultaneous interpreter with 21 years of experience, and lingo delivers team, equipment, on-site technician and backup in the same quote. It also rents equipment with or without a lingo interpreter, for those who already have their own professionals. See equipment rental in São Paulo.
Language fluency is a minimum requirement, not a selection criterion. What sets a simultaneous interpreter apart is command of the subject, booth experience and the ability to prepare vocabulary. To assess, ask for examples of events in the same sector and of similar size, rather than generic client lists. A technology interpreter with no M&A experience creates noise where legal precision should be, and the reverse is also true.
lingo presents documented cases, with named clients when the contract allows, dates and context. The portfolio is at simultaneous interpretation cases, and references from previous events are shared under NDA, with information on sectors and sizes. This is a standard worth demanding from any provider: verifiable evidence, not generic claims.
It is also worth knowing how the interpreter prepares. Ask how they build the glossary, how far ahead they need the material and whether they take part in the rehearsal. lingo works with a glossary per sector, from a map of 24 sectors and 222 subsectors, and recommends that material be sent at least 7 days ahead.
The sooner the material arrives, the better the interpretation. In confidential operations, it can be sent under NDA, valid for 5 years, and lingo does not accept competing mandates in the same deal.
Two quotes with different prices may not be comparable. Before looking at the amount, compare what each includes. The items that vary most are the on-site technician, equipment backup, travel, setup and teardown, the number of interpreters per language and the booth type. A lower quote without a technician on site passes the risk of a technical failure to the organizer.
At lingo, the quote is automatic: the organizer provides languages, duration and number of participants, and the PDF arrives by email and WhatsApp in 60 seconds. Delivery, setup, teardown and technical support are included in Greater São Paulo, and the quote amount is the final amount on the invoice. The price factors are in how much simultaneous interpretation costs in São Paulo.
lingo's minimum lead time is 48 hours, but that is a limit, not a recommendation. The more time, the more careful the preparation.
Frequent hiring mistakes are detailed in common hiring mistakes, and a set of best practices is in 10 tips for perfect interpretation.
Simultaneous interpretation is an activity of intense concentration: the interpreter listens, processes and speaks at the same time. For this reason, beyond 2 hours of event the work is done in pairs, with rotation between the two professionals. While one interprets, the other follows the material, notes numbers and names and prepares the next term. When rotation is well run, the audience does not notice the switch.
When comparing proposals, confirm that the price already includes the pair. A quote with a single interpreter for a full-day event looks cheaper, but it shifts the risk to quality: after 1 to 2 hours without rotation, accuracy drops, and errors tend to appear precisely in numbers and proper names, which is what the audience remembers most.
In events with more than one output language, each language has its own pair and its own booth. An event in Portuguese with output into English and Spanish, for example, needs two pairs and two channels on the transmitter. Equipment planning for this scenario is in simultaneous interpretation equipment rental in SP.
In M&A meetings, audits, negotiations and events with sensitive information, the interpreter has access to content that is not yet public. The hiring should provide for a confidentiality agreement signed before any material is sent. lingo signs NDAs valid for 5 years, and the document can be sent by the client or use lingo's template.
Another point is conflict of interest. In negotiations with opposing parties, the ideal is that the same provider does not serve both sides. Alex Barros does not accept competing mandates in the same deal. If you are evaluating a provider for a negotiation, ask directly whether it already serves or will serve the other party.
Finally, confirm how the material will be stored and what happens to it after the event. A serious provider says who will have access to the files, for how long and how disposal is done. For general questions about the service, see the simultaneous interpretation FAQ, and to understand how the price is built, see how much simultaneous interpretation costs in SP. At lingo, the quote amount is the final amount on the invoice.
Audio quality is part of interpretation quality. An excellent interpreter in a noisy booth or with failing receivers delivers a poor result. So, when hiring, check whether the proposal includes transmitter, receivers, booth and technician, and whether there are spare receivers and a redundant transmitter. At lingo, the kit includes spare receivers and a redundant transmitter.
The choice between an ISO booth and portable equipment depends on event size, venue and level of demand. The full comparison is in ISO booth vs portable equipment. To understand when simultaneous is the best option and when consecutive is enough, see simultaneous vs consecutive.
For standard languages: 1 week minimum. For rare languages or large events: 3+ weeks. For M&A and confidential events: as soon as the date is confirmed.
Yes, under NDA. We share information on the sectors and sizes of previous events.
lingo meets all the criteria above — and has cases to prove it.
Automatic quote in 60 seconds. PDF by email and WhatsApp.