Simultaneous Interpretation by Language

How lingo organizes language coverage

lingo serves 15 language pairs, and how it serves them varies between them. The English and Portuguese pair is the only one Alex Barros operates directly, with 21 years of booth experience. For the other 14 pairs, lingo coordinates partner interpreters selected by three criteria: native fluency in the target language, documented corporate experience in the event's sector and availability to prepare a technical glossary from materials sent 48 hours in advance.

This model exists because quality simultaneous interpretation requires native fluency and deep knowledge of the subject. A single generalist interpreter in 15 languages does not deliver that level. Alex Barros coordinates the partner's selection and conducts the briefing, and lingo maintains the same preparation standard in all languages, with NDA available and the glossary validated before the event.

English: the pair operated directly

English is the working language of most international corporate events in Brazil. Boards of directors, roadshows, M&A meetings and conferences usually have English as the link language, even when there are participants from other countries. Because Alex Barros operates this pair directly, the same professional conducts the briefing, builds the glossary and interprets, which reduces information loss between stages.

Cases such as the XP IPO roadshow illustrate this type of work. For details on the pair, see English-Portuguese simultaneous translation, and for the financial sector, finance in Japanese and other sector and language combinations.

Spanish, German and French: the European and regional pairs

Spanish is the second most requested pair. It appears in regional M&A operations and in agribusiness, with traders from Argentina and Uruguay. Despite its closeness to Portuguese, interpreting in Spanish requires preparation: false cognates and vocabulary differences between countries can create misunderstandings in contracts and specifications. The page simultaneous translation in Spanish details the pair, and the legal sector has its own material in legal in Spanish.

German is the language of the largest European investor in Brazil, with the presence of groups such as Volkswagen, BASF and Bayer. Technical and supplier qualification meetings with German teams are common in industry, and engineering vocabulary calls for an interpreter who knows the sector. See simultaneous translation in German.

French appears in luxury, energy and defense, with groups such as LVMH, Kering, TotalEnergies, Naval Group and Dassault. Each of these sectors has its own register, from brand vocabulary to defense contract vocabulary. More details in simultaneous translation in French.

Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Hindi and Indonesian: the Asian pairs

The Asian pairs demand special attention to pace and negotiation culture. In Japanese, groups such as Mitsui, Toyota and Nippon Steel are part of the operations history, such as the R$ 210 million trilateral acquisition of Café Brasileiro in 2020, described in the case Café Brasileiro × 3corações × Mitsui. The page simultaneous translation in Japanese gives the detail of the pair.

Chinese, in Mandarin, has gained weight with China's growth as a trade partner of Brazil, with companies such as COFCO, Huawei and BYD. See simultaneous translation in Chinese and agribusiness in Chinese. Korean serves groups such as Samsung, Hyundai and LG, in technology, automotive and the battery chain, at simultaneous translation in Korean.

Hindi serves Indian agribusiness and information technology groups, and Indonesian is covered by the partner network at multilingual corporate events. See simultaneous translation in Hindi and simultaneous translation in Indonesian.

Italian, Arabic, Hebrew, Dutch, Russian and Vietnamese

Italian appears in operations such as Ferrara's acquisition of Dori, approved by CADE in the fourth quarter of 2023, as well as groups such as Stellantis and Ferrero. The case is at Dori × Ferrara, and the pair at simultaneous translation in Italian.

Arabic serves Gulf sovereign funds and Saudi Aramco, as well as businesses tied to the halal market, in which Brazil is a major exporter. Hebrew has as an example the 3corações × Strauss Group joint venture, interpreted quarterly since 2020 (3corações × Strauss case). The pairs are at Arabic and Hebrew.

Dutch is tied to Rotterdam, the main European entry port for Brazilian commodities, and Russian and Vietnamese are served by the partner network at multilingual corporate events. See Dutch, Russian and Vietnamese.

Events with more than two languages

At trilingual events, such as English, Japanese and Portuguese, lingo coordinates one interpreter, in fact a pair, per language pair, each on a separate channel, whether by radio frequency on site or by RSI. The participant chooses on the receiver or platform the channel of the language they want to hear. When there is no direct interpreter between two languages, relay comes in, in which one interpreter translates into a pivot language and another translates from the pivot into the final language.

The organization of this type of event is covered in multilingual simultaneous interpretation, and the glossary of terms such as channel and relay is in glossary of simultaneous translation and equipment.

Lead times and preparation by language

For English, lingo's minimum lead time is 48 hours. For the other languages, the recommended lead time is 5 to 7 days, needed to confirm the availability of a partner interpreter with specific experience in the event's sector. Less common languages and large events require more time, and M&A and confidential events should be hired as soon as the date is confirmed.

In all languages, event material sent in advance improves quality. For the step by step, see how to hire a simultaneous interpreter in SP. lingo signs an NDA valid for 5 years, and the quote amount is the final amount on the invoice.

How to choose an event's languages

The decision about which languages to cover should start from the audience, not the stage. List the participants who need to hear the content and the language in which each group feels comfortable following technical subjects. An executive who chats well in English at lunch may miss legal nuances in an hour-long presentation. In such cases, offering interpretation prevents the event from depending on each person's English level.

Then define the direction. Some events need interpretation in one direction only, from the speaker's language to the audience's. Others, such as negotiations and board meetings, require both directions, because everyone speaks. Direction affects team and equipment: two-way negotiations usually use a booth with two channels per language pair, and each output language has its own pair of interpreters.

Finally, consider the volume of written content. Presentations, contracts and reports in a language different from the spoken one need to be sent to the interpreter in advance, so that they can study the terminology. The sooner the material arrives, the more accurate the interpretation will be.

Sector and language combinations

Besides the pages by language, lingo maintains pages that combine sector and language, because a sector's vocabulary changes according to the pair. A financial contract in Japanese requires different terms from an agribusiness contract in Chinese. The available combinations include:

• Finance in Japanese and finance in Hebrew.
• Agribusiness in Chinese and agribusiness in English.
• Legal in Spanish.
• Technology in English.

To see all the sectors served, see the sectors page.

In person, remote and hybrid by language

Languages can be served in person, with a booth and receivers on site, or by remote simultaneous interpretation. When the partner interpreter lives outside São Paulo, RSI avoids the cost of travel and accommodation and widens the choice of available professionals. For in-person events, the partner comes to the venue, and lingo provides the equipment and the technician.

At hybrid events, part of the audience is in the room and part is connected, and each language can have a physical channel and a platform channel. The guide to simultaneous interpretation at hybrid events explains the setup, and the pages on Zoom, Teams, Meet and Webex detail each platform.

Confidentiality in all languages

Confidentiality applies to all pairs. lingo signs an NDA valid for 5 years before receiving any material, and partner interpreters work under the same conditions. Alex Barros does not accept competing mandates in the same deal, and the same rule is applied to partner selection, to avoid conflicts between parties to the same operation.