Open Finance — Interpretation for the implementation and training of the financial sector

Frequently asked questions about hiring interpretation

The guidance below is general: it explains how to prepare a hiring process and does not describe events, contracts or internal procedures of the company presented on this page.

1. How to request a quote and define the scope of the meeting?

Start by stating the purpose of the meeting, the languages involved, the intended date and the estimated duration. Explain whether the audience only needs to follow a presentation or also to ask questions, negotiate terms and take part in discussions. This difference helps size the operation. Include the approximate number of participants, the number of rooms and the presence of remote guests, even when the main activity takes place in person.

A preliminary agenda is usually more useful than a broad description of the subject. It makes it possible to identify talks, breaks, debates, demonstrations and private conversations. If there is no final schedule yet, indicate which information is confirmed and which remains under evaluation. There is no need to present as final what depends on approval. The quote should record these assumptions so that any changes can be discussed before execution.

Also describe the environment. For a virtual meeting, state the intended platform and who will have administrative access. For an in-person meeting, indicate the venue and the audio resources available, without assuming that the room's equipment automatically meets the needs of interpretation. In hybrid activities, clarify where the speakers, the listeners and the support team will be. The design must cover both directions of communication, including questions asked remotely.

When you receive the proposal, check languages, times, deliverables, included resources and each party's responsibilities. Verify how schedule extensions, additional rooms, travel, tests and format changes will be handled. Recording, transcription, document translation and review of presentations are distinct needs; they should not be considered included just because there will be interpretation. If any of them is important, ask for it to be expressly stated in the scope and in the commercial terms.

Choose a contact person to gather materials and centralize decisions. This person does not need to master every technical subject, but must be able to forward questions to the competent area. Before confirming the engagement, validate the proposal internally and the availability of those responsible for the event. A quote request, on its own, does not mean a confirmed reservation. Confirmation must follow the procedure agreed between the parties, with a clear record of what was contracted and of any pending items.

2. How far in advance should I hire and send the materials?

There is no universal lead time that fits every meeting. The notice required depends on the combination of languages, the complexity of the content, the format, the team's availability and the technical conditions. A meeting with several rooms and specialized presentations requires different preparation from a short conversation with a known agenda. For that reason, try to check availability as soon as there is a reasonable forecast of the schedule, even if some details are still open.

In the initial inquiry, present the date as confirmed or provisional, as the case may be. State possible alternatives if there is flexibility. Avoid announcing to participants that the service is already reserved before the contractual confirmation. When the request is urgent, describe objectively what is already ready: agenda, presentation, venue, platform and technical contacts. The feasibility analysis must consider these elements, not only the time remaining until the meeting starts.

Preparation materials may include slides, agenda, list of speakers, public documents and a previously approved glossary. Share only what is authorized. It is useful to identify the version of each file and to indicate which sections will actually be discussed. A small set of relevant documents can help more than an extensive folder without guidance. If there are numbers, acronyms or names that require a specific pronunciation, highlight them for review before the meeting.

Organize an internal deadline to consolidate changes. Last-minute changes can happen, but they must be communicated through the agreed channel, with a clear indication of what was replaced. Avoid sending different versions to different people without control. The person responsible for the content should validate terms that may have more than one meaning. Linguistic preparation does not replace technical, legal or commercial approval; doubts about the merit of a statement remain the responsibility of whoever presents it.

Also reserve time for the operational test, separate from vocabulary preparation. The test checks access, microphones, language channels, screen sharing and procedures for questions. Confirm who needs to take part and which equipment will be used at the actual event. If any step cannot be carried out, record the limitation and discuss alternatives. Lead time is not just hiring early: it is allowing information, people and resources to be available in an organized sequence, without depending on improvisation at the start of the session.

3. How to handle confidentiality, NDA and preparation materials?

Before sharing non-public information, check which authorizations and confidentiality commitments are needed. An NDA must be reviewed by the competent parties and establish the scope of the obligations. The existence of interpretation does not, by itself, authorize unrestricted access to internal documents. The organizer should select the materials really needed for preparation and confirm whether they can be shared with the professionals involved in providing the service.

The conversation about secrecy must go beyond the name of the document. It is important to define who may receive files, through which channel, for what purpose and for how long. It is also advisable to clarify how return, deletion and any retention obligations will be handled. These points depend on the contract and the applicable policies. Do not assume technical guarantees, absence of storage or automatic deletion without checking the actual conditions of the tools and suppliers that will take part in the operation.

When documents contain personal data or details that are unnecessary for interpretation, assess whether a reduced or anonymized version can be provided. A glossary can record linguistic equivalences without reproducing sensitive information about a transaction or a person. This selection must be made by whoever has authority over the material. The interpreter does not replace the person responsible for data protection, the legal team or the area in charge of classifying information.

Recording, transcription and the use of automated tools require their own assessment. Ask whether the session will be recorded, who will have access and for what purpose. If an AI solution is being considered, check beforehand its processing conditions and its compatibility with the restrictions of the meeting. One should not conclude that an NDA, alone, makes any tool suitable. In sensitive situations, the choice of modality and resources must be approved by those responsible for the content.

During the meeting, keep the limits of participation clear. Forwarded invitations, new users joining and room changes can alter who hears the content. Agree on how the organization will verify these situations and who may authorize access. After the event, requests for publicity, testimonials or commercial references must follow the agreed permissions. Providing the service does not mean automatic authorization to publish names, dates, amounts, documents or subjects discussed, nor to share details with third parties interested in contracting a similar operation.

4. When to choose RSI, in-person interpretation or a hybrid format?

The choice starts with how people will converse. RSI is remote simultaneous interpretation: the professionals and the participants may be in different places, connected through an infrastructure compatible with language channels. In person, the distribution of audio must serve those in the room. The hybrid format combines these needs. No modality is suitable merely for being digital or physical; one must evaluate participation, audio quality, interaction, infrastructure and access restrictions.

In remote operation, check whether the platform offers the necessary features and whether the setup will be the responsibility of someone qualified. Speakers should use microphones that allow speech to be understood clearly. A stable connection helps, but it does not solve ambient noise, simultaneous speech or incorrectly shared audio. Videos and demonstrations must also be included in the test. The goal is to reproduce real conditions, including the device each key participant intends to use.

In an in-person meeting, consider the size and layout of the room, visibility, circulation and the sound system. Receivers, headphones, cables and microphones need to be part of a coherent plan, when required. The appropriate structure varies with the format and cannot be defined only by the name of the venue. Technical visits or activities outside a room require additional assessment of mobility and noise. Security and access rules of the environment remain the responsibility of the competent organization.

The hybrid format calls for special attention to questions. Those online must be able to hear an intervention made in the room, and those in person need to understand the speech of a remote participant. Define how microphones and channels will be used, who will moderate entries and how language changes will be signaled. A laptop picking up ambient sound should not be treated as a sufficient solution without testing. The organization must also guide participants on language selection and use of the available equipment.

The choice between human interpretation and automated resources is another decision, related to but not identical with the choice of environment. An online meeting may require human professionals; an in-person meeting may consider technological support for informational content. Analyze the predictability of the speech, the consequences of an error, the need for clarification and confidentiality. For negotiation, important ambiguities or sensitive decisions, discuss the need for human accompaniment. Any alternative must have explicit limits and an agreed procedure for technical difficulties or failures of understanding during the session.

5. What to confirm before the event and how to handle changes on the day?

Before the event, review the final version of the agenda with the person responsible for the operation. Confirm times, breaks, languages, main participants and the order of activities. Check whether there are parallel sessions or reserved moments that need different handling. Changes of room, platform or duration must be communicated, because they may require a new assessment of resources. The team should not discover a relevant change only when the speaker is already speaking or when the audience tries to access the language channel.

Check the practical access details: address, authorized entrance, on-site contact or connection instructions. Inform in advance of accreditation procedures and restrictions on the use of equipment. For virtual activities, confirm the necessary permissions and who is responsible for releasing the platform's resources. For in-person activities, align setup, removal and technical access where applicable. This information organizes execution, but it does not replace the contractual rules nor waive authorizations required by the venue or by the organizing institution.

Guide speakers and moderators to use the microphone and to avoid overlapping conversations. When there are numbers, names or references to a screen, the speech should allow listeners to identify the subject. This does not require turning a natural presentation into an artificial reading. It means creating conditions for the content to be understood. Long questions can be organized by the moderation, and doubts about a term should be directed to whoever has the knowledge and authority to explain the intended meaning.

If a failure occurs, follow the agreed procedure instead of trying to solve everything at once. Identify whether the difficulty is in the audio source, the language channel, the individual equipment or the connection. The person responsible for the operation must coordinate communication with the audience. When necessary, a pause may be more appropriate than continuing a discussion without sufficient understanding. Contingency resources must be planned according to the contracted structure, without assuming alternatives that were not tested or made available.

At the end, confirm which deliverables were planned and record relevant issues for a future engagement. If there are documents, recordings or other materials, follow the agreed access and handling conditions. Evaluations may address organization, audio clarity and suitability of the format without disclosing confidential content. For recurring meetings, update the agenda and glossary when necessary, instead of assuming that the next session will be the same as the previous one. Each new activity must have its scope, availability and conditions confirmed appropriately.