What drives the cost of simultaneous interpretation
A price list helps little until the event is defined. Whatever the option, the same five points drive the cost.
If you search for interpreter cost per hour, you rarely find a figure that helps. Conference interpreters usually charge by the half day or full day, with preparation and travel on top. Interpretation rates per hour are therefore hard to compare; what counts is the cost of the whole event.
- Number of languagesEach language needs its own team or its own channel.
- DurationHalf a day, a full day or several days.
- EquipmentWhether the hall already has transmitters and receivers or they have to be added.
- PreparationProgramme, documents, names and technical terms have to reach whoever interprets before the event.
- LocationIf interpreters travel, travel and, depending on the place, accommodation are added.
Interpreter team: the cost items
An interpreter team is the classic solution. As a rule, two interpreters work in one booth per language and take turns. For a conference in German with French and English channels, that means four interpreters in two booths.
On top of the interpreters’ fees come equipment, preparation and travel. How a team works in the booth is explained on Simultaneous interpretation explained.
- InterpretersAs a rule two per language, usually charged by the half day or full day.
- BoothOne per language, with transport and set-up if the hall has no permanent booths.
- EquipmentTransmitters, receivers and headphones for all guests, plus a technician.
- PreparationReading the programme, documents and speaker list, preparing terminology.
- TravelTravel and, depending on the place, accommodation for the interpreters.
Phone app with AI: the cost items
With a phone app, guests hear the interpretation on their own phone. They scan a QR code or open a link and plug in their own earphones. Depending on the provider, billing is by subscription, by a package of hours or by the minute per language.
Part of the effort falls on the guests and the venue. Every guest needs a charged phone, earphones and a connection. The network in the hall has to carry all guests at once. Anyone without a phone, or with a flat battery, hears no interpretation.
Many offers are designed as self-service. The organiser often has to get the sound from the desk into the app themselves. Some providers offer on-site support as an extra.
- LicenceSubscription, package of hours or minutes per language.
- NetworkWi-Fi or mobile data that carries all guests at the same time.
- Guests’ devicesA charged phone and earphones for every guest.
- Set-upSound from the desk into the app, QR codes in the hall and help for guests who get stuck.
Receivers with AI: the cost items
With receivers and AI, the interpretation runs through the hall’s sound system, as with an interpreter team. Booths and interpreters are no longer needed. PONTAVOX takes the sound from the mixing desk and puts each language on its own channel. Guests listen on receivers and headphones and need no phone, no app and no Wi-Fi.
PONTAVOX costs a fraction of an interpreter team. The equipment comes on top. If the hall already has transmitters and receivers, PONTAVOX connects to them. The page Equipment and connection explains how.
- Licence or eventAt the Eventforum Bern you book hall, equipment, technician and interpretation together. Elsewhere a licence covers the duration of the event.
- EquipmentOne channel per language, plus receivers and headphones. Radio, infrared and interpreter consoles can be connected.
- TechnicianThey look after every language in the studio. At the Eventforum Bern the Eventforum provides them; elsewhere the venue, the AV company or the organiser does.
- PreparationProgramme, speaker list, names and technical terms go into the glossary beforehand.
Interpreter team, phone app and AI on receivers compared
The table compares the three options on the points that matter at an event. Individual offers may differ.
| Interpreter team | Phone app with AI | Receivers with AI (PONTAVOX) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guests need | receiver and headphones | their own phone, earphones and network | receiver and headphones |
| App or Wi-Fi | not needed | needed | not needed |
| Booth | one per language | none | none |
| Delay | a few seconds | depends on the service, often not stated | about 5 seconds, measured |
| Voice | human, changes with the interpreter | synthetic, depends on the service | one fixed synthetic voice per language |
| Support on site | interpreters and technician | often self-service | technician at the desk |
| If something fails | the colleague in the booth takes over | depends on the network and each guest’s phone | failover, second path per language |
| Number of languages | one team per language | often many to choose from | 38 to choose from, one channel per language |
| Limits | cost, availability of interpreters | guests without a phone or battery, network in the hall | Swiss German, interruptions, negotiations, confidential content |
For every option, ask about the delay in seconds and what happens if something fails. Those two answers tell you more than an hourly rate.
Which option suits which event?
In the end the event decides. If almost all guests understand the language on stage, you may not need interpretation at all. The page General assembly shows how a bilingual meeting runs.
- Interpreter teamFor Swiss German on stage, debates with interruptions, negotiations and confidential content.
- Phone appWhen few guests need interpretation, all of them have a phone and earphones, and the network in the hall holds up.
- Receivers with AIFor talks and panels where everyone has their own microphone and speaks standard German or English. Also when several languages need to run at once and guests should be able to listen without a phone.
PONTAVOX is not meant for classified content.
What PONTAVOX costs and how to get a quote
PONTAVOX costs a fraction of an interpreter team. The equipment with transmitters and receivers comes on top. We do not give figures here because they depend on the languages, the duration, the hall and the equipment.
At the Eventforum Bern you book hall, equipment, technician and interpretation from one source, and the quote arrives within 12 hours. In Bern, PONTAVOX is only available there.
Elsewhere we license PONTAVOX for the duration of the event. The venue, the AV company or the organiser runs it on site with their own equipment. We agree terms, set-up and support with you in a conversation. For venues with their own system, see For venues.
Before you decide, listen to the audio samples. What an AI interpreter can do and where its limits are is explained under AI interpreter.