The 38 languages at a glance
All 38 are target languages, the languages your guests hear in their headphones. We have measured German, French, English and Italian on real speeches. For any other language we run a test before the event, so that you know in advance how it sounds.
You can hear the measured languages in the samples on the home page.
| Languages | Status | |
|---|---|---|
| Measured | German, French, English, Italian | measured on real speeches, in the samples |
| Western Europe | Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch | test before the event |
| Northern Europe | Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish | test before the event |
| Central and Eastern Europe | Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Slovenian, Russian, Ukrainian | test before the event |
| South-eastern Europe and Turkey | Romanian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian, Albanian, Greek, Turkish | test before the event |
| Middle East and South Asia | Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Hindi, Urdu | test before the event |
| East and South-east Asia | Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Malay, Thai, Vietnamese, Filipino | test before the event |
How many languages run at once
There is no fixed limit. Each language gets its own output on the laptop and its own channel in the system, so the system decides how many languages run at once, through the number of outputs and transmitters. If standard German is spoken on stage and guests listen in French, Italian and English, you need three outputs and three channels.
Each language is a separate line-level signal and can go to a radio transmitter, an infrared radiator, an interpreter desk, an amplifier with loudspeakers or the sound for a live stream. How to connect PONTAVOX is described under Equipment and connection.
At the Eventforum Bern there are four radio transmitters and 120 receivers, so up to four languages run at once there. Hall, equipment, technician and interpretation come from one source, with a quote within 12 hours.
On stage: standard German or English
PONTAVOX listens to speeches in standard German or English. These are the two stage languages we have tested.
Swiss German does not work. Plan the speeches in standard German, including welcome addresses and contributions from the floor at the microphone. If dialect will be spoken on stage, an interpreting team is the better choice.
- One fixed voice per languageEach target language speaks with one fixed voice, female or male, from the first sentence to the last.
- The channel goes quiet for its own languageWhen someone on stage speaks a channel’s language, that channel goes quiet. If a speaker gives her talk in English, guests on the English channel hear her in the original from the room.
- About five secondsWith fluent speech the interpretation runs four to five seconds behind the original, with hesitant speech and on panels five to six.
- Names and technical termsThe programme, speaker list, names, abbreviations and technical terms go into the glossary in advance. Documents such as slides or a script can be supplied beforehand.
German to French interpretation and other common directions
Five directions come up particularly often in Switzerland. All of them go from a tested stage language into a measured target language. All five can be heard in the samples on the home page.
Typical occasions are a bilingual general assembly or a conference with guests from several language regions.
From standard German or English, any of the 38 languages can be chosen. For target languages other than German, French, English and Italian we run a test beforehand.
- German → FrenchFor guests from French-speaking Switzerland at general assemblies, delegate meetings and conferences in the German-speaking part of the country.
- German → ItalianFor guests from Ticino and the Italian-speaking valleys of Graubünden, for example at national association events.
- German → EnglishFor international guests, staff and partners who do not understand German.
- English → GermanWhen speakers from abroad talk in English and part of the audience would rather listen in German.
- English → FrenchFor guests from French-speaking Switzerland when a talk is given in English.
English or French interpreter: when a team is the better choice
PONTAVOX is made for talks and for panels where everyone has their own microphone and speaks one at a time. With Swiss German on stage, debates with interruptions, negotiations and confidential content, an interpreting team is the better choice. PONTAVOX is not meant for classified content.
An interpreting team typically means two interpreters per language, plus a booth, equipment, preparation and travel. PONTAVOX costs a fraction of an interpreting team; the equipment comes on top. The individual items are set out under Cost and comparison.