Translation earbuds: made for a conversation between two
Search for translating headphones and you will mostly find earbuds for travel. They are made for a conversation between two people without a shared language, and they usually work with an app on a phone. Each person wears their own device, and each device translates for its wearer.
A talk in front of a group is a different situation. Fifty or several hundred guests hear the same speech, and many of them want a language other than the one on stage. That calls for one interpretation per language that every guest of that language hears at the same moment, and a receiver with headphones for each guest.
One device per person or one channel per language
The difference lies in where the interpretation is made. With earbuds, every device translates for the person wearing it. In a hall, PONTAVOX interprets the speech once per language, and the interpretation goes by radio to every receiver on that channel. The receiver itself is a simple device that picks up one channel.
| Translation earbuds | Receiver with headphones in the hall | |
|---|---|---|
| Made for | conversation between two, travel | talks and panels in front of a group |
| Interpretation | separately for each person | once per language, for all guests |
| Sound | through the device’s microphone | from the mixing desk, without room echo |
| What the guest needs | their own earbuds, usually with a phone and app | a receiver with headphones, no phone |
| Voice | depends on the device | one fixed voice per language, female or male |
| Support | each person on their own | a technician at the desk |
Translation headsets in the hall: what your guests receive
Every guest who wants to listen to an interpretation receives a receiver with headphones. On the receiver they choose the channel for their language and set the volume. They need no phone, no app and no Wi-Fi. To hear how it sounds on headphones, play the samples.
- One channel per languageEach language has its own channel. Guests are told which number belongs to which language when they collect the receiver.
- One fixed voiceEach language speaks with one fixed voice, female or male, from the first sentence to the last.
- About five secondsWith fluent speech the interpretation runs four to five seconds behind the original, with hesitant speech and on panels five to six.
- A quiet channelWhen someone on stage speaks a channel’s language, that channel goes quiet and guests hear the room.
Handing out at the entrance, and hygiene
Receivers are usually handed out at the entrance and collected after the event. Only guests who want a language other than the one on stage need one. If you ask about this at registration, you know in advance how many receivers and which channels you need. A guide to pass on to your guests is on the page How it works.
How receivers and headphones are cleaned between events is up to whoever operates the equipment, in other words the venue or the AV company. If this matters to you, ask them.
Which solution fits which situation
The choice depends on how many people are listening and how the speaking happens. For events in a hall, see also the pages Conferences, General assembly and Private events.
- Conversation between two, travelTranslation earbuds from the shops are made for this.
- Talk, symposium, general meetingReceivers with headphones and one channel per language. On stage, standard German or English.
- Wedding, family celebration, clubThrough a licence. The venue or an AV company provides the receivers and transmitters. Speeches in standard German or English; Swiss German does not work.
- Debate, negotiation, confidential contentWith interruptions, negotiations, confidential content or Swiss German on stage, an interpreting team is the better choice.
Where the receivers and the interpretation come from
At the Eventforum Bern 120 receivers and four transmitters are ready. Hall, equipment, technician and interpretation come from one source, and you receive a quote within 12 hours. Up to four languages run at once.
Outside the Eventforum you license PONTAVOX for the duration of the event. Your venue, your AV company or you yourself provide the receivers, transmitters and operation on site. PONTAVOX outputs each language as its own signal, so it connects to radio, infrared and other systems. The details are on the page Equipment and connection. We do not travel with equipment and a technician.