At Cal Interpreting & Translations (CIT), in addition to providing on-site interpreters throughout California and the United States for events such as conferences, court trials, tours, meetings, and religious services, we also rent interpretation equipment.
We can provide interpretation equipment and on-site technician services tailored to your event's needs. We'll make sure that you have the tools and resources necessary to enable audiences to listen to your speaker's message in the languages they best understand.
Fill out our request a quote form to rent interpreting equipment.
At CIT, we can provide a wide array of items to support both consecutive and simultaneous interpretation. Interpreters generally need a booth and a console system as they listen to a speech and interpret the speaker's words into the target language of particular audience members.
The interpreter vocally speaks the translated message via a microphone, which connects to control units and transmitters that transmit their spoken interpretation to the selected audience members, who wear or hold interpretation receiver units.
Portable interpretation equipment, such as transmitters, receivers, mics, and headsets, form a system that enables audience members to listen and participate in events where they don't know the spoken language. Often, multiple interpreters work together to interpret into each language, taking turns so they can take a break from listening and mentally translating.
Our cutting-edge translation equipment allows interpreters to translate a speech into multiple languages at the same time, whether for an international conference or a guided tour. We use various types of language interpretation tools depending on your needs, including the following interpreting equipment:
Microphones, which are necessary for the speaker and each interpreter, come in many shapes and sizes such as headset, handheld, and lapel mics. The mice typically plugs directly into the transmitter.
A transmitter relays the interpreter's voice to the selected audience members and can be portable or stationary. Portable transmitters allow interpreters to be mobile while they talk. However, portable transmitters have a shorter range compared to more powerful stationary devices.
If your event is in a large venue with many audience members, a stationary transmitter with a range of up to 1000 feet might be necessary.
The receiver is typically a pocket-sized device that audience members use to hear the audio from the interpreter's mic. The signal travels to the receiver over a specific radio channel. Some transmitter and receiver setups support more than one channel, providing an option to select between multiple languages by switching frequencies.
Typically, each person needing interpretation will be equipped with their own receivers. However, some models have multiple headphone jacks, allowing more than one person to use the same receiver. In some cases, high-tech transmitters support Wi-Fi signals that allow the audience to listen to the interpreted language with their smartphones instead of receivers.
To hear the audio transmitted to the receiver, a listener needs an earpiece or headphones. The headphones plug into the wireless receivers and could be in-ear or over-ear devices. The interpreters also need headsets to listen to the speaker from their designated booth, and the audience members need headsets to hear the interpreter's simultaneous translation.
This interpretation equipment has buttons that allow the interpreter to mute their mic, control the volume, or switch channels. In some cases, the interpreter's mic and headphones are combined into one piece of equipment connecting to the interpreter console.
A simultaneous interpretation system requires a separate room or booth for each interpreter to listen to the speaker's message without physical or sound interference. Depending on the event, the interpreters might need fully-enclosed booths or tabletop booths. Enclosed booths are soundproof. A tabletop booth is more portable, and it usually sits in the back of the conference room.
Simultaneous interpretation is one of the most common types of language interpretation services, especially for large, live events like conferences, lectures, religious services, and broadcasts. The interpreter listens to a speech in one language, also known as the floor language, and translates the speaker's words into a different language in a running translation.
At CIT, we offer various solutions for language interpretation technology suitable for all types of events. We can help you determine how much interpretation equipment you will need, how many interpreters will be necessary, and whether obstacles exist that could interfere with the equipment.
The following is a description of how simultaneous interpretation equipment works using a conference as an example:
Simultaneous interpreting equipment allows you to easily interpret in real time.
Typically used in small meetings, medical consultations, and legal proceedings, consecutive interpretation requires different systems of technology and translating rhythms from simultaneous interpretation. With consecutive interpretation, the speaker pauses every few sentences to allow the interpreter to translate, which is a more suitable system when clarity and intention are essential.
Consecutive interpretation generally doesn't require specialized technology or interpretation equipment. Instead, the interpreter quickly takes notes and translates the speaker's words during their pause. Since this is more suitable for small events, the interpreter would likely be next to the speaker and listener instead of using transmitters and receivers.
At CIT, we can help you find the right equipment for your audience and location at competitive prices. We'll assess the location to determine the required range, the number of devices needed, and potential issues that may occur. We'll also listen to your needs and concerns to ensure that we provide exactly what you need for your event.
While interpretation equipment is straightforward, some systems require an on-site interpretation technician to set up, monitor, and break down the equipment. Our skilled CIT technicians work with our interpreters to provide a quality interpretation system for your conference or event, ensuring that the equipment is secure and that the audience can hear the interpretation without issue.
Our technicians will come to your location equipped with the interpretation technology suitable for the occasion. We will set up and test the equipment, monitor the systems, and break everything down at the end of the event. We always check for obstacles that might affect the interpretation equipment and configure the audio channels.
When you rent interpretation equipment from us at CIT, you can be confident that you'll receive the highest-quality translation services from our certified interpreters and technicians.
Interpretation equipment can aid communication in any multilingual meeting, event, or consultation, whether between two people or a speaker and audience. The most common uses for interpretation systems are:
The type and amount of equipment you need will vary, depending on the occasion. Live events typically require simultaneous interpretation using equipment such as microphones, transmitters, receivers, interpreter consoles, and soundproof booths. These devices are also suitable for events where culturally diverse audience members speak many different languages.
Smaller meetings, such as parent-teacher conferences and medical consultations, benefit more from consecutive interpretation, where an interpreter has more time to translate the nuances of the language. In some cases, these smaller events might not require special equipment.
To choose the right interpretation equipment for your event, you should consider the following factors:
A large audience in a sizeable auditorium calls for more powerful interpretation systems, including long-range transmitters and wireless receivers. However, if the equipment must be portable, you will need handheld or pocket-sized transmitters and receivers for the speakers, interpreters, and audience members.
The size of the venue also affects the interpreter's setup, such as whether they work inside a fully-enclosed booth, in a separate room, or next to the lecturer and audience.
At CIT, our interpreters and equipment specialists have decades of combined experience and can provide quality interpretation assistance in almost any location.
At CIT, we offer interpretation and translation services in more than 250 languages for dozens of specialized industries. We have trained and certified legal and medical interpreters as well as extensive experience working with government agencies.
Our expert linguists and rental equipment technicians are available 24 hours a day at competing rates. At CIT, we provide top-of-the-line interpretation because we hone in on the unique needs of our clients, adapting our services and equipment to fit the circumstances perfectly.
Have questions about renting interpretation equipment? Call us at CIT in Los Angeles, CA, at 888-737-9009.
No matter what your needs may be, we can and are ready to assist you now. We have translators and interpreters standing by 24/7.
CIT's interpreter is such a rockstar, and it’s so great to have him as a lead interpreter for our Board meetings. About Our Interpreters 
Thank you for always being able to handle emergency interpreting assignments with ease. About Urgent Requests
Thank you for always being able to handle emergency interpreting assignments with ease. About Urgent Requests
Your translation rates are more competitive than other language service providers I used in the past. About Pricing
Professionalism matters at CIT. We respond to request inside 24 hours.
