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Reviewing RSI platforms: Views on VoiceBoxer

It’s hard to imagine how the interpreting industry would have been able to continue as well as it has over the last few months without RSI, but it’s not a new technology by any stretch.  

It seems like a lifetime ago now, but VoiceBoxer was the first RSI platform I ever used back in 2014 and grew familiar with. It was one of the first on the market and at the time it was revolutionary. Of course, there are many other players on the market now, but VoiceBoxer is still a platform I keep coming back to time and time again.

For those who aren’t as familiar with RSI (aka Remote Simultaneous Interpreting), it’s a great solution for international training courses, webinars, presentations, board meetings and more with a global attendee list. The attendees can listen to the presentation in their own language via the remote interpreter, whilst simultaneously following along with the speaker. You, your attendees and the interpreter can be anywhere in the world.

What is VoiceBoxer? 

VoiceBoxer was founded by Sergio Lloran and Andrea Baccenetti in 2014 after meeting during their MBA programme at Copenhagen Business School.

Speaking of its founding VoiceBoxer says:

“VoiceBoxer was created to address this need, and we work every day to help people communicate across borders, in languages they understand. We help organizations foster a stronger sense of community engagement by including colleagues in all languages.”

To hear VoiceBoxer’s take on the platform, have a look at this video tour:

https://event.voiceboxer.com/playback/rhwzcz

What sets VoiceBoxer apart from other RSI platforms? 

VoiceBoxer has an incredibly user-friendly interface which is great, especially for RSI novices. With easy to navigate options for both interpreters and delegates, it’s a very interactive platform with a multilingual chat, whereby you can send your message in your own language and have it translated in your desired language.

In terms of set up, interpreters can log in 20 minutes before the start of the session and conduct a quick soundcheck, which is incredibly quick and straightforward. RSI assignments can often be just as, if not more, stressful then in-person interpreting, and VoiceBoxer has created a platform to alleviate as many of these common concerns and pitfalls as possible.

Final thought: Will VoiceBoxer stand the test of time? 

After speaking with Sergio Lloran, co-founder and CEO of VoiceBoxer for this article, he shared with me the exciting news that VoiceBoxer is working on a version three of the platform, due to the rolled out over the summer.

This is a really exciting step forward for the platform and is important for it to continue to be a frontrunner in the RSI sector. I still hugely value VoiceBoxer and the functionality it brings to clients and to interpreters, so it’s certainly a platform that I will keep going back to time and time again.

What is your experience of using VoiceBoxer? Have you got any tips or tricks to share? Let me know in the comments below. 

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It’s not what you sell that matters, as much as how you sell it! 🤳🏼

For independent interpreters, aside from providing top-notch service and ensuring happy clients, marketing is one of the most important areas of running a successful business. 🎯

Between assignments, international travel and day-to-day administration, it’s easy to let marketing slip to the bottom of the to-do list. Not the case for me and so many of you, and I have used my time at home during lockdown to relaunch my newsletter 📬

If you’d like to sign up to my newsletter, just leave your name and email below!

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Subscribers get access to my exclusive RSI interpreting guide with lots of helpful information for clients looking at integrating RSI into their conferences and upcoming events 📝

We hire experts so they can do things we can’t, so treat them as the experts ⚡️

I wanted to share an interesting and honest blog I read this week by Giovanna Lester.

Remote meetings have been a way of life for the last few months, and I’ve spoken extensively about the role of RSI in navigating through that 🖥

In all industries, some of the most difficult conversations come from talk of budgets and rates.

As Giovanna rightly points out, with the move to RSI assignments, conference interpreters now face the challenge of dealing with clients who do not understand why they still have to pay the same or higher rates for this service than for in-person events.

For interpreters and for potential clients, this is well worth a read.

Do you agree in equal fees for RSI and in-person interpreting? 🤔

Read it here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/another-paradigm-shift-interpreting-giovanna-lester/?trackingId=%2B4QvWRf627AC7mCUesRIzQ%3D%3D 

Translating press releases – the importance of promptness

We all know how temporary news is.
In fact, in today’s social media society, news is even more transient than ever 📰

At OSLS we translate a lot of press releases.

The one thing that my communications clients value over anything else is promptness. A 24-hour turnaround is vital in our whirlwind world 📥

Before writing this post, I looked through my emails from several communications agencies I work with: “urgent” was the word I saw most often in the email chains!❗️

Here are my two top tips for communications agencies who frequently require translations of their press releases:

1️⃣ Make sure the timeline for final delivery is clearly communicated to you.

2️⃣ Ensure you provide any and all reference material at the beginning of the process. That way, everyone has clear and realistic expectations and time isn’t wasted on waiting for replies to queries.

Follow these tips and your important news item won’t be out of date before it’s even online.

Do you work with press releases?

Get in touch!

Great news from Nova Siria srl! – Congratulations to the whole Nova Siria team!👏

Nova Siria is a family-run 🇮🇹 Italian business that designs and produces jointing, repairing and hot-tapping systems for land and marine pipelines and is a long-term and well-valued client of mine.

📌The company, part of the Hawle Austria Group since 2015, has announced that its management will transition from the second generation of the Ferrero family to the third, with Marco and Francesco Ferrero now taking ownership, as President and Managing Director and Managing Director respectively.

Moreover, despite the challenging conditions of the international market, they have also announced an important commission worth €4M.

I am delighted to read this news, as I have had the pleasure of collaborating with the Nova Siria team for many years.

One of the great delights of my job is seeing my clients’ successes and my network continuing to grow and evolve, so I am excited and most pleased to share this.

Nova Siria Srl is a fine example of an 🇮🇹 Italian business bucking the trend despite these challenging times and continuing their successful journey.

Congratulations to the whole Nova Siria team!👏

Journeys are measured in memories, not miles ✈️

Journeys are measured in memories, not miles ✈️

As lockdown restrictions continue to relax and the world as we knew it starts to return, what does the future hold for us interpreters? 🤔

We’ve been hearing a lot in the last few weeks about the proposed ‘travel corridors’ between countries, allowing the residents to travel freely between the two countries without necessarily having to quarantine on arrival.

Before Covid-19, I travelled a lot for conferences and events, and it’s a part I have really missed the last few months.

With the potential for travel corridors, do you think travel is on the horizon for us again?

Let me know your thoughts 👇

Reviewing RSI platforms: An Interpreter’s View on Interprefy

Despite a growing roster of RSI platforms, Interprefy is one that I keep going back to again and again, thanks to its user-friendly interface and unrivalled tech support.

For those who aren’t as familiar with RSI (aka Remote Simultaneous Interpreting), it’s a great solution for international training courses, webinars, presentations, board meetings and more with a global attendee list. The attendees can listen to the presentation in their own language via the remote interpreter, whilst simultaneously following along with the speaker. You, your attendees and the interpreter can be anywhere in the world.

What is Interprefy?

Interprefy is a cloud-based platform offering remote simultaneous interpreting for events and meetings. It has been built specifically to integrate seamlessly with online conferencing platforms and features an array of tools to optimize the user experience.

For clients, there’s no limit to the number of languages supported, and Interprefy works with hundreds of partners worldwide so, no matter the mix of languages required, you will always be supported with your requirements. Plus, because event and meeting organisers don’t need to fly in interpreters, pay for hotels and organize for interpreting equipment to be installed, they can enjoy a stress-free and cost-effective service.

For interpreters, Interprefy offers extensive training delivered by its in-house training team, technical support both before and during assignments as well as the opportunity to apply for new assignments directly through the platform.

Take a look at Interprefy’s introduction video to find out more about the platform.

I’m a self-confessed digital enthusiast and when Interprefy first launched five years ago I was immediately impressed with it. So much so, I was delighted to meet the founder and CEO of Interprefy Kim Ludvigsen whilst I was working in Zurich to hear first hand from him all about the platform over a delicious dinner!

What sets Interprefy apart from other RSI platforms?

Interprefy defines its USP as “extensive event support and the flexibility and scalability of the platform”, and in this, I would have to agree: Interprefy’s technical support is second to none.

I’ve spoken about my experience with Interprefy in the past and was particularly impressed with their event tech support – and it’s reassuring to know that someone is there to help if the worst should happen and the technology fails on the day!

Final thought: Is Interprefy worth investing in?

For interpreters new to RSI assignments, Interprefy may be a good choice because of its ease of use and the technical support available by its team which is invaluable when setting up for and during assignments, especially when you’re still developing the skills.

That said, even for seasoned pros Interprefy’s in-house training options and bank of online resources and tips are very helpful to further your learning of RSI and develop a competitive edge.

I highly recommend Interprefy as an RSI platform. For further reading on the platform and RSI as a whole, take a look at Interprefy’s Learning Area.

What is your experience of using Interprefy? Have you got any tips or tricks to share? Let me know in the comments below.

✨YOU are your best investment✨ – TechItalian Women in Tech Meetup, June 2020

Last week I joined a TechItalia Women in Tech meet up, with panels on Start-Up Resilience and Stakeholder, Employee and Client Engagement During Covid.

🥁 During the Covid-19 lockdown, I made a commitment to dedicate time to my professional and personal development, and I was so inspired by the women I heard on the panels. Both panels were insightful, honest and empowering 👏

If you didn’t catch it, TechItalia have posted the webinar online to view at your leisure. What learnings did you take from the webinar, and are you being flexible in understanding your clients’ needs?
Let me know your thoughts👇

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jygvLQ4rTFZ_zuaN_XnIkGO9phc4WAtu/view 

🚀 2020 innovation time: Homeworking and the interpreter’s digital booth 🏡💻

2020 will no doubt be remembered for the Covid-19 pandemic, an acceleration of digital processes, and the proliferation of online events and digital meetings.

This acceleration and “rethinking”💡 of the way we work has also affected my sector, specifically the area of “simultaneous interpreting”. 🎙

⬇️
The work I used to do in the presence of others I now perform from home: my offices have become a digital booth where I translate the language of a speaker into another language and put it up on an online platform; the participants link up to that platform on their PCs or smartphones and talk to the speaker in their chosen language.

In fact, remote simultaneous interpreting allows you to organise events at any time and wherever you want all over the world, and also considerably reduces your environmental footprint.

🌍
If you are organising a videoconference or a workshop and need an interpreter quickly for a last-minute company meeting, you will have access to support from a highly-qualified remote interpreter in real-time.

Let me help you continue to organise meetings and conferences!

Get in touch 🙂

Interpreting for Betty Williams (Nobel Peace Prize Winner 1976) – National Meeting of UNICEF Volunteers

During my professional career, I have had, and still have, the privilege of working alongside (in the literal sense of the term) personalities of international stature from the world of politics, institutions, and entertainment.

In 2011, during the second National Meeting of UNICEF volunteers, I was the interpreter for Betty Williams (Nobel Peace Prize Winner 1976), who passed away, sadly, on 17 March 2020.

Betty was a Catholic activist from Northern Ireland who, in 1976, along with Mairead Corrigan, founded the Women for Peace movement, then renamed Community for Peace People.

But Betty also had strong ties with Italy, especially the Basilicata Region: an idea of hers led to the creation of Fondazione Città della Pace (City of Peace for Children Foundation) in the Municipalities of Sant’Arcangelo and Scanzano Jonico.

This Foundation, which is still active, has a mission to provide hospitality, information, and integration services to allow those who are forced to flee to contribute to the development of the local community which welcomes them.

I like to remember her with this phrase: “To say that on a daily basis you can make a difference, well, you can. One act of kindness a day can do it.”