Real-Time Simultaneous Interpreting
Simultaneous Interpreting for London & UK
Booth-standard on-site at the QEII Centre, ExCeL, ICC Birmingham, Manchester Central. RSI through Kudo, Interprefy, Zoom, Teams. Team-of-two AIIC pairing on anything over 90 minutes.
- ISO 20109 booth standard, portable booths in every major UK venue
- Team-of-two AIIC pairing on any session over 90 minutes
- RSI on Kudo, Interprefy, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, WebEx
- 25+ languages, priority same-day for EU + Ukrainian pairs
- NDA-bound. UK GDPR compliant. Nothing recorded unless you ask.
What Simultaneous Interpreting Actually Is
Simultaneous interpreting is real-time delivery from a sound-isolated booth (on-site) or a certified Remote Simultaneous Interpreting hub (remote), rendered into delegate headsets or in-app language channels while the speaker continues without pause. It is the default mode for plenaries, board meetings, sector federation congresses, medical and scientific symposia, arbitration hearings and any conference where consecutive turn-taking would double the run time. Two modes exist in conference-grade interpreting; this page covers simultaneous. For consecutive turn-taking, see the consecutive interpreting page.
The core requirement of simultaneous work is the pairing rule. Cognitive load is unsustainable past 30 minutes for a single interpreter, and accuracy on names, figures and specialist terminology drops first. Two interpreters per language pair rotate every 20 to 30 minutes, and the second interpreter is not standby: they hold the glossary, catch numbers and pass terminology to the interpreter live on the mic. This is standard AIIC practice, and it is what serious conference organisers expect.
Pricing
Simultaneous is quoted per session and priced by day length, language pair, and setup (on-site booth or RSI).
Booth hire, technical crew and delegate receivers are quoted separately or bundled through partner venues. B2B accounts invoiced on 30-day terms with round-number pricing.
How It Works
Four steps from first enquiry to post-session report.
Enquiry
Language pairs, date, venue or platform, expected duration, subject matter. Two minutes on the form or a WhatsApp message.
Confirmation
Within 4 working hours in business hours: fixed quote, interpreter pair assigned, platform confirmed, booth spec verified with the venue.
Prep Pack
Circulate agenda, speaker bios, glossaries, slide decks and any prior recordings at least 5 working days ahead. Interpreters build the terminology.
Session & Report
Interpreter pair on the day. Post-session note back to you: attendance timestamps, technical issues logged, glossary retained for follow-up sessions.
Where Simultaneous Fits Best
Four contexts where our simultaneous teams are booked most often across London and the UK.
Multi-National Board Meetings
Quarterly boards, AGMs and City off-sites where directors dial in from Warsaw, Berlin, Kyiv or Dubai. Simultaneous into two or three channels, minutes captured cleanly by name.
- AGM and EGM sittings
- City board off-sites
- IPO investor days and post-merger integrations
- Committee and subcommittee sittings
Sector Federation Congresses
Trade association annual conferences, chamber-of-commerce colloquia, regulator consultations at the QEII Centre or ExCeL. Multi-channel simultaneous is standard for cross-border audiences.
- Trade association annual conferences
- Chamber-of-commerce colloquia
- Regulator consultation roundtables
- Cross-border sector summits
Medical & Scientific Symposia
Royal societies, teaching hospitals and life-science conferences bringing international speakers into London and Manchester. Interpreter pair briefed on the discipline and its terminology in advance.
- Royal college and learned society congresses
- Continuing medical education (CME) days
- Life-science clinical conferences
- Multi-centre research collaboration meetings
Arbitration & Cross-Border Hearings
ICC and LCIA international commercial arbitration, cross-border civil hearings in the Business and Property Courts, multi-jurisdictional witness examinations where conference-grade simultaneous is required across days of proceedings.
- ICC and LCIA arbitration hearings
- Cross-border commercial disputes
- Expert witness examinations
- Corporate governance investigations
On-Site Booth vs Remote (RSI)
Two setups are used in simultaneous work: on-site with ISO booths, or remote through a certified RSI hub. The choice is driven by venue, audience composition and how many delegates are dialling in.
On-Site: ISO 20109 Booth Standard
The booth must be sound-isolated, ventilated, have direct line of sight to the speaker and the screen, and be equipped to ISO 20109:2016 (booth construction) and ISO 20108:2017 (interpreter workstation audio). The QEII Centre, ExCeL, ICC Birmingham and Manchester Central all carry compliant portable booths on their AV inventory. Where we work with your venue directly we confirm booth spec, delegate receiver quantity and a technician on standby before the session.
Remote (RSI) on Kudo, Interprefy, Zoom, Teams, WebEx
RSI adds a strict requirement on the interpreter's own audio: a headset with proper mic isolation, an ISDN-quality connection, no third-party audio in the room. It also adds a strict requirement on the incoming feed: every speaker on their own quality mic, no mixed room audio, no laptop-array pickup. We test the platform, the routing and the interpreter's audio the day before every live session.
What Our Clients Say
Feedback from board-level, public affairs and scientific conference clients.
"Simultaneous into Polish and Ukrainian for a full-day board offsite in the City. Team-of-two rotation was seamless and the glossary they built saved us prep time on the follow-up quarter."
Company secretary, FTSE-listed group
"Two-day sector federation congress at the QEII, delegates from eight countries. Interpreters turned up on spec, worked the venue booths and knew the file. Zero drama."
Head of policy, trade association
"RSI on Kudo for an LCIA arbitration hearing. Audio quality on the interpreter feed stayed consistent across four days of testimony. Legal team on both sides could follow in real time."
Solicitor, international arbitration
Enquire About Simultaneous Interpreting
Short form or WhatsApp. We respond within 4 working hours during business hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do we need simultaneous rather than consecutive interpreting?
Simultaneous is the correct mode when the flow of speech cannot stop. That covers plenaries and panels, board meetings with multiple speakers, sector federation congresses, medical and scientific symposia, arbitration hearings with cross-border counsel, and any event where consecutive turn-taking would double the run time. Consecutive suits keynotes, short bilateral meetings, and courtroom-style witness questioning where slower pace is acceptable.
Why do you insist on two interpreters for anything over 90 minutes?
Simultaneous interpreting is cognitively unsustainable past 30 minutes for a single interpreter. Accuracy on names, figures and specialist terms drops sharply once fatigue sets in. Two interpreters per language pair rotate every 20 to 30 minutes, and the off-mic interpreter actively supports the one on the mic with numbers, glossary and terminology. This is standard AIIC (International Association of Conference Interpreters) practice.
Do you work in ISO 20109 booths on-site in London?
Yes. On-site simultaneous requires ISO 20109:2016 (booth construction) and ISO 20108:2017 (interpreter workstation audio). The QEII Centre, ExCeL, ICC Birmingham and Manchester Central all carry compliant portable booths on their AV inventory. We confirm booth spec, receiver quantity for delegates, and a technician on standby before every session.
Which RSI platforms do you cover for remote simultaneous?
Kudo and Interprefy are our default RSI hubs for full-day board meetings and symposia. Zoom, Microsoft Teams and WebEx are used for hybrid corporate meetings where the interpreter joins an existing stack. We test the platform, the routing and the interpreter audio the day before any live session, and we ask for every speaker to be on their own quality mic — no mixed room audio.
What lead time do you need?
3 to 6 weeks is preferred for a full-day board meeting or symposium so the interpreter pair can read the papers, build a glossary and brief on subject matter. Short-notice bookings under a week are handled where interpreters are available in the language pair, at higher urgency rates.
Can you deliver simultaneous into more than one language pair?
Yes. Multi-channel simultaneous is standard for cross-border industry conferences and multi-national board meetings. Each additional language pair is a separate team of two interpreters, its own booth (on-site) or its own RSI channel (remote). The venue or platform must support the number of channels you need.
Do you cover simultaneous interpreting for UK courts and tribunals?
Yes, subject to court authorisation. Complex commercial civil proceedings in the High Court (Business and Property Courts), international arbitration hearings under the ICC or LCIA, and long-form employment tribunals are sometimes run in simultaneous mode with portable booths or infrared receivers. We follow the courts' interpreter conduct protocols and coordinate with your solicitor on lead time.
How is confidentiality handled on board-level simultaneous work?
Every interpreter signs an NDA. Board papers, slide decks and prior recordings are circulated over encrypted channels, held only for the prep window, and deleted after the session. No independent recording, no screen capture, no logging. UK GDPR-compliant handling of identifying information throughout.
