In an era where many production sectors have almost completely stopped, what is the situation of interpretation services? After weeks of uncertainty and underestimation of the problem, governments around the world are finally imposing movement restrictions and urging people to stay home to limit the spread of COVID-19.
It may surprise you, but in the times we are living in, interpretation and translation services are actually more needed than ever. First of all, it is essential that the official instructions and information provided by the authorities are clearly communicated and transposed by all the people residing in a certain territory, even if they do not speak the national language. Press conferences with the various announcements and updates on the situation that are continuously broadcast by national TV stations require translations into different languages. Secondly, international scientific cooperation is the key to solving this health crisis: scientists from all over the world are sharing their research with the aim of developing treatments and vaccines in the shortest possible time, and often the services of interpretation facilitate communication between them. Third, even if the coronavirus has slowed them down considerably, international affairs continue, so interpretation services are still in demand.
This is where remote interpretation can win the hearts of the most skeptical users. At a time when people are advised not to group together when it is not completely forbidden, the use of remote interpretation services such as those offered by Rafiky may be the only solution to allow multilingual events to take place, be they press conferences government to live streaming or business meetings held via Skype.
Remote interpretation services for webinars, masterclasses, tours
Furthermore, during this period of quarantine, more and more online initiatives are launched to help people use this free time in a profitable way, or at least to keep busy. Universities and other institutes are organizing webinars on a lot of subjects. Famous chefs are offering cooking classes with gourmet dishes that we can finally learn to make at home. The museums are organizing virtual guided tours of their collections so that we can pretend that we have made a cultural journey, even if we are stuck safely inside our homes. Singers and bands who have been forced to cancel their tours are performing in front of the camera to keep fans’ morale high. In this moment of solidarity, these initiatives can be even more impactful if they become accessible to a wider audience through remote interpretation services. Subtitles are often used in recorded versions of these materials, but especially in this time of isolation, watching and listening to something live in your language is much more rewarding.
Rafiky, the company specializing in remote interpretation services, offers solutions suitable for all these activities. Through common devices such as laptops, smartphones, or tablets, and with only a few hours’ notice, a complete interpretation service can be offered which can be perfectly integrated with many of the streaming systems used for this type of virtual meeting. Interpreters located anywhere can be hired to provide simultaneous translations that can be easily listened to by connecting to the Rafiky online platform. To find out more, just explore the rafiky.net site or contact the team.
The COVID-19 pandemic is keeping people away, so it’s important that we all stay connected, at least virtually. Remote interpretation services are able to build communication bridges that make us feel less alone right now.
E. Castelli
Rafiky Press Office