FAQ

INTERPRETATION

• I am organising my first conference involving foreign languages - what do I need to know?
• I asked you for a quotation for both the interpretation service and the technical equipment - do I need to confirm both of them, or can you provide the interpretation service alone?
• How are interpreter fees calculated?
• Are there hourly or half-day rates?
• My event is scheduled to run 7 hours and 15 minutes. What should I do?
• I am organising a press conference that will last one and a half hours - do I need two interpreters?
• I am organising a half-day event with 200 participants, but my budget will not cover a simultaneous translation system. What should I do?
• I am organising an event scheduled to last less than 7 hours and involving 4 languages: Italian, French, German, and English. How many simultaneous interpreters do I need?
• I do not have any documentation to provide to your interpreters. Will that be a problem?
• We only have electronic documents, which are very and large and cannot be sent by e-mail. What should we do?

HOSTESSES

• How are hostess fees calculated?
• Do you offer "image girls" or models?
• I am organising a conference for which I have rented 400 receivers for the simultaneous translation. How many hostesses should I ask for?
• I need a hostess who speaks German for a trade fair to help me negotiate with potential customers. What type of hostess would you recommend?
• I am hosting a gala dinner that will run past midnight. Are there additional costs for the hostess service?

 

INTERPRETATION

I am organising my first conference involving foreign languages - what do I need to know?

If this is the first time you organise an event and you lack experience, let us know immediately. Our staff are ready to help you determine what you need and will ask you for the information we require to organise our service to suit your needs.

I asked you for a quotation for both the interpretation service and the technical equipment - do I need to confirm both of them, or can you provide the interpretation service alone?

Our company is divided into distinct departments that provide equally distinct services. We also provide separate quotations in order to specify clearly the conditions of each service. We never offer all-inclusive “package” deals. This means that you have the freedom to order the interpretation service only, if you so wish.

How are interpreter fees calculated?

Regardless of the type of service, interpreter fees are calculated according to the event schedule, excluding the lunch break and including any coffee breaks.

Are there hourly or half-day rates?

The full-day interpreting service rate cannot be broken down, but we urge you to contact us nonetheless: we will do our best to find the solution best suited to your budget.

My event is scheduled to run 7 hours and 15 minutes. What should I do?

Generally speaking, international rules are flexible. If your schedule runs over by 15 minutes you do not need to book an additional interpreter, unless the event organiser is sure that the event is likely to continue well past the official end time. In this case, you will need to book a third interpreter in advance. In fact, according to the international rules, and considering simple fatigue as well, interpreters are entitled to refuse to continue translating and to cease providing their services once the time limit has been reached. This means that it is important for you to inform us as soon as possible of the event schedule and the likelihood that it will run over. If everyone knows the "rules of the game" problems are less likely to arise.

I am organising a press conference that will last one and a half hours - do I need two interpreters?

If you are going to use the consecutive translation service, you do not; if you are going to use simultaneous translation, you do. One solution is to limit the simultaneous interpretation service to the foreign speaker's lecture and the question and answer session. If by eliminating the interpretation service for all parts of the event conducted in Italian you reduce the interpretation session to 60 minutes, then you only need one interpreter. Whatever you decide, please let us know in advance, as we are in the best position to help you get the maximum value for money from your service.

I am organising a half-day event with 200 participants, but my budget will not cover a simultaneous translation system. What should I do?

Using two consecutive interpreters for a half-day event is absolutely out of the question because it would double the event length and bore the audience members who understand both languages and would have to listen to everything repeated twice. In this case we recommend that you use an "Oversound" translation system. This system consists of a simultaneous translation system with traditional receivers only for the foreign speakers, while the Italian audience members may listen to the voice of the interpreters directly over the room's amplification system. Translation is simultaneous and the saving on the equipment for 200 people is in the order of 75%. The "Oversound" system has a fixed cost that does not depend on the number of participants, meaning that the more participants there are, the greater the saving. This system cannot be used when foreign participants are up on stage, since they would only hear Italian from the sound system and would not have the receivers, which are only given to the event speakers (up to a maximum of 10).

I am organising an event scheduled to last less than 7 hours and involving 4 languages: Italian, French, German, and English. How many simultaneous interpreters do I need?

The answer is: six. Using the "relay" system, our interpreters work with Italian as their "exchange" language, which means that it does not count in the total. For example, when the Italian speaker is addressing the audience, the three interpreters in three booths will translate into French, German, and English. When the French speaker takes over the microphone, the interpreters in the French booth will translate into Italian, whereas the other four interpreters will translate into German and English, receiving the translation from the French booth. The 4 channels will always broadcast the speaker in his or her original language and the translation provided by our interpreters, all of whom are fully bilingual.

I do not have any documentation to provide to your interpreters. Will that be a problem?

It is not a problem at a practical level, since our interpreters are professionals and only need to know what subject is being discussed in order to prepare for it. Of course, having documentation allows the interpreters to prepare themselves better and to strain themselves less as they work. Keep in mind that if you do not have any official documentation for the planned event, you can even provide documentation from previous editions or similar events. Also remember that for certain languages the written text is essential to provide interpretation services.

We only have electronic documents, which are very and large and cannot be sent by e-mail. What should we do?

Our web server is designed precisely for these occurrences. All the documents can be uploaded to our server and then downloaded. A staff member will provide you with a user ID and password to allow you to access the server.

 

HOSTESSES

How are hostess fees calculated?

Hostess fees are calculated by taking the time stated by the customer as the beginning of the service as the first billable hour. Lunch breaks are generally included in the calculation unless our hostesses are allowed to leave the workplace for lunch. A short lunch taken at the reception desk or at a stand will be included in the billable hours.

Do you offer "image girls" or models?

Our hostesses are selected on the basis of their good manners and physical appearance, but they are not intended to be image girls or models, which would require a specific casting process and services, in addition to entailing higher costs. Some of our hostesses do have what it takes to be considered as "image girls", but if you are specifically seeking this type of service, we cannot help you.

I am organising a conference for which I have rented 400 receivers for the simultaneous translation. How many hostesses should I ask for?

As a general rule, one hostess is required for every 100 receivers, but if you think that guests may arrive in large groups, you may want to increase this number. Remember that the most difficult moments come at the beginning and at the end of the event, when most participants line up to return the equipment. While you will not need more than 1 or 2 hostesses at the reception desk during the event itself, the others may be based inside the event room to circulate microphones or assist the speakers.

I need a hostess who speaks German for a trade fair to help me negotiate with potential customers. What type of hostess would you recommend?

Hostesses with language skills (all of our hostesses speak English - if you need another language please specify this in your request) are always available to help you welcome potential customers, but not to support you with business negotiations. Some of our hostesses are so fluent in the languages they speak as to function as interpreters in negotiations, but they are required to inform us if they are asked to do so. This is a service that we also provide and for which we rightly charge a higher fee. If you need an interpreter for negotiations, please request this type of service specifically.

I am hosting a gala dinner that will run past midnight. Are there additional costs for the hostess service?

No higher rates are charged for services provided outside of standard working hours (within reasonable limits). If the service ends after the ordinary underground trains have ceased to operate in Milan (12:30 AM), reasonable taxi expenses should be reimbursed on an out-of-pocket basis. Our hostesses do not all have cars and cannot always secure a ride from a person they trust. Please specify this type of information when you ask for your quotation.