How to Set Up Remote Simultaneous Interpretation (RSI) for Online Meetings: A Step-by-Step Guide
By the SmartMeet team · · 5 min read
Setting up remote simultaneous interpretation (RSI) for an online meeting comes down to five steps: choose a platform with built-in language channels, create a channel for each target language, assign interpreters to each channel, rehearse, and show attendees how to pick their language. This guide walks through each step for a single meeting or webinar.
Planning a multilingual meeting used to mean renting soundproof booths, shipping receiver headsets and flying interpreters in. RSI delivers the same UN-style simultaneous interpretation to attendees' laptops and phones wherever they are. If you are planning a full multi-session conference rather than one meeting, read how to integrate live interpretation into virtual conferences as well.
Step 1: Choose a platform with built-in language channels
Standard video call software carries one audio stream. Run a multilingual meeting on it and attendees end up hearing the speaker and the interpreter on top of each other, or juggling a second call for the interpretation. For professional RSI, the platform needs three things built in:
- Language channels: each attendee chooses the floor audio or an interpreted language from a menu in the meeting, independently of everyone else.
- A virtual interpreter booth: a workspace where interpreters hear the floor, speak into their own channel and coordinate with their booth partner.
- Control over the original audio: listeners on an interpreted channel should still hear the speaker faintly underneath, and be able to adjust how loud.
For a fuller checklist, see how to choose a video conferencing platform with live interpretation.
Step 2: Create the language channels
Set up the channels when you schedule the meeting, before invitations go out, so the language options are ready the moment people join.
- Speaker (floor audio)
- Interpreter in the virtual booth
- Arabic channel
- Listeners who chose Arabic
- Identify the floor language, the language most speakers will use (for example English).
- Add one channel per target language your attendees need (for example Arabic and French). Check how many channels your plan allows.
- Decide the original-audio level. A low level, around 20%, lets listeners hear the speaker's tone without it competing with the interpreter.
In SmartMeet, you switch on interpretation channels in the Languages step of a new meeting and pick the languages, including any language not on the list. Listeners hear the original audio at 20% under the interpretation by default and can change it with a slider.
Step 3: Assign interpreters and plan relay
Each channel needs its interpreters assigned before the day. Interpreters work in pairs for anything longer than about 30 minutes, swapping the active microphone every 20 to 30 minutes to manage fatigue.
- Assign by email. Interpreters do not always have an account on your platform, so check that the platform can invite them with a personal link.
- Plan relay. If an interpreter does not work from the floor language, they can interpret from another booth's channel instead. Decide which channel each booth relays from.
- Share materials early. Send slides, speaker notes and a glossary at least 48 hours ahead. Preparation is the biggest single factor in accurate interpretation.
- Agree how handovers work. Booth partners need a private way to agree the next handover and pass the active microphone without listeners hearing a gap.
In SmartMeet, the host assigns an interpreter to each language from the meeting page. Someone without a SmartMeet account is emailed a personal link to the booth. The host can also set the channel each booth “interprets from” for relay. Inside the booth, partners have a private chat, handover requests and glossary lookup. Read more in our practical guide to virtual interpreter booths.
Step 4: Run a technical rehearsal
Never open a multilingual meeting without a rehearsal 24 to 48 hours before. Audio quality decides whether the interpretation works.
| Checkpoint | Recommendation | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Microphone | A USB or wired headset with a close microphone | Laptop microphones pick up room echo that interpreters struggle to hear through |
| Connection | A wired Ethernet connection, with a mobile hotspot as backup | Wi-Fi drops and jitter cut words out of the floor audio |
| Environment | A quiet room with soft furnishings | Less echo and background noise for the interpreter and the listener |
| Channel switching | Switch between the floor and every channel on a laptop and a phone | Confirms each channel carries the right interpreter |
During the rehearsal, have a speaker read a few slides while each interpreter speaks into their channel, and practise one handover per booth.
Step 5: Guide attendees on the day
Even with a perfect setup, attendees need to be told how to choose their language. Put a slide on screen in every meeting language, and have the host say at the start: “Today's meeting offers simultaneous interpretation. Open the language menu and choose your language.” Add the same sentence to the invitation email.
In SmartMeet, attendees open the language menu in the meeting and choose the floor or an interpreted channel. Guests who join from a link, with no account, can choose a language too.
The International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC) publishes professional standards worth reading when you plan working conditions for your interpreters.
Conclusion
Knowing how to set up remote simultaneous interpretation turns a single-language meeting into an inclusive international one. Choose a platform with built-in language channels, assign and brief your interpreters, rehearse, and tell attendees how to pick their language. For running RSI as an ongoing company practice, see our company guide to managing remote simultaneous interpretation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between simultaneous and consecutive interpretation?
In simultaneous interpretation, the interpreter speaks a few seconds behind the speaker and the meeting never pauses. In consecutive interpretation, the speaker stops every few sentences so the interpreter can render them, which roughly doubles the meeting time.
Can attendees switch language channels during the meeting?
Yes. On RSI platforms, attendees can switch between the floor audio and any interpreted channel at any time without leaving the meeting.
What equipment do remote interpreters need?
A computer on a wired internet connection, a professional USB or wired headset with a close microphone, and a quiet room. Bluetooth headsets and built-in laptop microphones are not recommended.
Do interpreters need an account on the platform?
Not always. In SmartMeet, the host can invite an interpreter by email, and someone without an account receives a personal link to their booth.
- Remote Simultaneous Interpretation
- RSI Setup
- Multilingual Meetings
- Virtual Events