Article co-written by Sarah Hickey and Rosemary Hynes. Remote interpreting solutions have been both in development and in use for a long time now. However, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, uptake was slow. The onset of the pandemic changed this drastically, and, ever since, it seems that the growth, innovation, and investment in this field has been unstoppable. Once considered an afterthought or sub-par alternative to onsite services, remote interpreting has stepped out of the shadows to become the key to continuity of business and care in many industries. With the rapid development in this field and one tech announcement chasing another, it can be hard to keep up and see the wood for the trees. So let us shed some light on the situation. In this article, we’re going to focus on the solution that received the most significant boost in the virtual interpreting technology (VIT) space in recent years: remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI). As meetings and events moved online during the pandemic, requests for RSI skyrocketed and ever since, providers in this space have been adapting their solutions to the ever-evolving needs of new and existing clients. Today, there are many different types of RSI platforms that all cater to different use-cases. Naturally, this can make it hard to find one that is most suited for your business needs. What’s the difference between VRI and RSI? Before delving deeper into the different types of RSI platforms and how to choose the right one, it is important to first distinguish RSI from video remote interpreting (VRI) because both are remote interpreting solutions that use audio and video. From a service standpoint, the main difference is that VRI is performed consecutively (speakers and interpreters taking turns), while RSI is performed simultaneously (interpreting at the same time as the original speaker). And while VRI is predominantly used for smaller meetings or in healthcare and public sector settings where only two different languages need to be supported, RSI is meant for larger events and conferences with people from many different language backgrounds. From a business standpoint, it is also worth highlighting that interpreters are paid either a day rate or half-day rate for RSI for larger events or conferences. In addition, since the beginning of the RSI boom, hourly rates are becoming increasingly common for shorter assignments of only one or two hours. In comparison, VRI assignments are charged by the minute. Now let’s get into it! What are the different types of RSI platforms? Since March 2020, we have learned about a whole host of different solutions for RSI. There are so many that it can be easy to get them all mixed up. So we have broken them down into four categories. Let’s take a look at each category in more detail. 1. Video conferencing platforms without an RSI feature An example of a video conferencing platform which doesn’t have its own RSI capabilities is Skype. However, that doesn’t mean that it is impossible to do simultaneous interpreting on Skype, it just means that a workaround is needed. This could be: A separate over-the-phone interpreting (OPI) line for interpretation. Two simultaneous meetings with the interpreters joining both and the listeners only joining the meeting with their language. The use of a second audio channel via a social networking application, such as Whatsapp, so that participants can hear the interpretation. An integration with a standalone RSI platform. 2. Video conferencing platforms with an RSI feature Zoom is the biggest de facto RSI platform, judging by the number of meetings. Platforms like Zoom, Webex, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams (MS Teams) fall under this category. MS Teams is the latest video conferencing platform to add an RSI feature in August 2022. Video conferencing platforms like these were not designed with multilingualism and RSI in mind, but added an RSI feature onto their interface when demand for remote multilingual meetings peaked during the pandemic. Subsequently, the RSI features on these platforms are relatively limited. For example, Zoom only added relay (i.e. when an interpreter interprets from a colleague’s output rather than from the original speaker, in a case where the interpreter doesn’t work with the current speaker’s language) in Spring 2022, and the Google Meet interpreting extension doesn’t allow for multiple booths. Features like a mute button, individual interpreter chats, a handover feature/button, a timer, and an audio volume-control button are often missing from these platforms as well. 3. Standalone designated RSI platforms This type of platform can host its own meetings but RSI is its raison d’être. Many examples of such platforms can be seen in our Language Technology Atlas. The interpreter control panel is quite complete and often aims to resemble that of an in-person booth as much as possible. There are two typical scenarios for the use of designated RSI platforms: In both cases, whether the meeting happens on the RSI platform or not, the interpreters are typically not visible to the speakers and attendees (although some platforms can enable this upon request). They act in the background, just as they would in an onsite meeting when they interpret from a physical booth. 4. Virtual booth RSI platforms Just like with a physical soundproof booth at an onsite meeting, these platforms function alongside the original meeting taking place on a video conferencing platform. The two major distinctions from standalone RSI platforms are that virtual booths do not integrate with video conferencing platforms but, rather, run in parallel and that they don’t function as standalone meeting platforms. When using this technology, interpreters join the original meeting on a video conferencing platform so they can access the audio and video feeds directly. From there, the interpreters listen to the speeches and deliver the interpretation into the original meeting. However, the interpreters’ rendition is also transmitted into the virtual booth tool alongside the original meeting, so that the interpreters can listen to each other’s interpretation and take relay. Interpreters and clients may prefer virtual booths to standalone RSI platforms for three primary reasons: Which RSI solution is best for me? The best RSI solution for you or your clients will depend on your requirements and budget. Here, we have created a brief table outlining the different RSI solutions and their advantages and disadvantages.