Interpretation is usually the line item that decides whether an event is multilingual at all. Booths, receivers, technicians and interpreters priced per language per day add up so quickly that most organisers quietly settle for one working language and accept that part of the room will follow along at seventy percent.
Phone-based live translation changes that arithmetic, because the two costs that scale worst — hardware per delegate and a separate interpreter per language — both disappear.
How it works at an event
One laptop per roomConnected to that room's sound desk, running the broadcast in a browser. Set up once in the morning, then left alone.
A QR code per roomOn the holding slide, on the lanyard insert, or on a stand by the door. Each room or track has its own, so parallel sessions never mix.
Delegates choose their own languageThey scan, pick, and read — or listen through their earphones. They can switch language between sessions, or mid-talk, without telling anyone.
Why events specifically benefit
| Problem at a typical event | With booths & receivers | With phone-based translation |
|---|---|---|
| You do not know the final headcount | Order too few and people miss out; too many and you paid for stock | Audience size is not limited by hardware |
| A language is needed that you did not plan for | Effectively impossible on the day | Add it during the session |
| Parallel tracks in several rooms | Duplicate equipment and staff per room | A laptop and a QR code per room |
| Sessions are only a few hours per day | You still pay for the full rental day | Charged only while actually broadcasting |
| Delegates want to review a talk later | Not usually possible | Sessions can be archived in every language |
Be realistic about the trade-off. For high-stakes diplomatic, legal or medical proceedings, a qualified human interpreter remains the right answer and this is not a substitute. For conferences, summits, training days, AGMs, festivals and church or community events, phone-based translation covers far more languages than the budget would otherwise allow — which is usually the difference between some people following and nobody following.
What it costs
Events are lumpy — three intense days and then nothing for months — so a monthly subscription is the wrong shape. Pay as you go fits better:
- No monthly plan and no commitment.
- Charged per hour of live broadcast, for each language, and only while a session is actually live. Coffee breaks, lunch and overnight cost nothing.
- Unlimited listeners — a hall of 800 costs the same as a room of 12.
- Tax is applied according to your country and shown before you commit.
Every new account starts with free credit, which is normally enough to run a full rehearsal or a first session before you decide.
Planning checklist for organisers
- Get a clean feed from each room's desk. This is the single biggest quality factor — far more than any setting.
- Decide the languages from your registration data, not from guesswork. You can still add one on the day.
- Print the QR code large enough to be scanned from a seat, and put it on the holding slide between sessions.
- Brief your speakers briefly: speak into the microphone, finish sentences, and pause for a beat at the end of a thought. That is the whole briefing.
- Rehearse once with two phones in the room before delegates arrive.
- Decide what to archive. Recording a session in every language is a genuine value-add for delegates who were in a parallel track.
Frequently asked questions
How many delegates can listen at once?
There is no receiver to hand out, so audience size is not limited by hardware. Pay-as-you-go includes unlimited listeners — which is what makes it workable when you cannot know the final headcount.
Can parallel sessions run in different rooms?
Yes. Each room or track is its own hall with its own QR code, so sessions run independently and delegates scan the code for the room they are in.
What does it cost for a three-day event?
You are charged per hour of live broadcast for each language, only while sessions are running. Breaks and overnight cost nothing, so a three-day event is billed on actual session hours rather than on days of equipment rental.
Do we need booths, receivers or technicians?
No. A laptop with a browser and a feed from the room's sound desk. Delegates use their own phones — nothing to rent, transport, charge, distribute or collect.
Can we add a language during the event?
Yes, even mid-session when an unexpected delegate arrives. Billing is prorated for the time it actually ran.
Can delegates read sessions afterwards?
Each session can be archived to a shareable page in every language it was translated into — useful for anyone who was in a parallel track. Archiving is optional and decided per session.
Does it work for online or hybrid events?
Yes. Remote attendees open the same link on a laptop or phone and follow in their language alongside the in-room audience.
Price your next event in a few minutes
Free credit on signup, no card required, no commitment between events.