Current Problems in Zoom Interpretation
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When you add an interpreter and another one is interpreting the functionality sometimes cuts off for everyone. And panelists have to re-click on the language, etc.
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no easy handoff, requires interpreters to use a second account to listen to other interpreter, and chat with person.
- two interpreters can possbily speak at the same time, on the same channel.
- or both interpreters stop interpreting because each of them thinks the other is interpreting.
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no easy relay - interpreters only hear the floor but can´t chose other language to listen to.
- In order to do relay, interpreters need to log on to a second session as a participant and listen to the interpretation so they can do relay.
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Interpretation feature must be configured and the meeting must be scheduled with interpretation before it starts.
- It is not possible to add interpretation during a meeting.
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Panelists might come in and not chose a language, so they don’t hear the interpreter.
- There is no way for the interpreter to tell the panalist to chose a language or communicate with him/her unless they activate a language channel.
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Zoom doen’t force people to choose a language and panelists are automatically set to floor.
- When this happens, the people listening to an interpretation hear both the panelist and the interpreter at the same sound level, instead of the 20 - 80 level which is the default.
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The mute original audio feature doesn’t work in cell phones sometimes
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When people login from the browser instead of the Zoom app, interpretation does not work.
- This is even more important when a panelist logs in because they can’t hear the interpretation, and even worse, people listening to the interpretation hear both the interpreter and the panelist at same volume instead of 20 80
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when you make someone an interpreter when creating the webinar, they are not automatically made interpreters when they enter the zoom session. They do come in as panelists, but not interpreters. The host has to make them interpreters.
TEMPORARY SOLUTIONS
Like Collin mentioned, I use a second Zoom session for Handoff and for Relay. For relay I chose the language I want to hear on my cell phone and interpret onto my PC.
For handoff, like Collin, again I use a combination of Whatsapp to let the other interpreter that it is time to come in, I use the second session to make sure both of us are not interpreting at the same time or are both silent during the handoff moment, I also tell the interpreter to look at my mic on the panelists tab and I try to mute it as soon as the other person starts interpreting.
Hopefully Zoom will get some of these things fixed soon. I still think Zoom interpretation is great and recommend it to all my clients.