Zoom video conferencing is still a relatively new concept. Most interpreters in the world have worked as in-person interpreters in real-life settings. But due to the growing demand for remote work and home-based offices, many interpreters have to learn how to provide their services through a video conferencing platform like Zoom.
It is not complicated to join or host a Zoom video conference if you’re an interpreter. In fact, the platform features options explicitly designed for interpreters to join and participate in video calls. But you’ll still need to learn the basics of how to operate the platform and make yourself look presentable to the participants on the call.
Below are the top four tips to Zoom video conferencing that Languagers provides. They should help you get started in this effort.
1) Face the Camera
Position your face directly in front of the webcam or digital camera. Do not use a smartphone camera because it will be too shaky and difficult for people to watch you. An interpreter must look presentable to the other participants of the Zoom call. A stabilised camera fixed onto the computer screen or monitor is necessary for this reason.
Sit up straight and look straight into the camera. If you need to look at the video feed of the person speaking, you can do that. But once they stop talking, look at the camera and give the interpretation of what they said.
2) Choose a Solid Colour Background
Do not have a distracting background, especially if you’re ASL interpreter. People will focus on your mouth and hands very carefully. The last thing you’ll want to do is distract them with a strange or unusual background. We recommend you use a solid-coloured background with no patterns or photographs. That way, everyone’s attention will be focused solely on you and not on anything else in your environment.
If you don’t already have a solid-coloured wall in your house or office, you can use the “Change Background” feature in Zoom to customise the background appearance on video. You’ll need to have a digital picture of a solid colour to upload to Zoom and set as your background. You can easily find royalty-free images like this on the internet. Either that or you can open Microsoft Paint or Adobe Photoshop and make the images yourself.
3) Send Your Email Address to the Host
The host of a video conference must invite the interpreter to join. As an interpreter, you must provide your name and email address to the host. They can take this information and use it to add you as an interpreter for the video conference call. You should receive a confirmation in your email about the date and time to join the call.
Log into Zoom on the scheduled date of the call. You should see a popup window indicating which language you’re supposed to interpret. It will show something like “English to German,” or “English to Spanish.” Click the “OK” button to accept and join the call. You really don’t need to do much more than that. The host does most of the setup work.
4) Wear Earbuds
Interpreters should wear earbuds to listen to the audio of the video conference. Do not put the audio on speaker or wear headphones because your microphone might pick up the sound. Then it will be distracting to everyone on the call after each time they speak. Earbuds are like tiny headphones that stick in your ears. They ensure that nothing else can detect the sounds except for you.
Most importantly, earbuds will reduce other distractive sounds in your environment. You’ll be able to primarily focus on the words coming from the participants of the conference call. Then you’ll have the power to give more accurate interpretations without misunderstanding what was said.
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