No professional airline would fly with just one pilot in the cockpit. Interpreting works the same way – two trained professionals are needed to guarantee reliability, quality and continuity. If you’ve ever wondered why two interpreters in the booth are standard practice, the short answer is: because one cannot sustain professional performance for a live event without risking failure.
From the outside, simultaneous interpreting looks effortless – one booth, two people, headphones, smooth speech. In reality, both interpreters are working in tandem the entire time to produce one reliable output for your audience.
Why two interpreters in the booth is the industry standard
Simultaneous interpreting is a cognitive marathon. The interpreter listens, processes meaning, reformulates it into another language and delivers it instantly, with no pause button. Fatigue is the fastest enemy of accuracy. That is why no qualified conference interpreter will accept a full-length solo booth assignment.
With two interpreters in the booth:
- Quality remains high – performance does not degrade through fatigue
- Terminology is consistent – the supporting interpreter feeds names, numbers, acronyms
- Speakers maintain their pace – no request to slow down for the interpreter’s sake (well, mostly…)
- There is no single point of failure – one person is not carrying the entire risk
What the second interpreter actually does
The partner in the booth is not simply “waiting their turn”. They are supporting live:
- catching figures, references and fast lists
- feeding company names and product terms
- monitoring audio quality and technical issues
- taking over instantly when the handover is due
- safeguarding continuity if something goes wrong
They are actively listening, not taking a “break”.
Why clients cannot request “just one”
Professional associations, agencies and seasoned organisers do not staff a booth with one interpreter because the risk is disproportionate to the saving. Trying to book a single interpreter for simultaneous work is simply not viable. Experienced interpreters will decline such requests, because they cannot guarantee the standard you expect.
Two in the booth is not paying double. It is paying once for something that works.
In practice: what this means for your event
Understanding why two interpreters in the booth is essential helps you plan correctly:
- You budget for a team, not an individual
- You secure resilience instead of hoping for luck
- You protect the credibility of your event and speakers
- You invest in an outcome, not just a headcount
Only when the booth is staffed correctly, the interpreting becomes seamless, and communication has truly succeeded.
If you are planning a multilingual event and want guidance on team configuration or briefing, I’ll be happy to help.
