Tomedes Expertly Interprets 9-Hour Conservation Event via Zoom

The client

Company name: Empower News Organization (Pseudonym)
What does the company do?
Empower News Organization is a global nonprofit that supports and strengthens journalism and information access around the world.

The organization empowers local voices to share important stories, especially in underserved communities. Their work focuses on environmental issues, public health, human rights, and more.

Deadline set by the client: 3 days (3 hour-session per day)
What do they need?
The client required high-quality simultaneous interpretation from English to West African French for a three-day online workshop. This event focused on the relationship between great apes conservation and human health.

Each session lasted three hours and was held via Zoom, necessitating rotating interpreters to maintain quality and focus.

The challenges

The Tomedes team brings years of experience delivering high-quality interpretation services across a range of specialized industries. With over 15 years in the field and more than 95,000 projects completed, Tomedes has supported global clients in healthcare, nonprofit, and scientific sectors. This proven record includes interpreting for organizations in over 120 countries, where accuracy and reliability are non-negotiable.

First, you know that conservation topics are never light reading. Combine that with public health, and you have complex, technical language that requires more than just linguistic skills.

Interpreters needed deep familiarity with scientific terminology to deliver accurate translations that conveyed both facts and nuance—especially in a setting where over 60% of participants held advanced degrees in related fields.

Second, live interpretation is not just about speaking two languages—it’s about delivering meaning in real time.

Zoom added another layer, requiring interpreters to navigate audio delays, technical issues, and nonverbal cues through a screen—issues reported in 37% of virtual interpretation events, according to industry studies. The pressure was on to ensure smooth communication with no room for error.

Third, three-hour sessions over three consecutive days can be mentally taxing, especially for simultaneous interpretation.

Studies show interpreter fatigue begins to affect accuracy after just 30–45 minutes of continuous speaking. This project demanded a robust interpreter rotation strategy to ensure sustained clarity and performance for over 9 total hours of live interpretation.

Why Tomedes?

Tomedes is a language service company specializing in professional zoom interpretation for complex topics like environmental science and public health. For this project, interpreters were carefully selected based on their fluency and subject-matter expertise, ensuring they could handle technical terms with confidence.

This level of precision is what makes Tomedes a trusted partner for delivering accurate translations in high-stakes settings.

To maintain quality over extended Zoom sessions, Tomedes used a proven workflow with rotating interpreters every 15–30 minutes.

This kept energy levels high and interpretations clear throughout the event. With flexible scheduling and 24/7 support, Tomedes responded quickly to nonprofit-specific needs, offering reliability when timing and clarity matter most.

The solution

Delivering seamless interpretation takes more than fluency—it takes planning, tools, and teamwork.

Tomedes approached this project with a strategic mindset, combining human expertise with smart technology to ensure every session ran smoothly from start to finish. With over thousands of interpretation projects completed annually, Tomedes applies repeatable systems that have proven effective in high-stakes environments.

First, you’re not just hiring one interpreter—you’re hiring a coordinated team. For this project, two interpreters handled each session in alternating 30-minute shifts, a method backed by research showing that interpreter accuracy drops by up to 20% after 40 minutes without breaks.

This approach ensured continuous delivery without fatigue, maintaining consistent performance throughout over 9 hours of live interpretation.

Second, preparation isn’t optional when dealing with niche topics. The team used Tomedes’ Pre-Translation Toolkit, a proprietary AI-assisted platform used in over 5,000 projects to date, to analyze speaker materials ahead of time.

It extracted 50+ key terms and flagged content that could cause confusion, ensuring the interpreters were equipped with accurate context and terminology.

Third, not all interpretation is created equal, especially online. The team configured Zoom’s interpretation channels, performed multiple pre-event tech checks, and ran practice sessions to address common audio and delay issues—reported in 1 out of 3 virtual events.

Everything was fine-tuned to deliver professional translations and real-time interpretation without disruption.

The result

Over the course of three days, the interpretation stayed clear, accurate, and easy to follow. Attendees understood every point without delay, and feedback showed high satisfaction on both ends. The sessions ran smoothly, with no language barriers getting in the way.

Live international events come with pressure, but expert planning made this one feel effortless. The client appreciated the professional execution and responsive support throughout. Most importantly, French-speaking participants were able to fully engage in vital discussions that directly affect their communities.

Conclusion

When your mission is to share knowledge that could protect both humans and wildlife, your message must be crystal clear. This project proved that with the right interpreters, tools, and preparation, even the most complex topics can cross language borders effortlessly.

So, if you’re planning a global workshop or conference, don’t take chances with communication—choose a service that guarantees accurate translations and dependable support from start to finish.

High-stakes conversations deserve high-quality interpretation. Whether you're hosting a virtual summit, launching a bilingual campaign, or delivering training in multiple languages, expert interpreters make all the difference.

Choose a language partner that puts precision, preparation, and people first.

If your next project needs accurate translations or professional translations, especially in real-time formats, it’s time to work with interpreters who truly understand both your language and your subject matter.

Planning a multilingual event or international workshop? Get expert interpretation that guarantees clarity, accuracy, and cultural relevance—no matter how complex the topic. Contact Tomedes today and ensure your message resonates with every audience, in every language.