Sign language interpreting at events: the preparation call

Before any conference or public event, book a preparation call with the organisers a week or two ahead: go through the programme, ask for slides, speeches and speaker names, agree where you'll stand and how you'll be lit and filmed, and confirm whether you'll work as a team of two. Let organisers book that call online from a dedicated service, so it happens early rather than the day before. You arrive knowing the vocabulary and the running order, and deaf attendees get interpreting that keeps up with the speakers.

At a conference, you interpret speakers you've never met, on topics that can be technical, at a pace you don't control, sometimes in front of a large audience or a camera. Names, acronyms and specialist terms are hard to sign on the fly without having seen them first. A preparation call and the materials that come with it turn guesswork into preparation, and let you raise practical problems while there's still time to fix them.

For long sessions, you can work in pairs and take turns at regular intervals, with the one resting supporting the active one with names or missed details. Explain this in your service description so organisers understand the price and plan two places near the stage. When you receive a booking, share the materials with your colleague and agree the turn intervals before the day.

Agree where you'll stand: close to the speaker, visible from the seats reserved for deaf attendees, against a plain background, with enough light on your face and hands. If the event is filmed or streamed, ask how you'll appear on screen, and check it during the technical rehearsal. Ask for a monitor or a clear view of the slides, and a clear audio feed.

On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page. You open slots for each service at the length it takes, one place per slot. Clients pick a service, then a free slot.

Durations and prices are examples: set your own. A slot sits within one day, so a two-day event is two bookings, one per day. Say in the description how far ahead organisers should book the preparation call.

The public booking form asks for first name, last name, email and phone, plus an optional note you read in your new-booking email. Ask for the event name, the date and venue, the expected number of deaf attendees, and whether the event is filmed. The note can't be edited once the booking exists, so put the questions in the service description. Book doesn't handle attachments: slides and programme come by email.

Once the preparation call has taken place, book the event days yourself from your calendar if the organiser has confirmed by email: first and last name are required, email and phone optional. If the programme shifts, reschedule the booking from your bookings list and tell the organiser, since Book doesn't email clients about changes. With calendar sync (Google, iPhone, Mac), preparation calls, rehearsals and event days sit in one calendar.

Book doesn't take payments or issue quotes; it handles appointments. It costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.