Simultaneous interpreting project in Barcelona: 40 interpreters in 8 languages over 2 days

An ambitious automotive international event: 40 interpreters in streaming!

Executive summary

We were approached by a high-profile luxury car brand seeking support to maintain its leading edge. We knew that we would have to deliver our very best to this top-ranking company, which defines itself by a progressive approach to both product design and marketing, generating annual revenue of EUR 60 billion. Its wide range of vehicles are celebrated for their quality, and for keeping up with the times in terms of design, while maintaining some classic features that never go out of style. As one of the companies paving the way for automated driving, they wanted to offer an exclusive event dedicated to presenting their latest innovations in this area. When they approached us to manage linguistic services for the event, requiring 40 interpreters in 10 languages, we got ready to deliver our very best.

Challenges

The client wanted to ‘create’ a new type of event, the first of its kind… It was a totally fresh concept for them and for the suppliers involved, including CPSL, so we needed to fully understand the client’s vision. We also had to understand their requirements in terms of planning, set-up, and technical equipment and, given the scale of the event, this presented a huge challenge.

The interpreters themselves faced a special set of challenges. The whole event had to be organized within a tight time frame. Although CPSL strongly emphasized the importance of sharing reference materials at the earliest possible moment, information was still arriving at 11 pm on the night before the event. The interpreters were also required to work very long hours for the event – they all had a half day for briefing, and most of them worked from 8.30 am to midnight on the day of the event. Of course, it was also essential to respect budgetary limitations, and such a large team of people required close monitoring and excellent management. The event required a massive effort from all involved, great collaboration, and fluent communication.

How CPSL Helped

Fortunately, CPSL had an excellent relationship with the event management team chosen by the client, and the event was a great success. Plus, our team of interpreters was extremely professional, so they were able to adapt to last-minute changes. One of CPSL’s strengths is our vendor management, and this was crucial to the success of the event. We have a large database of interpreters, which allowed us to select linguists with the right language skills and experience in the automotive industry. Most of the interpreters were recruited from Barcelona or Madrid (although some Chinese, Japanese, and Korean interpreters came from abroad), which helped us to remain within budget.

CPSL’s own experience with automotive events was also key – enabling us to ask the client the right questions, so that we understood their vision for the event. It also helped us to understand what equipment was needed and how to set everything up.

Given the number of interpreters needed for the event, we sent two CPSL staff to organize the team, work closely with the client, and respond to their needs at all times. We prepared a detailed plan for each interpreter and an overall plan for the CPSL team, so that we knew exactly where each interpreter needed to be at all times. We succeeded in delivering seamless organisation and flawless interpreting.

Results, Return on Investment and Future Plans

Our efforts paid off. Thanks to CPSL’s experience in the field of managing interpreting services, the client lived up to its first-class brand reputation. For the client, the event became an exclusive new brand platform, with a special focus on showcasing cars with artificial intelligence and demonstrating how this will change the very concept of driving. Exclusivity was a key aspect of the event, and involved making each guest feel very special for being included.