FAQ
Contents
Transcription
Transcription is done from audio or video files. Rates are calculated according to the length of the latter, not the time it takes to do (voir Rates).
We offer 2 layouts, speaker-formatted ou speaker-named, in A4 or US Letter size, but happy to adapt to your own layout preference too.
Word documents can use style sheets for fine-tuned customization. Please ask.
Generally, working on proprietary software, the transcriptionist (or transcriber, no-one really know what to call the buggers!) listens only to the audio and does not see who's speaking. Although they can usually guess according to tone of voice or context, moderator or respondent, it's not always obvious.
If you need a more detailed transcription, indented names, multiple respondents, etc... it can be done, but it always depends on the quality of the audio, in other words the speaker not being interrupted, particuarly in focus groups.
Note, too, that most English-speakers are unfamiliar with the spelling of Paris streets and French towns, even less so of French brands. So you may well encounter the occasional time-stamped "[** incomprehensible HH:MM]" to help you pin the beast down.
Why 2 Interpreters?
Interpreting is neither art nor science. It is a technical skill demanding years of training and exposure to a wide range of topics, terminologies, nomenclatures, dialects, accents and vernaculars in the relevant languages. The quality of the results depends very much on speed and clarity of the speaker, on how complex or familiar the subject is, on the volume and above all quality of the sound, and can be hindered by various things: white noise, people speaking nearby, dense discourses read too quickly (rare in market-research, but ofgten happens when moderators read out concepts), as well as actual language structure and length of speaking... Generally, interpreters work in pairs (if not, although rarely, but in very complex subjects, in threes), alternating betwen active interpretating, support or rest. According to a UNICEF (I think) study, the 'average office employee' concentrates to the same degree as a working interpreter for a total of about 11 minutes per day, and I know of no international organisation that allows interpreters to work alone for sustained periods.
For reasons of economy, in France particularly, but in other countres too, market research has opted for less stringent standards. Machine interpreting will replace humans one day, but not yet.
Breaks
You give your moderator a break between sessions, and it lets your clients digest their learnings too, which is a good thing. If you think your moderator deserves a moment to recover, what about the interpreter who, for the past hour or two, has gone through a string of erratic, often half-finished comments on a relatively inexplored topic, who's listened to a tableful of people speaking, interrupting each other, with wifi or connection issues, who are too far or to close to their mics, who start their own huddles in the corner and don't listen to the moderator who formulates the same question in 4 dfifferent ways to be sure it's understood, who has to recognize obscure brand names (recent case in point: over 50 for a study on boilers!) and exotic place names (who even knew that Woolfardisworthy is pronounced WUULZ-ree?) and so on??
Back in the day, a 2-hour focus group would have a 10- to 15-minute break in the middle, now interpreters are expected to work solo for 2 hours, and jump straight back in 30 mniutes later for a second one.
Half an hour can do, but a real half-hour... On the 3rd "Just one more question!" and you're ready to scream!
For some, the extreme concentration demanded by simultaneous interpreting is akin to sleep deprivation. You do not have the time, and evel less the leisure, to think of anything else. So, have a thought for your interpreter, it's better for everyone 😇.
Expenses
Thanks to our relatively extensive network of colleagues in France and elsewhere in Europe, it's rare we need to bill for travel expenses. But the further your work is from major centers, the greater the ris. We don't demand 5-stars, but we do expect our interpreters to be treated on par with your clients.