Zócalo Public Square Case Study

Two qualified, professional interpreters delivered comprehensive, real-time simultaneous interpreting services. This ensured bidirectional communication (English-Spanish / Spanish-English, or EN-ES/ES-EN) throughout the entire event, allowing Spanish-speaking attendees to participate in live discussions.

In addition, professional-grade interpreting equipment and on-site coordination services were provided to support a smooth and reliable experience for all participants.

• What is simultaneous interpretation?: Simultaneous interpretation is a real-time language service in which interpreters listen to the speaker and deliver the interpretation immediately, allowing audiences to follow the conversation without pauses or delays.
• What is direct audio?: “Direct audio” refers to a clean, isolated sound signal traveling straight from the speaker's microphone into the interpreter's headset. This signal is free from room reflections, ambient noise, and the latency introduced by certain venue-specific sound systems (or technologies enabling high-quality, low-latency audio streaming).
• Why does direct audio matter for interpretation quality?: Without direct audio, interpreters must rely on the general public address system or the acoustic sound in the room, making it significantly harder to hear the speaker clearly, especially during fast-paced discussions or when audience participation is high. This compromises the interpreter's ability to maintain focus and deliver the highest possible quality of simultaneous interpreting.

• Inclusive Values in Action: Through professional English–Spanish simultaneous interpretation, Zócalo Public Square turned its commitment to diversity and inclusion into practice. Language access ensured Spanish-speaking attendees could fully engage in real-time discussions, participating as equal contributors rather than passive observers.
• Centering Communities and Deepening Engagement: Providing bilingual access welcomed communities into conversations directly connected to their culture and lived experiences. This approach strengthened dialogue, fostered mutual understanding, and avoided the common pitfall of hosting events about communities without including them.
• Equipment and Technical Support: ICS provided an integrated, end-to-end interpretation setup using exclusively ICS-owned equipment, including professional-grade transmitters and dedicated audience headsets. This ensured clear, real-time audio delivery for simultaneous interpretation, allowing attendees to fully follow and engage in the conversation in their preferred language. On-site technical support handled equipment setup, testing, and headset distribution, ensuring the system functioned smoothly from start to finish.
• A Scalable Model for Inclusive Public Programming: Zócalo's continued partnership with ICS across three cities and venues demonstrates that meaningful language access is achievable and replicable. These events set a clear benchmark for cultural institutions seeking to align inclusive values with inclusive design.