Cost calculator · Interpreters vs AI translation
What translating your event costs,
with interpreters and with Snapsight.
Set your agenda. Interpreter figures use published rates, listed below.
- 12 interpreters × 2 days$13,560–$22,560
- AV technician, 2 rooms$1,400–$4,000
- Booths, 3 languages × 2 rooms$3,360–$6,000
- Headsets, 500 × $7 a day$7,000
- Live text, 3 languagesFree
- Voice, 3 languages × 12 sessions × $10$360
Difference for the same 12 sessions: $24,960–$39,200
USD, before tax. Interpreter figures exclude travel, per diems and agency fees. More than 10 rooms or 7 days? Ask for a quote.
No booths.
No headsets to rent.
Attendees read or listen on their own phones.
- Text is free.
- Live text in each attendee’s language, in every session.
- Voice is $10.
- Per language per session, heard through their own earbuds.
- No per-attendee fee.
- Attendees join from a link or a QR code on screen.
- One audio feed.
- From your sound desk. No booths or consoles to build.
Where every figure
comes from.
Institutional rates, so a private interpreter quote usually runs higher.
Snapsight
- Live text translation
- Free, in every language
- Voice translation
- $10 per language per session of up to 2 hours
- Parallel rooms
- Free, every room: one audio feed and one QR code each
Human interpretation
- Interpreters per language
- Two per booth, rotating every 20–30 minutesAIIC standards, Art. 6–7AIIC Switzerland
- Interpreter day rate
- $565–$940UN system ratesEU–AIIC agreementUS Courts
- Interpreter working day
- Two sessions of 2.5–3 hours. Agenda items assumed at 90 minutes.AIIC standards, Art. 8
- Booths and headsets
- $280–$500 per language per room a day; $7 per attendee a dayEquipment rate cardISO 4043
- AV technician
- $350–$1,000 a day, per roomVendor rate cardCornell AV rates
Questions about
translation costs.
What’s the cheapest way to translate a conference into 10 languages?
Live text translation: with Snapsight it is free in up to 10 languages per session, read on attendees’ own phones, in every room at once. If attendees need to hear the translation, voice is $10 per language per session, so 10 languages across 12 sessions costs $1,200. Interpreters for the same coverage need at least two per language per booth.
How much does simultaneous interpretation cost?
Professional simultaneous interpretation needs at least two interpreters per language per booth. Published institutional day rates run about $565 to $940 per interpreter: UN system AIIC-agreement rates are USD 557–836, the EU–AIIC agreement is EUR 632, and US Courts pay $566 for a certified full day. Private conference work is quoted higher. Add a technician at roughly $350 to $1,000 a day, booths at about $280 to $500 per language per day, and headsets at about $7 per attendee per day.
How many interpreters does a conference need?
At least two per language per booth, rotating every 20 to 30 minutes, per AIIC professional standards. An interpreter’s working day is capped at two sessions of two and a half to three hours, so a dense agenda or parallel tracks need more teams.
What does Snapsight cost for the same event?
Live text translation is free in every language. Voice translation, heard through attendees’ own earbuds, is $10 per language per session of up to 2 hours. Free covers every room at once, and there is no per-attendee fee.
When should we still book interpreters?
For flagship, high-stakes sessions where certified accuracy and cultural nuance matter most, such as legal or diplomatic settings. Many events keep interpreters for a main keynote and use Snapsight for every other session.
What does the estimate leave out?
Interpreter travel, accommodation, per diems, overtime, agency fees, recording rights and cancellation terms, and every one of them makes the human figure higher. Real quotes vary by market, vendor and lead time.
Translate every session,
not just the keynote.
Live text is free. Add voice where your audience needs it.