Conference manners

There is no such thing as a manual for booth manners. However, from what we have seen throughout these years, here's what we recommend to have a smooth and peaceful working day with your colleagues.

You should always bear in mind that microphones can pick up almost all kinds of background noise, accordingly:

• REVEALING MIKES

1. Take care not to make too much noise crumbling papers, when drinking water, eating food or taking it out of the packaging, with jewellery and, most of all, put your mobile in silent mode (not vibration mode) since you do not want to distract your "boothleague" (or as we call it in Spanish "concabino") and the audience. It is very important to show respect to the interpretation.
2. Remember that there is a "cough button" that you can wisely use, either to cough, sneeze or ask a quick terminology question to your colleague. Always make sure it is working and that you are pressing it before doing that unpleasant sounds before the audience. 

• CLOSED BOOTH

1. Another thing you should keep in mind is that you are working in a confined space, i.e., you should NOT smoke and try to wear a very smooth and delicate parfum or cologne; otherwise, if you and your colleague are both wearing very heavy scents you might end up dizzy and with a headache by the end of the day.

• TEAM SUPPORT

... With your colleague interpreter

1. When you are working with another colleague, make sure to talk to him/her if you haven't worked with him/her before and discuss about your strenghts and weaknesses so that both of you can be prepared and more helpful to each other, e.g., if you have some issues remembering numbers, kindly ask your colleague to write them down for you or if your colleague is having trouble when a specific speaker is presenting, because of his or her accent, volume, modulation or speed, take over control when he or she speaks for the sake of the interpretation.
2. Likewise, you and your colleague should set interpretation times beforehand and try to change mikes during a natural break in speech, it would be more pleasant to the audience's ear.  
3. When acting as a passive interpreter, that is, when on break, do not leave the booth unless it is necessary, you never know when your colleague is going to need you. It is impolite to disappear for too long. You are supposed to be a team and support each other, AT ALL TIMES. 
4. Another thing you need to agree upon with your colleague is asking who should go first. Some people, who might not be as experienced as you are, feel more confident if you go first.   

... With the technician

1. If you haven't met the technician before, introduce yourself and be polite and kind with him/her, he/she is there to help you and support you. However, if you notice that he/she vanishes when you needed him/her the most, talk to him/her about this situation to prevent it from happening again. Make yourself clear about the fact that you are there to interpret and only solve issues regarding the speaker's speech, and that he/she is there to solve any audio issue that may arise. 

... With the speakers

1. Before the conference, meeting or event begins, make sure to introduce yourself to the speakers and kindly request them any additional information they may have for the event, since there may be a new agenda, slide or a whole new presentation than the one you just checked the day before. If this were the case, go back to your booth and review the changes made for your to be prepared.

Please always remember what Benito Juárez (one of the greatest Mexican Presidents) stated: "Entre los individuos como entre las naciones, el respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz". (Among individuals, as among nations, peace is the respect of others' rights)