Zoom hacks for teaching translation and interpreting

If you’re teaching online, odds are you’re using Zoom. But are you using its full potential?

In this article, I’ll reveal my favorite Zoom hacks for teaching translation and interpreting online. From advanced sharing and annotation features to using your cell phone as a document camera, even experienced users will pick up a trick or two!

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interpreting, remote collaboration, online meetings Josh Goldsmith interpreting, remote collaboration, online meetings Josh Goldsmith

How bad sound led to tinnitus and hyperacusis: An interpreter's journey

In March 2022, I was diagnosed with hyperacusis and tinnitus due to poor sound from interpreting.

Six months later, I am now well on the path to recovery.

Today, I'd like to share my journey with you. I hope it will help you stay safe. If you face something similar, know that treatment is available, and that you are not alone.

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Ten easy tips for great online meetings

At the end of the day, having the right internet connection, gear, and a quiet work environment only get you so far.

To go beyond that, you have to teach your clients to help you.

We recommend sharing best practices with your clients – and luckily, we’ve put these together for you!

Download our one-pager with 10 easy tips for great online meetings!

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How to run a successful online conference for thousands of participants

Online events offer unparalleled opportunities to bring together colleagues from across the globe.

Yet we’ve all attended plenty that were unsatisfying, draining and felt like a waste of time.

This post takes you behind the scenes of two dynamic online summits with thousands of happy participants.

The secret to success: Don’t replicate in-person events. Innovate.

Read on to discover how we designed the summits, why we picked our tools, and how we used that toolbox to create two powerhouse online summits.

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How to zoom and crop your webcam for free using OBS Studio

In the last year, the number of online meetings, webinars and networking sessions for translators and interpreters has shot through the roof.

By now, you’ve probably picked up a solid webcam and figured out how to tweak your lighting and framing to look good on camera. You may have even splurged on a green screen to hide all the chaos behind your desk - or created a professional branded background for your online meetings.

If so, you’ve likely stumbled across a common problem. High-quality webcams tend to have wide-angle lenses, which means they tend to pick up way more than that tiny clean patch you’ve carefully curated behind you.

Wish you could crop stuff in the background out of the shot for online meetings? Looking to crop your webcam so it only captures your green screen?

You can.

In this month’s column, we’ll show you how to zoom and crop your webcam for online events using a nifty tool called OBS Studio - and even add in that branded background.

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How to create a professional branded background for video calls in under 5 minutes

If you’re anything like us, you’ve seen your fair share of virtual backgrounds. Most of them aren’t especially professional or convincing, with blurry edges around people’s faces and backgrounds that bleed through.

The secret behind a good look isn’t the background image, it’s using a green screen.

Once you’ve picked up your green screen, you could just use one of the backgrounds that come with your meeting platform. But why would you want to use the same background as everyone else?

In this month’s column, we’ll show you how to create a professional, branded background image that’ll make you stand out at your next online meeting.

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Get feedback and practice simultaneous online with GoReact

As more and more interpreting has gone virtual, we've all been searching for ways to teach and practice online.

Today, we share our thoughts on GoReact, a web-based platform that makes it easy to record the original and simultaneous interpretation, adjust the volume while listening back to both tracks and provide feedback using text, audio or video. Plus, since GoReact supports dual video tracks, it's perfect for both signed and spoken language interpreting practice.

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