Since 2020 when I wrote the article, How to Choose a Headset for RSI, most interpreters around the world have now worked online. But hearing well while sounding good to your audience and fellow interpreters can still be a challenge. There is a lot of information out there. How do you choose the right headset or headphones and separate microphone? What do you need to look for? This article covers audio basics for professional interpreters who want to ensure they sound like their professional best.
1) LISTEN WELL TO SOUND GREAT Interpreters should to the extent practical engage in binaural listening. That means using “open back” or “semi-open” or “semi-closed” headphones. Why? So, you can hear yourself speaking and do not pull one side of your headphones off. The brain is designed to listen with both ears as it locates sound source and distance and tone, and you will generally listen with the volume lower with two ears than when listening with one ear. VOIP sound is compromised by default and the brain must work harder to distinguish sounds and sound locations than when you are in a booth at an event with conventional pro audio. Hearing yourself speak while listening makes the brain go “ahhh” because it is more natural. The tunnel sensation of closed headphones is more tiring because the brain must work harder. If you are in a noisy environment and need closed back over-the-ear headphones, you should also use “side tone” or zero latency self-monitoring to hear yourself as you speak. Many non-over-the-ear, otherwise known as “on-the-ear” headphones are actually closed-back design, including the popular Jabra Evolve 40 and the Sennheiser 8.2 USB. Jabra has a side tone software setting many are not aware of. An example of an excellent value open-back headset is the Sennheiser PC 8 USB (not the 8.2), priced roughly around $30. There are also many great choices for open back headphones (not headsets – headsets have a mic attached) including the Koss Portapro and many by Audio Technica, for those who prefer to use a separate microphone. You want to look for headphones or headsets that have speaker elements that meet the ISO standard 24019:2022 of 125-15K Hz frequency range. Why? So, you will hear a full range of tones. Many cap the range at 8-10K Hz, and over time this will cause more fatigue for your brain. Remember that as interpreters, you need to hear better than those working in call centers or in other situations, since you listen and speak at the same time.
2) HOW DO YOU REALLY SOUND?
For microphones, the biggest issue I see in the profession is that everyone focuses on how things sound to them, but few pay as close attention to how they sound to others. Again, you want to meet the ISO standard 24019:2022 of 125-15K Hz for frequency response range and use a microphone that meets your specific needs. Think about all those presenters out there -- oh how we wish they paid better attention to their microphones. While any separate mic is generally better than none, microphones matter very much for interpreting, and we in the profession aim to set the standard out there and be role models. Interpreters should sound great both for colleagues taking relay and for listeners. A boom headset mic is great for those who have a lot of paper rustling and semi-noisy environments. Believe it or not the inexpensive $30 Sennheiser PC 8 USB mentioned above meets the ISO 24019: 2022 standard. It is a very solid choice for primary or back-up use because it works on virtually every platform flawlessly due to its relatively simple internal “sound card”. It also has an inline mute slider switch and volume dial. The Koss CS300 USB is also an excellent value at $50. Most headsets out there like Jabra 40 Evolve and Poly Blackwire models don’t meet the standard ISO 24019:2022 and don’t sound as good on the other end as other choices. They have this slightly muffled, heavily processed sound. While great choices for other applications, they are less ideal for interpreting.
3) WHICH MICROPHONE DESIGN?
Stand-alone microphones are a great professional choice, but I recommend having a headset as a back-up (please note that everyone needs a backup ready, every time you work). Things to consider: most USB microphones are condenser microphones that have a cardioid pickup pattern as an option or default. Ensure you are using the correct pattern if it has options. You want cardioid. I am not a fan of most of the USB condenser microphones out there. Why? They pick up too much background noise and sound tinny to the listeners. My least favorite for interpreting is the Blue Yeti. Why? I dislike the sound and the ambient noise it picks up and too many users don't know how to position it. It is a great gaming microphone, but if you use it for interpreting, please use it properly: have it close to you, at a good height and make sure it points straight up to the ceiling and not at you at an angle like other microphones. It is a side-address microphone, meaning the capsule is on the side and not the end. You speak into the side of it, and not the end. I very much like the Tula mic for travel, but it is a pricey device. I personally far prefer dynamic microphones to condenser microphones as they, in my opinion, provide much higher quality audio for the listener. But there are VERY few USB plug and play dynamic microphones out there. There is a great one though and that is the Shure MV7. It is similar to the iconic pro-broadcast microphone, the Shure SM7B. But it is cheaper, and it is USB. Note that it also has an XLR connection option.
You can also choose a non-USB and choose from a wide variety of relatively inexpensive and excellent microphones simply by adding a DAC (digital audio converter) and if you go that route, my top choice is the classic Shure SM57 ($100) followed closely by the Mackie Element 89-D ($50). A top choice DAC is the Focusrite Scarlett Solo ($120). Professional podcasters do tend to like the Shure SM7B which you see in many videos. I also use this microphone regularly, but it needs another small device known as a microphone activator, like a Cloudlifter ($150), to boost the gain, as it is a low output non-phantom-power microphone. It is also a big microphone so it can get in the way a bit even when boom mounted. Like all microphones, it needs to be positioned very well and closely.
4) LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION:
Positioning of any microphone is indeed critical. You can have a great microphone but it will not make you sound good if it is not positioned properly. Watch those side-address microphones and make sure a separate microphone is positioned closely enough to you. Boom arms are great for this and free up table space for papers. Pop filters are inexpensive add-ons that can be helpful, too. For a headset microphone, be sure to position it not too close or too far away. Ideal is below your mouth, about 1/2” or so. If it’s above or too close, listeners will hear “pop” sounds or hear your breathing. During sound checks a good technician may tell you to move your mic down or up 1/2” to achieve better sound. Some microphones slip down and are then too far away. The sound difference can be significant from a small change.
5) TECH SPECS:
Read the data/technical specifications before you buy -- this is where you will find “open back” or “closed back” information, the weight (heavy gets old after a longer session but this is, again, a personal thing), the frequency response range of the speaker and the microphone, and the type of the microphone (condenser or that rare USB jewel, the dynamic), and the pick-up pattern (look for cardioid).
And finally, remember above all, that sound is personal. You need to work with equipment that suits your environment, is comfortable and works well for you. This may be different from what your colleague raves about or what I prefer. Have a back-up solution ready whenever you work because failures do happen, even with excellent quality equipment. We can expect additional headset, headphone, and microphone options to come on the market, with more dynamic US microphones, USB-C adapters and connection options, as remote works continues to be normalized and manufacturers respond to market needs.
Naomi Bowman is CEO of DS-interpretation, Inc., a global language services company specializing in on-site, hybrid and remote conference interpreting and language services. She is a well-known public speaker and author on remote interpreting, including the article How to Choose a Headset for RSI (2020) and co-author of the Interpreter’s Guide to Audio and Video (ebook 2021) She is a Technical Expert via ANSI to ISO for TC37/SC 5 Translation, Interpreting and Related Technology. Project Editor for ISO 24019:2022 Simultaneous Interpreting Delivery Platforms. She has extensively tested and worked with numerous microphones and headsets in her quest to find quality and good value products for interpreters. Stay tuned for an article on great microphone choices for speakers.