Growing from national to global.
In 2016, the NCGS annual conference went from national to global. As international interest in the discussions grew, the national coalition found themselves organizing a global forum. And with the global presence rose a new challenge: how to overcome the language barriers. “We wanted to walk the walk,” said Jen Shakeshaft, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Professional Development at NCGS. “If we’re going to have an international conversation, we need to make sure that everyone can participate, even if all of the conference programming is in English.” The NCGS needed to find a way to provide access to their limited-English proficiency attendees, while maintaining their tight budget and timeline.
The NCGS decided to partner with LTC Language Solutions for their conference interpretation solutions. One of the key factors in the decision was LTC’s partnership with Interactio, which utilizes an app for a remote simultaneous interpretation experience. Full audio and video streamed to the interpreters allows them to work from any location- saving time, money for travel expenses, and more. Equipment needs are scaled down, eliminating the need for headsets, transmitters and receivers. Not only that, but the NCGS was able to integrate the application into their own mobile conference app, creating a simple and seamless solution. “We’ve sold our delegates on the fact that anything you’re going to need for the
conference is going to be right there on your device,” explains Shakeshaft. “We want to make things as easy as possible for our attendees.”
The 2018 NCGS annual conference went off without a hitch. And with the events team having so much to manage, they were glad to have one thing off their plates. After a quick needs analysis and introductions to various teams, LTC took it from there. They partnered with the AV team to ensure the infrastructure was in place for the system to run smoothly. They worked with the application team for integration. “I really felt like LTC’s solution was turnkey. There’s a process and as long as you respond with the information they need, they really take the ball and run with it.” Most importantly, the NCGS has now set the stage for a more inclusive event in the future. As word spreads that their event caters to those with limited English proficiency, the team hopes that new and diverse voices will join in on the important conversations happening each year at their conference.
