by Mary Fons, AIB

What’s Noise Got To Do With It:

A Checklist Manifesto for Interpreters

So we’ve made it to 2021, reeling from the shock of 2020 as a whole and aware that we’re in for more of the same for a good while yet, and that RSI is here to stay, in both its flavors—remote simultaneous interpretation and, yes, repetitive strain injury. But the latter is not my topic for today.

When I started to learn home-based RSI because of lockdown, I was overwhelmed to realize just how many adjustments were needed to convert my working environment—a powerful laptop in a well-appointed, dedicated home office—from its optimal setup for normal use (email, writing, job preparation, continuing professional development, written translation, project management, accounting, programming, etc.) into a single-occupant booth with plenty of mod cons, far more equipment than I would ever need or want in a proper booth—and two gaping chasms where my boothmate(s) and our friendly (or even surly) sound engineer ought to be. Some of the adjustments are obvious, others less so, but they all add up and I often have a lot of other things on my mind when I’m getting ready to interpret (such as, you know, the actual content and terminology I’ll have to convey to my listeners).

Why Checklists

Enter Atul Gawande’s A Checklist Manifesto, a perspective-changing book that illustrates how consistent use of checklists can improve outcomes in contexts as challenging as surgery and airplane piloting. I particularly enjoyed its careful discussion of how power dynamics can make or break a checklist system; it’s worth reading for that section alone. A key take-home message (in Malcolm Gladwell’s words) is that “experts need help, and … progress depends on experts having the humility to concede that they need help.” Enter experts: I and my fellow experienced interpreters. Enter technical complexities on top of the usual cognitive load. Enter likelihood of forgetfulness—or complacency. Enter the checklist.

Once I realized how easy it would be to miss important actions, I quickly compiled my own checklist and shared it with my colleagues at AIB. I store the real list on Google Keep because it’s resource-efficient and easy to access from any device. At the end of this article you’ll find an annotated version of my current checklist, a hybrid beast because I created it for my own home setup but I also wanted to be able to share my latest version with other interpreters. I update it every time I think of something I don't want to overlook.

Order matters: while some items can be performed at any time before the meeting starts, some must follow a specific sequence. The list is annotated here because it’s important to understand why we do things, but ideally you would want it to be as brief and to the point as possible. However, you may want to keep notes that describe how to do something if you're not sure you'll remember.

Customize Your Checklist

Note that while the list itself should be tailored to individual circumstances (e.g., no need for Mac pointers if all you have is a Windows machine), some of its items involve the rest of the team. Make sure you're on the same page as your boothmate and team leader.

You can and should add your own items as appropriate, as well as edit mine. A few ideas:

Get someone to dogsit for the duration of the meeting. (I don’t have pets, not even quiet ones.)
Add screens, curtains, panels or anything to dampen the echo chamber effect. (My home office is lined with packed bookshelves.)
Set up green screen. (I actually have a homemade one, but I've never needed it for interpreting, so far. Anything else pertaining to video is appropriate if you're expected to put in an appearance.)
Unplug the washing machine if it's right next to where you're working (mine isn't).
Beg your DIYer neighbor not to use her power tools near your window during the meeting, if at all possible.

Ideas for Other Checklists

There’s plenty more checklist work if you care to undertake it. A speaker’s checklist should remove the interpreting-specific items but keep everything to do with conserving computing resources and add points about screensharing. I find it disappointing when interpreters participating in our own videoconferences use any old built-in laptop mic… only to complain about speakers doing just that.

A team leader’s checklist would add items for checking in with all booths, technicians and client.

One of these days I’ll have to make a companion end-of-meeting checklist for myself. I recently spent three wonderful, interruption-free hours after a meeting getting nonurgent things done, without realizing that people were trying hard to get hold of me—and then the following morning, when I (fortunately) had to go shopping, I discovered my post-it note (see illustrations) was still on the doorbell.

A troubleshooting checklist might help the technologically panic-prone. Remember to include checking any inline headset mute buttons, disconnecting and reconnecting your headset or mic, swapping headsets, leaving the meeting and re-entering it, updating the relevant software (browser or videoconferencing app), and rebooting the computer.

An onboarding checklist is a good idea if you want to make sure everyone on a newly formed team is on the same page.

AIIC has a collection of excellent guidelines that include valuable checklists, but they’re upstream material, not a quick reference that kicks in 30-45 minutes before an online assignment (I’ve managed to get my time down to 15 minutes in a pinch, but that leaves very little time for troubleshooting). Hope this seed checklist can help a few colleagues.

As far as its content goes, I’d like to thank my colleagues at AIB and the technicians who have provided support at our meetings for many valuable lessons learned together; Josh and Alex of techforword for their training courses and webinars (both free and paid); and Naomi Bowman of DS Interpretation for her coffee-side chats. Their generous sharing of knowledge made this checklist possible. Please feel free to use and share my list among colleagues, but please attribute it properly to me and this blog entry if you use it or adapt it for further publication.

RSI CHECKLIST

Make sure ALL necessary links are at hand (in a text-only file or as URL shortcuts on desktop) (Reason: once we have rebooted the computer we want to open as few apps and as few windows as possible, so that RAM and CPU resources can focus on delivering good incoming and outgoing sound and video.)
Make sure ALL necessary documents have been downloaded and, if needed, printed out. (Reason: ditto.)
Make sure Chrome/Firefox/Zoom are up to date. (Reason: Avoid trouble. But if the Zoom update is offered only an hour before the meeting starts, it may be safer to check with the host before updating—it’s probably best to be on the same version as the host.)
If requested by client/consultant, remove profile picture from Zoom. (Reason: Some clients like to see the face of the people interpreting for them, others find it distracting to see faces of non-participants or want uniform branding. Profile picture cannot be removed in-meeting if you forget this step, but it can be changed and you can turn it into a dark square by zooming in on a dark section of the picture.)
If Zoom:

Zoom app audio settings: mute mic when joining, join audio by computer, automatically adjust mic volume
Zoom video settings: turn off video when joining, always show video preview dialog.
Zoom general settings: ask me to confirm when I leave a meeting, DO NOT stop my video and audio when my display is off or screen saver begins.
Zoom virtual background settings: none, or as instructed. DO NOT “mirror my video” (or any logos in virtual background will be reversed).
Zoom recording settings: make sure all off unless otherwise instructed.
Zoom accessibility settings: set chat display size as required.

Spare batteries for keyboard and A/C remote at hand (Reasons: I need my Bluetooth keyboard to avoid losing my Ethernet connection via a USB-C hub, and excessive heat is not good for computer or interpreter performance.)
Print/retrieve/annotate shortcut cheat sheet (Note: you’ll need one for each platform you work with. Personal shortcut shortlist: toggle video & audio [on/off], view [speaker vs gallery], outgoing interpreting language, chat, raise/lower hand. Currently I just have a post-it note at the bottom of my screen with my shortlisted shortcuts.)
GET WATER. (Reason: obvious, plus it’s so easy to forget if you’re focusing on the technical stuff. One colleague suggested adding “pass water” at this point, but for me one leads to the other automatically)
Claim exclusive rights to Wi-Fi if using for backchannel, or switch off Wi-Fi on modem. (Reason: I get 600 Mbps on my laptop while I’m using my phone on Wi-Fi for a video call, so I feel it’s ok to do this and thereby prevent incoming calls—see below. Your mileage may vary.)
Claim exclusive rights to modem. (Reason: obvious. Note that if multiple members of a household are going to be videoconferencing at the same time, the professional thing to do is get a separate line for everyone whose sound quality is mission-critical. The rest can use their cell phones as Wi-Fi hotspots.)
Have 4G modem at hand. (Reason: backup Internet connection in case my excellent Ethernet connection goes down. These things happen. I have a cheap but readily expandable data-only contract with a different company that uses a separate network.)
Reboot laptop. (Reason: fresh start, clean RAM, all resources dedicated to the essentials. It's a nuisance but you really owe it to yourself and to the client to start your session with a clean slate. Also, on a general basis try to get rid of any startup programs you don’t absolutely need to have running all the time: in Windows, right-clicking on an app in the Startup tab of the Task Manager lets you disable/re-enable startup apps; on a Mac, go to System Preferences > Users & Groups > Login Items.)
Disable or stop any apps or processes that use up bandwidth or CPU time. (Note: This includes Dropbox, OneDrive, and other cloud storage syncing solutions, as well as backup software.)
WebRTC platforms: Start Chrome or Firefox.
Set Do Not Disturb (MacOS) or Focus Assist (Windows, via Notification Center)
Silence all apps other than the one used for interpreting (Windows: use built-in sound mixer; Mac: install and use Background Music).
Disable WhatsApp notifications on computer.
Cell phone:

Switch off cell phone Wi-Fi and silence everything (if using platform with good handover)
Put cell phone in airplane mode, start Wi-Fi (if using for handover)

Either way, set Do Not Disturb mode (Note: You can make a Do Not Disturb exception for the app you use to communicate with your colleague and/or team leader, so they can call you.)
Silence all other phones in the house
Post warning signs on front door, hallway door, doorbell (Reason: partners and children need reminders, even if they’ve been warned we’ll be working, and neighbors think it rude if you don’t answer the bell when they know you’re at home.)
Switch off printer Wi-Fi (Reason: other household occupants might decide to print something and my printer sits right next to my desk.)
Close doors and windows (Note: Essential in summer.)
If Zoom: sound test prior to joining meeting. Try out plosives, blowing and loud sighing.
Log in as instructed.

Ideally, join Zoom meetings from the app itself by clicking on Join rather than clicking on the link. Enter meeting number and CHANGE YOUR SCREEN NAME per team leader / consultant interpreter / tech instructions. THEN click and enter password. (Reason: joining Zoom directly from the app saves browser use of memory. Entering the meeting with a screen name that is already formatted as instructed, e.g., including the word “Interpreter”, helps the meeting host realize who we are so they will let us in faster: it means less waiting time for us and less worrying about where the interpreters are for them. Entering the meeting using our spouse’s, children’s or pet’s names—I’ve seen it all—just creates confusion even if a trusting host does let you in.
If you have received an interpreter invitation to the Zoom meeting, make sure you are logged into Zoom using that same email address and make sure no other concurrent Zoom sessions use that address. (Reason: same email address puts you straight into the booth as planned by the organizer; two concurrent sessions using the same email mean you may get booted out unceremoniously by Zoom.)

If WebRTC platform: Pre-setup sound test (e.g. http://live.kudoway.com/test) (Note: this is the only open link I happen to have handy. I’m happy to edit this to include other test links that do not require login.)
Select incoming and outgoing channels (WebRTC platforms)
Set up chat with boothmates if platform-based chat is inconvenient or nonexistent
Set up chat with whole team and tech support. (Tips for chat choice: WhatsApp communications are all encrypted; Telegram group communications are not; if total security is sought, use Signal; important chats can be pinned to the top in WhatsApp and Telegram.)
Post-setup sound test, ideally with boothmate (if platform allows)
Be ready for sound test with techs.
Set up video phone call with boothmates. (Reason: originally and crucially for handovers, but I also find that it makes for team interactions that are more like what we have in a real booth. I usually set this up last if I can so that I can focus on all the other items before bringing my boothmate into the equation.)