Does it make sense to have an interpreter’s booth for simultaneous translation during arbitration hearings? After all, consecutive interpreting of a witness takes a lot of time – and time is money. 

Using a booth may however have some negative effects: Witnesses and experts often forget that there is a person in the booth who has to translate everything they say. At a certain speed, a flawless translation is no longer possible, which might cause trouble at a later stage. In addition, the bench will want to thoroughly watch the witness while they are talking. After all, gestures and facial expressions convey plenty of information. In simultaneous interpreting, there is always a certain time lag until the interpreting reaches everyone’s headphones which may create a mismatch between gestures made and words heard. 

In the end of the day, the decision is up to you. But please consider also that simultaneous interpreting will increase the overall cost significantly as you will have to pay for the technical staff & equipment in addition to the interpreters!