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Verbales manages all your interpretation needs, in Brussels and Belgium, for Dutch, French, English, German and Spanish.

Verbales

About Verbales

"Many meetings involving the Prime Minister are organised at the last minute. In that sort of situation, you need to be able to engage a company that can provide good interpreters fast. A company like Verbales. Even after the attacks on 22 March 2016, when the entire mobile telephone network was down, Verbales still found interpreters for the press conference at an hour’s notice."

Stijn De Smeytere, Translation Service, Prime Minister’s Office.
Having worked as a government staff interpreter for almost 10 years, I, Katrien Vandeput, decided to branch out on my own, and started my company, Verbales, in 2008.

I steadily built a loyal client base. Clients appreciate my reliability, accessibility and discretion and the quality of the interpreters I provide.

I work from Brussels, convenient for all your meetings in Belgium and neighbouring countries. I’m a good judge of character and can put together the ideal team of interpreters for any job, based on my own broad experience and my extensive network. The choice of interpreters is determined not only by the language combinations required, but also by the type of meeting and the subject. I still regularly carry out interpreting work myself, so I’m fully aware of what is needed. Communication with both client and interpreters is always highly efficient.
Verbales focuses primarily on the five European languages most commonly requested in Belgium: Dutch, French, English, Spanish and German. I work with a small number of interpreters and make sure I know them all personally.

Every sector and company has its own jargon, so Verbales engages interpreters with specific experience in your sector. They can be sent presentations, speeches, lists of specialist terms and company-specific abbreviations beforehand because, as the business manager, I am in direct contact with both you and the interpreters.

Meetings, and therefore interpreters, are increasingly being booked at the last minute. In urgent situations, I can also be reached in the evening and at the weekend. I’m able to find exactly the right interpreters for you in almost all cases, even at two hours’ notice.

Verbales offers a full range of services, that’s to say both interpreters and equipment. Since I run Verbales single-handedly, my company is able to offer you, the client, an attractive price while still paying the interpreters well. A win-win situation that allows Verbales to establish good long-term relationships with all parties.

Services

The interpreters (two per language combination) are seated in an interpretation booth. They hear the speaker through a headset and translate simultaneously into a microphone. The listeners tune their headsets to the channel of their chosen language.

This is ideal for any gathering of ten or more participants, irrespective of the number of working languages.

Advantages

- No time is lost: the speaker doesn’t have to wait for the interpreter to finish.
- The booth is soundproof so the audience is not disturbed by the interpreters (they can only be heard through the headsets). Equally, the interpreters are unhindered by ambient noise (sounds from the street, private conversations in the room, etc.).
Points worth noting

- Equipment (booth, headsets) and a sound technician are required.
- There must be sufficient room to install a mobile booth.

Whispered interpreting differs only slightly from simultaneous interpreting. The interpreter sits or stands next to the speaker and whispers the translation for a handful of listeners so no booth is needed.

This is ideal for a gathering of up to ten participants and just two working languages.

Advantages

- No time is lost: the speaker doesn’t have to wait for the interpreter to finish.
- Little or no equipment is required, although a mobile interpreter's kit (consisting of a microphone and headsets) can be useful, particularly for more formal meetings. Using this enables the interpreter to maintain more distance from the listeners and be more clearly audible.
- Whispered interpreting often offers a last-minute solution for small meeting rooms lacking space for an interpretation booth.
Points worth noting

- The quality of the interpretation can be affected by background noises such as a loud air conditioning unit, or even a speaker whose speech is unclear.
- Though speaking at a whisper, the interpreter is heard by all and this can interfere with others who are not listening to the interpreter's words.

The interpreter takes notes while the speaker is speaking. After about ten minutes, the interpreter takes over.

This is ideal for a press conference or a meeting lasting about an hour, with just two working languages.

Advantages

- No equipment is required.
- If the service is needed for less than an hour, a sole interpreter will suffice.
Points worth noting

- The meeting will last almost twice as long.

The interpreter sits or stands between two conversation partners who neither speak nor understand each other’s language. The speakers and the interpreter alternate, sometimes per sentence, sometimes per slightly longer fragment.

This is ideal for a meeting of up to ten participants and just two working languages, involving business people or diplomats, for example.

Advantages

- No equipment is required.
- This method can also be applied during a dinner or guided tour, since the interpreter doesn’t take notes.
- If the service is needed for less than one hour, one interpreter will be sufficient.
Points worth noting

- The meeting will last almost twice as long.
- Some speakers prefer to have more distance between themselves and the interpreter.

We discuss with the client, for every interpreting job, which interpretation technique will be most suitable and consequently what equipment will be required.

Both the type of job and the location play a role here. Simultaneous translation in booths is often the most pleasant and appropriate solution, certainly if there is a booth on site. However, sometimes the meeting room is too small or interpretation is required during a guided tour. In such cases, using an interpreter's kit is the best option.
Verbales can provide both a mobile interpretation booth (supplied with headsets, microphones and sound installation) and an interpreter’s kit. The booth is installed by an experienced technician who remains on site throughout the interpreting job.

Verbales has interpretation experience in the following areas, but is always open to new challenges.

BELGIAN GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS

HEALTHCARE ORGANISATIONS

FINANCIAL WORLD AND INSURANCE COMPANIES

LEGAL ORGANISATIONS

NON-PROFIT SECTOR

COMMERCIAL SECTOR

"’At the Free University of Brussels, we held a colloquium on the decriminalisation of abortion, on 30 September 2016, together with the Université Libré of Brussels and our sister organisation, Centre d‘Action Laïque. Katrien Vandeput and her colleague interpreted the speeches on medical and legal topics excellently. Verbales also helped us with technical advice about the equipment to be used. Not only that, but a whole year later, a simple request was enough for Verbales to send us a bilingual glossary of our specialist jargon."

FRANKY BUSSCHE, DIRECTOR OF STUDIES AND RESEARCH, DEMENS.NU.

"Working for Verbales is a pleasure. Everything is always so well organised. You receive documents, glossary, directions to the location and the name of the contact at the location, all beforehand. The rates are always in line with the market, and your invoices are paid on time."

ELS HERMIE, INTERPRETER AND LECTURER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LIÈGE.

"Many meetings involving the Prime Minister are organised at the last minute. In this sort of situation, you need to be able to call on a company that can provide good interpreters fast. A company like Verbales. Even after the attacks on 22 March 2016, when the entire mobile telephone network was down, Verbales still found interpreters for the press conference that was to take place one hour later."

Stijn De Smeytere, Translation Service, Prime Minister’s Office.

Contact

Call Us
+32 479 57 26 79
Address
59, rue Verrept-Dekeyser
1080 Brussels