Pacing a translated meeting
In a live translated meeting the translation reaches your listeners a few seconds after you speak. That gap is called the ear-voice span. If you talk faster than the translation can keep up, listeners fall behind. tikkr shows you the gap so you can pace yourself.
What is the ear-voice span?
The ear-voice span (also called decalage) is the delay between the moment you finish a phrase and the moment your listeners hear it in their language. In professional simultaneous interpreting it is typically two to four seconds. tikkr measures it live for the most-subscribed language in your room.
How the lag meter helps you pace
The organizer screen shows a translation-lag meter while you speak. Green means the translation is keeping up. Amber means ease off. Red means you are outrunning the translation: pause, finish your sentence, and let it catch up. When the lag stays high, tikkr nudges you with a short "pause briefly" prompt.
Should you listen to the translation while you speak?
You can, but you do not have to. Listening to a live translation while talking is the same split-attention task that makes professional interpreting so demanding. tikkr keeps audio monitoring optional and, when on, plays the translation only in your natural pauses (and quietly), so it never competes with your own voice. Use headphones so it does not feed back into your mic.
Three habits for a smooth translated meeting
- Speak in complete phrases, then pause; the translation works best on whole thoughts, not trailing fragments.
- Watch the meter: keep it in the green by slowing down before it turns red.
- Avoid talking over your own translation; let listeners hear a phrase before you start the next one.