Canadian Medical Conference Case Study

What are the problems with interpreter booths and headsets at conferences?

Traditional sound booth and headset systems are costly, hard to staff, and inconsistent, and those problems can get bad enough that an organization drops translation altogether. After years of struggling with that setup, the Canadian Association of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (CAPM&R) stopped offering translation for eight years, leaving bilingual participants without access at its Annual Scientific Meeting, the largest gathering of physical medicine and rehabilitation professionals in Canada.

CAPM&R represents over 400 physiatrists and allied rehabilitation professionals, and its four-day June meeting draws hundreds of physicians, residents, allied health professionals, and researchers. Its previous English and French live translation setup, where interpreters worked from a booth and attendees listened on headsets, created repeated problems:

• Limited headsets: Headsets sometimes ran out, leaving some attendees without access to translation.
• ‍High costs: Translation expenses for the four-day event totaled tens of thousands of dollars, making the setup increasingly unsustainable.
• ‍Staffing demands: Two interpreters per language were required, adding significant cost and logistical issues.
• ‍Inconsistent quality: Translation clarity varied by interpreter, disrupting sessions and frustrating attendees.

“For years, we knew our translation setup just wasn’t working,” said CAPM&R Executive Director Heather Dow. “Headsets ran out, costs soared into the tens of thousands, and the quality was inconsistent. We needed a solution that could provide accurate, reliable, and affordable translation for all of our attendees.”

As a result of inconsistent translation quality and escalating costs, CAPM&R stopped offering translation for eight years, leaving bilingual participants without access to translation. The society needed a solution that could provide accurate, real-time translation while remaining affordable, reliable, and logistically simple.

Can AI translation replace sound booths and headsets at events?

Yes. CAPM&R discovered Wordly at IMEX, a global trade show for the meetings and travel industry, where sessions were translated in real time using AI, and piloted it at the 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting in Montebello, Québec. Attendees accessed English and French translation and captions on their own devices through a QR code or link, with no headsets or booths required. The pilot was built around five key requirements:

• AI real-time translation: English and French translation and captions accessible via QR code or link. No headsets or booths required.
• ‍Consistency and familiarity: AV staff used the same system for every event, eliminating extensive training or handoffs.
• ‍Custom glossary: Ensured high-quality accuracy for technical rehabilitation terminology.
• ‍Affordable and scalable: Pay-by-the-hour model made full 4-day coverage financially viable.
• ‍Responsive support: Customer service was quick to resolve any issues without disruption.

Results: Restoring Trust, Cutting Costs by 90%, and Elevating Accuracy

The 2024 pilot at CAPM&R’s Annual Scientific Meeting delivered strong measurable outcomes:

Significant Cost Savings

• Translation expenses previously totaled tens of thousands of dollars per event.
• Using Wordly for the 4-day meeting resulted in a 90% reduction in translation costs.

Operational Efficiency

• AV staff setup time reduced by ~50% (no sound booths/headsets).
• Eliminated the need for 4 interpreter-days (2 per language).
• Translation coverage for all sessions over 4 days, with 100% of bilingual attendees able to access content.

Attendee Engagement & Satisfaction

• Complaints: 0 during the event.
• Attendee feedback emphasized clarity and accessibility.
• Quality rating: highest translation accuracy ever during a CAPM&R Annual Scientific Meeting.

Accessibility

• Full real-time access for English and French speakers.
• Translation is now available for any language, not just English and French.
• Supported both in-person and remote attendees.

“Wordly provided the highest translation accuracy we have ever had at an Annual Scientific Meeting,” added Dow. “The system made it easy for attendees to follow every session, and our AV team could rely on a consistent, high-quality translation throughout the event. It completely transformed the experience for our bilingual participants.”

Future Plans: Adding Wordly to Other CAPM&R Events

Building on the success of Wordly’s translation during the 2024 and 2025 Annual Scientific Meetings, CAPM&R plans to expand its use of Wordly for their 2026 events.

“With Wordly, attendees can fully participate in every session,” concluded Dow. “The translation is reliable, the costs are manageable, and the system is so familiar to our AV staff that we can focus on the program rather than logistics.

Looking ahead, the organization also plans to incorporate Wordly into workshops, webinars, and future annual meetings to consistently provide inclusive, multilingual access for all attendees.

About CAPM&R

The Canadian Association of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (CAPM&R), founded in 1952, is the National Specialty Society for physiatrists in Canada. CAPM&R represents over 400 physicians and allied rehabilitation professionals across Canada, dedicated to advancing physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) through education, research, advocacy, and clinical practice standards.

As an accredited provider for the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, CAPM&R sets the standard of care in physiatry and supports lifelong learning for its members.

About Wordly

Wordly helps make every meeting, event, and conference instantly accessible across languages. Its AI-powered platform provides accurate translation and captioning in dozens of languages, along with transcripts and summaries, streamlining communication at any scale. Attendees can join via a simple QR code or link, with no downloads or extra equipment required, ensuring seamless participation for virtual, hybrid, or in-person events.

Enterprise-ready, secure, and compliant, Wordly supports everything from small team meetings to large international conferences. It allows everyone to follow along, contribute, and engage without the expense and logistics of human interpreters.

See it in action – book a personalized demo.