Simultaneous Translation Equipment

ABBN offers professional-grade, FCC-approved simultaneous translation equipment designed to eliminate language barriers at live events. From small worship services to global conferences, our systems deliver clear, real-time multilingual communication with scalable components that grow with your needs.

Trusted by people who value quality and expertise

Why You Need Good Simultaneous Translation Equipment

Real-Time Communication

Simultaneous translation equipment allows interpreters to speak live while attendees listen through receivers. This ensures instant language access without disrupting the flow of the meeting or event.

Professionalism & Clarity

Unlike automated tools or poor-quality setups, ABBN’s equipment delivers crystal-clear, uninterrupted audio. Whether you’re hosting a formal summit or internal training, professional sound makes a lasting impression.

FCC-Approved & Venue-Friendly

Our simultaneous translation equipment complies with U.S. broadcasting regulations and supports both 72 MHz and 216 MHz frequencies. It’s built for dependable use across venues of any size, making it a perfect fit for any setting.

Scalability for Any Setup

From single-language meetings to multilingual conferences with hundreds of listeners, ABBN systems scale effortlessly. Add multiple channels, interpreters, and listeners without compromising on quality or control.

Why Our Clients Choose Us

The equipment worked perfectly! The client's feedback was excellent. He was ecstatic about actually hearing all the content at the convention. Thank you for your assistance, and we look forward to doing business with you in the future!

10/10 NPS. Very organized, professional, and easy to work with. Thank you again for providing the equipment and customer support team. You made the booking process easy, and the team blended right in onsite.

We wanted to say thank you so much to your team for such a fantastic event. We had the best event we have had in quite a few years, thanks to your wonderful equipment and your fantastic technician. He went above and beyond in doing the work.

Thank you for your team’s support to us before and during our event. Tori’s guidance on reconfiguring the devices into one group was essential. We were able to operate the equipment smoothly for the most part.

It was truly a pleasure to plan and work with you all. I'm happy things came together so well despite a few delays and misunderstanding bumps. Your knowledge and expertise are appreciated, and you are a delight to work with.

Thank you so very much for your kind and attentive service. I’d like your supervisor to know what a great job you did for me in finding the problem and a solution, your commitment to monitoring the order, and your effective and quick communication with me.

Everything went great! The show went flawlessly, and I appreciate the flexibility on your end, as this event often changes dates three times before settling.

Our Simultaneous Translation Equipment Solutions

Customized Requests

Your event, your way. Submit your customized requests for interpreting equipment, and let our expert team craft a solution that perfectly aligns with your event vision.

Tools You Need for Simultaneous Translation

A Simultaneous Translator

Simultaneous translation systems require a human interpreter and the right tech to broadcast their voice. Using FM or Wi-Fi transmitters, the interpreter’s voice reaches listeners via receivers and earpieces—providing clear, real-time audio in their preferred language without disturbing others.

The Right Transmitter

For smaller spaces or mobile use, go with the Williams PPA T46. For larger venues, the PPA T27 and T55 tabletop transmitters offer broader range. The T55 even supports Wi-Fi broadcasting, so attendees can use a smartphone app instead of traditional receivers—saving time and cost.

Microphones & Receivers

Once you get your setup ready, plug a headset or lapel mic into your transmitter for clean audio pickup. Each listener needs a receiver like the Williams R37, R38, or Listen LR 4200. Some receivers offer multiple channels and dual headphone jacks—perfect for sharing and reducing overall equipment needs.

Accessories and Add-Ons

Complete your setup with earpieces or over-ear headphones, interpreter consoles like the IC-2, and a protective carrying case. All ABBN products are FCC-approved for use in the U.S. and built for easy setup, durability, and professional event performance—whether you’re managing one language or eight.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Do I need a separate receiver for each listener?

Yes. Each participant requires their own receiver to hear the interpreter clearly. Multi-channel models let users select their preferred language when multiple interpretations are happening simultaneously.

What’s the typical range of translation transmitters?

Portable transmitters like the PPA T46 cover up to 150 feet. Tabletop units such as the T27 or T55 can reach around 1,000 feet with the right antenna setup.

Can attendees use their phones instead of receivers?

Yes, with Wi-Fi-enabled systems like the Williams PPA T55, attendees can listen via a mobile app—no extra receivers needed, just a smartphone and headphones.

Purchase Categories

This page is about PURCHASING a translation system.

Click here if you would rather RENT a translation system

If you have listeners who do not understand the language of your meetings, a translation or interpreting equipment system will help you bridge the language barrier.

If you are looking for an automatic translation machine, we are sorry to say there is no such equipment yet.

You will need someone to act as the interpreter. Our equipment will allow the interpreter’s voice to reach those who need to hear it, while minimizing the disturbance to those who don’t need it.

PPA-R37-10PK – Williams Sound PPA R37 Receiver (10 Pack)

$1,350.00

Multi-Channel FM Receiver (No Earphones)

$220.00

20-pack FM R38 Receiver Bundle

$4,405.00

R37 FM Receiver (No Batteries or Earphones)

$140.00

20-pack FM R37 Receiver Bundle

$3,330.00

12-pack FM R37 Receiver Rechargeable Bundle

$2,990.00

As of July 11th, 2013, the FCC has approved both 216MHz AND 72 MHz products for language translation within the USA, as well as for assistive listening. This is great news, as 72 MHz equipment is often less expensive than 216 MHz equipment.

Many countries require FM interpretation equipment and FM assistive listening equipment to use specific frequencies that may be different from those used in the USA. Please check with the appropriate regulatory authority before purchasing.

What is translation equipment?

There are three terms that you might come across when it comes to translation equipment: Translation equipment, Interpreting equipment, and Interpretation equipment. These are just three different names for the same thing. If you are lost and don’t know where to start, do not worry because there are many options out there. The first thing that you will need is a human interpreter. The next thing is the material that needs to be translated; a speech, a sermon, or any kind of public event. Once you have these two crucial parts, the next thing you need is translation equipment.

The requirements for your interpreting system

The most popular form of translation equipment is FM radio-based equipment. In order for the interpreter’s voice to reach the people that are listening, you need to set up a miniature radio station. The first item that you need once you start the interpreting process is a transmitter.

Transmitters

Imagine you are in a small meeting room or at a church sanctuary and you need to move around while you are speaking. In that situation the right transmitter for you is a small battery-powered portable transmitter known as Williams Sound PPA T46. These types of transmitters have a range of about 150 feet which makes them perfect for a small meeting. Since they are battery-operated and portable, they are excellent for cases when you move around and speak such as when you are doing a tour of a factory or tourist location. They are simple to operate and not very expensive making them one of the best choices out there.

The next option is the Williams Sound PPA T27. This is a tabletop transmitter which plugs into 110 volts. This one has a much bigger range; it can go up to about a thousand feet with the right antenna. Nevertheless, it is quite simple to operate. It has very few controls on it, you can change the channel and you can plug in a microphone. If you need a transmitter for your event where you don’t have a lot of technical staff then this high-powered transmitter with its simple operation will be a good choice for you.

The third transmitter in this list is a more complex tabletop transmitter, the Williams Sound PPA T55. This one runs on 110 volts and with the right antenna, it has a range of about a thousand feet. It contains several functions within the menu and you can change a lot of advanced settings, such as the compression slope, the high-pass, and low-pass filters, etc. It also has the huge advantage of including a Wi-Fi transmitter. This (along with the correct wi-fi equipment) allows attendees to listen to the interpretation on their smartphones via a free app. If you are not familiar with these terms and you want a simpler piece of equipment where you don’t have to worry about these kinds of things, suitable alternatives might be the Williams Sound PPA T27 mentioned above, or the LT 800 from Listen Technologies.

Microphones

Once you have the right transmitter and you send out the signal, you need to connect a microphone to that transmitter. There is a range of possible choices when it comes to microphones. These choices include a headset microphone, a handheld microphone, lapel mic, etc. One of the most popular ones you can find is the Headband Microphone, this one goes over the head and around the ears. To connect microphones with your transmitter, you simply plug them into the transmitter. If you are using the Williams PPA T46 or the Listen LT 700, plug your headband microphone straight in that. A similar version of this microphone with a different plug can be used to connect with the Williams PPA T55 or Listen LT800 transmitters.

Receivers

After you choose your transmitter and you have a microphone, the radio signal will be sent out, this signal will carry the interpreter’s voice. Once the signal is sent, the listener will need something in order to pick up that signal, that’s when you need a specialized radio receiver. The specialized radio receiver will have to be on a special frequency so that it can pick up that one transmitter that you are working with. You need to have of receiver for each of your listeners. A very popular option is the William Sound PPA R37 receiver. Williams Sound also makes a couple of other receivers, which are PPA R37-8 and PPA R38. Both of these receivers allow you to listen to any one of multiple channels going on at the same time; if you have multiple interpreters doing several different languages, you can tune each transmitter and each receiver to a different channel. You can have up to eight different languages going on if you are using these kinds of receivers.

There are some equivalent receivers from the Listen Technologies, the LR 400 is a really popular model. This one is part of the older technology models, while LR 4200 is a newer model and a well-designed unit. This device has different features, one of its best ones is that you can recharge it with a standard USB mini plug. Another feature is that it has two headphone jacks so if you have two people who are listening to the same language, they can use the same receiver. This helps in keeping the cost down because you only need half as many. It is a slightly more expensive unit but the sharing feature makes it more reasonable.

As mentioned above, if you are using the Williams Sound PPA T55 transmitter, and if you have the appropriate wi-fi equipment, listeners can use their own smart devices and an app to listen to the audio. This can save a lot of money since you may not need to buy FM receivers.

Earpieces or Headphones

After you get equipped with a transmitter with a microphone and you have a receiver for each of your listeners, now you need an earpiece or headphone for them. There are quite a few options here. Here you have the Williams Sound EAR 008 or the EAR 022. Since this one item is made of hard plastic, you can easily wipe it with a little alcohol swab and you won’t have any hygiene concerns about it. Next on, there is also a standard single earbud with a foam cover (Williams EAR 013). While a standard headphone is the Williams Sound HED 021, which goes over the head, covers both the ears and has foam covers that are replaceable and they are washable. It is convenient to have both ears covered, making it possible to block out any other sounds that you don’t want to hear.

So, the essential things that you need for an interpreting system are:

transmitters
microphones
receivers
headphones or earpieces

Additional devices

There is a couple of optional extra equipment that you can include in your interpreting package. Firstly, it involves the carrying case. A carrying case is very helpful to keep things together in a good condition. Secondly, you might need an interpreter control console or interpreter unit. The perfect example is William Sound IC 2 and this is used in conjunction with the Williams PPA T55 transmitter for professional conference situations. This allows two interpreters to work together as a team, it allows them to switch rapidly and silently between each other, that’s why it is common in professional conferences.

All the equipment we sell is FCC approved for translation and assistive listening in the USA. Please call us if you need equipment that can be used overseas.