Interprefy Clarifier - Frequently Asked Questions

The Interprefy Clarifier is an audio control available on the Interprefy RSI platform and interpreter's soft console that makes speech clearer.

What is the Interprefy Clarifier for?

Interprefy Clarifier makes speech clearer. It makes it easier to follow the speaker and comprehend what is being said. It was primarily designed for interpreters but also all listeners to make the listening experience easier and more relaxed allowing the listener to focus on the meaning of what the person was saying not simply decoding their words.

Can I hear a before / after audio sample?

Absolutely, please use headphones to listen to the audio sample:

How does the Interprefy Clarifier work?

Put simply, the Interprefy Clarifier finds the parts of speech sounds that are most essential to human hearing. It then tries to recover as much of those components as it can. These are sounds like the ‘sss’ from the letter ‘s’ in the word sibilant for example or the hard sound of the ‘t’ at the end of that word.

Hard sibilant and transient sounds define words while softer purer sounds form the core of the spoken word. It is these harder sounds that the brain uses to identify the word and so their value to comprehension is far greater than the core more musical sounds.

These hard sounds are complex and more challenging first to produce and then reproduce. Sloppy speakers do not form these sounds, as well as a good speaker, will for example, and poor audio equipment (notably microphones) do not reproduce them as well. The Interprefy Clarifier works to emphasize these hard sibilant and transient components, ensuring that they are more prominently audible.

Which languages does the Interprefy Clarifier support?

All major languages work the same way and contain the hard sounds that identify what word is being spoken. So, yes, the Clarifier improves the audibility of all major languages.

As an interpreter, how does the Interprefy Clarifier benefit me?

The Interprefy Clarifier was designed for use by simultaneous interpreters. The job of comprehending one language while speaking another is complex. The interpreter’s short-term memory is employed decoding one passage of speech while the brain is compiling its equivalent in another language. This is a rolling process of course. As short-term memory has limited capacity, the interpreter must comprehend and speak what they hear within a strictly limited time.

The point of the Interprefy Clarifier is to reduce the processing load through faster decoding. Heard sounds enter the short-term memory as resolved words and phrases more quickly and are therefore available for translation for longer.

In terms of benefits, the Interprefy Clarifier gives interpreters more thinking time, a reduced cognitive load, more focus on forming what they are saying, The benefits are less fatigue, greater accuracy, lower latency and reduced stress levels.

As an audience member, delegate, or speaker, how does the Interprefy Clarifier benefit me?

The Interprefy Clarifier can currently benefit speakers and interpreters both directly and indirectly. Direct impact comes when the user is listening through the Interprefy platform. When the user is listening to the floor, for example, the Interprefy Clarifier will make the speech clearer. The user then spends less time comprehending what’s being said and so has more time to think about the implications and impact of what’s being said. The emphasis turns from comprehension to consideration.

Indirect benefits can be gained by all users. These derive from the fact that the job of the interpreter is made easier by the presence of the Interprefy Clarifier. With interpreters able to provide a better, more accurate, and more considered translation, the multi-lingual side of the meeting is more effective. Improved communication benefits all those attending the event.

For speakers, there is still one more benefit that they will sometimes reap. Interpreters may complain about or just be unable to interpret those with the poorest audio. Sometimes speakers have poor-quality microphones and just don’t know. As the Interprefy Clarifier can restore some poor microphones to almost perfect quality, your chances of not being heard across language barriers are reduced.

At what point should I turn the Interprefy Clarifier on?

You can turn the Clarifier on at any point. It has been designed so that it can be left on all the time but the user can choose to turn it on and off for each speaker if they find that more effective. In essence, you should treat it in a similar way to tone controls, switching it on and off according to your own preference.

If you like having the Interprefy Clarifier on all the time, consider switching it at the start before the event gets going. This will save you from worrying about it later.

What settings does the Interprefy Clarifier have?

Using the Interprefy Clarifier could not be simpler. There is just one control for the Interprefy Clarifier, and this turns it either on or off.

The Interprefy Clarifier can be used alongside the tone controls. You may find that your preferred setting is, for example, Interprefy Clarifier on, bass set to 0dB (flat), with the treble, turned down a few decibels. This will depend on both your taste and the headphones, or speakers, that you are using.

When should I not use the Interprefy Clarifier?

The Interprefy Clarifier is most useful when the microphone of the person speaking is poor. It is also good for when the person speaking has not got clear pronunciation, when they don’t enunciate well. The Interprefy Clarifier is adaptive, so it will not cause problems with good sound such as when a clear speaker is using an excellent microphone. It will still make their speech clearer even though that may not be needed. For this reason, you can leave it on all the time or turn it off according to preference.

How does the Interprefy Clarifier affect background noise?

The Interprefy Clarifier makes certain sounds more prominent to make speech more easily understandable. The effect is to allow the brain to better separate sounds of different types.

Some forms of noise will also be made clearer and for the brain probably more prominent too. So, you can say that the Interprefy Clarifier will increase the audibility of some noises. Generally though, the noise will not only be more prominent but also more easily separated from the speech. In the end then, separating the speech from the noise will be easier even though the noise may be more prominent.

Can I use the Interprefy Clarifier with the tone controls?

In a word, yes. Turn the Interprefy Clarifier on and adjust the tone controls to your personal taste. When you turn the Interprefy Clarifier off again, the tone control settings are retained.

Does the Interprefy Clarifier provide any benefit for Zoom, Teams, or Event platform meetings?

Yes. Events that use other platforms, but which use Interprefy to deliver the interpretation, will benefit from Interprefy Clarifier. Interpreters using the Interprefy platform will get direct benefit from the sound quality improvement of the Interprefy Clarifier. The Interpreters will find following the spoken words easier, they will therefore provide better interpretation with fewer mistakes and less delay. All users of the event platform will hence benefit from improved multi-lingual understanding and better overall communication.

What technology does the Interprefy Clarifier Use?

The Clarifier is very complex in design. It incorporates elements that change the frequency response, the level, the timing, and the shape of the signal, so you could say that it contains just about all audio processing techniques in one. Because it has something of everything, and because they work together in a complex way that adapts to the signal, it is also not particularly like any of those elements when used on their own.

Is it possible to deactivate bits of the Clarifier?

No. Because the technology in Clarifier is adaptive, what you may want to achieve with controls, turning bits off or boosting their effect, is done for you automatically.

Is the Clarifier perfect?

No. We will continue to develop it. It is pretty good right now, but Interprefy are in the business of delivering the best, so there will be a continuous process making Clarifier slightly better.

Can the Interprefy Clarifier be used with a hard console?

Yes, the AV team in the room will need to ensure that the floor sound is taken through the Interprefy Platform and that the routing includes the Clarifier before it is sent back directly to the Hard Consoles.

What impact does the Interprefy Clarifier have for audio that is already great quality?

The Interprefy Clarifier increases clarity rather than fidelity. Therefore, it still has this clarity-enhancing effect for even the best quality sound. As with poor sound, the key sibilant and transient components of the audio are emphasized. The difference simply is that with good quality sound, the imperative to use the Interprefy Clarifier is less.

Will the Interprefy Clarifier compensate for my bad headphones?

Yes, to some extent it will. Of course, you should not be using bad headphones, but if circumstances mean that you must, the Interprefy Clarifier may help the sound be clearer.

Is the Clarifier a noise reducer?

No. It makes speech clearer. There are many noise reduction technologies and Clarifier can be used in combination with these, so please try and see how that works. For some sources of noise, the

Clarifier makes them clearer as well which helps the brain separate the noises from the voice, but this is not a primary goal of the technology.

Does Clarifier work with music?

Yes, but perhaps not in the way you may think. Clarifier helps the brain separate the parts of the speech needed to enhance clarity. For many instruments it achieves the same kind of result. Music through the Clarifier does not necessarily sound more musical, but it does sound more separated. It would be a good tool if your job was to transcribe the music for example.

Is there a limit to how well the Interprefy Clarifier will work?

Yes. The Clarifier enhances the sounds needed to make words easier to decode. If those sounds are not there, if they have been lost completely for example, then the Clarifier cannot recover them. Generally, the Clarifier will always get something back, it will always make the sound clearer, but if the damage is too great then it may not be possible to recover enough to help the listener sufficiently.

Can Clarifier be used when listening to videos shared on the Interprefy platform?

Yes, the listener can use Clarifier to help add clarity to speech on videos played through the Interprefy platform. Please note that the person playing the video does not get the benefit of Clarifier though.