Why is high audio quality essential for simultaneous interpreting?

Good audio quality is essential for simultaneous interpreters because they have to listen and speak at the same time. If the sound is too compressed (i.e. the frequency range is limited), they cannot hear the original speaker over their own voice. That is why sound quality good enough for passive listening is not necessarily sufficient for simultaneous interpreting. In fact, many widely used microphones do not perform adequately for simultaneous interpreting. Complying with the technical guidelines and attending test calls will help you to ensure your audio set-up meets the requirements.