What is the rates for simultaneous interpreting and ...

IrinaN wrote:

Actually, your explanation makes everything clear for me. Thank you so much!

It should be at least $750 for simultaneous working with partner, naturally. Some clients have a nerve to request 1 for a whole day:-). Out of the question. This is the rate for 8-hour day plus $100 for each overtime hour. I personally do not accept half-days or 2 hours. I would step down to $700 under certain circumstances and with certain partners and clients, and to $650 for a set of circumstances, such as some exiting location with all expenses (travel, at least 4-star hotel, rental car and per diem) paid. European colleagues should not worry about price damping on their turf:-) US companies often must have (and/or prefer) the interpreters who are US citizens, to go abroad with them.

The highest rates in the US are - /day charged by highly qualified Chinese and Japanese conference interpreters. Your pair is also one of the most expensive ones.

Unfortunately, "common" is the thing of the past... today finding a simo interpreter for $400-$500/day is not uncommon among EN>SP interpreters, and some Russian interpreters give in as well but no one I know. Incidentally, these are decent consecutive rates, also working with the partner. If by yourself, then $600.

What you can get depends entirely on what you can show for yourself.

Good luck!

DZiW wrote:

I will check the community rates definitely. Thank you so much for giving me a general idea about the rates.
Dalia, while you can check the community rates, it depends on the presentation, role, language pair, specialization, audience, conditions, restrictions/preferences, and so on.

If it's a general conversation, specialists charge from $20 to $80 per hour.
If it's a business conference or a serious meeting, clients pay $200-$+ per hour, covering all the specialist's expenses as local and interstate transportation, hotel, dinner, etc.

What's yours? You decide.

IrinaN wrote:

It should be at least $750 for simultaneous working with partner, naturally. Some clients have a nerve to request 1 for a whole day:-). Out of the question. This is the rate for 8-hour day plus $100 for each overtime hour. I personally do not accept half-days or 2 hours. I would step down to $700 under certain circumstances and with certain partners and clients, and to $650 for a set of circumstances, such as some exiting location with all expenses (travel, at least 4-star hotel, rental car and per diem) paid. European colleagues should not worry about price damping on their turf:-) US companies often must have (and/or prefer) the interpreters who are US citizens, to go abroad with them.

The highest rates in the US are - /day charged by highly qualified Chinese and Japanese conference interpreters. Your pair is also one of the most expensive ones.

Unfortunately, "common" is the thing of the past... today finding a simo interpreter for $400-$500/day is not uncommon among EN>SP interpreters, and some Russian interpreters give in as well but no one I know. Incidentally, these are decent consecutive rates, also working with the partner. If by yourself, then $600.

What you can get depends entirely on what you can show for yourself.

Good luck!

I had a client requesting a quote for simultaneous, and he says there will be no partner in interpretat ion, a minimum of one hour , and they will be pro rated if it goes for more than one hour. What do you think the rate should be in this case? Thank you for your answer!

IrinaN wrote:

It should be at least $750 for simultaneous working with partner, naturally. Some clients have a nerve to request 1 for a whole day:-). Out of the question. This is the rate for 8-hour day plus $100 for each overtime hour. I personally do not accept half-days or 2 hours. I would step down to $700 under certain circumstances and with certain partners and clients, and to $650 for a set of circumstances, such as some exiting location with all expenses (travel, at least 4-star hotel, rental car and per diem) paid. European colleagues should not worry about price damping on their turf:-) US companies often must have (and/or prefer) the interpreters who are US citizens, to go abroad with them.

The highest rates in the US are - /day charged by highly qualified Chinese and Japanese conference interpreters. Your pair is also one of the most expensive ones.

Unfortunately, "common" is the thing of the past... today finding a simo interpreter for $400-$500/day is not uncommon among EN>SP interpreters, and some Russian interpreters give in as well but no one I know. Incidentally, these are decent consecutive rates, also working with the partner. If by yourself, then $600.

What you can get depends entirely on what you can show for yourself.

Good luck!

madleen wrote:I had a client requesting a quote for simultaneous, and he says there will be no partner in interpretat ion, a minimum of one hour , and they will be pro rated if it goes for more than one hour. What do you think the rate should be in this case? Thank you for your answer!

To make it simpler for the agencies who've been pivoting to interpreting services since the pandemic, I worked out a by the hour rate of 60 EUR for consecutive (and I work alone) and 80 EUR simultaneous and of course, I work with a partner and require payment for the duration of the engagement, not just hours I was actively interpreting.My rationale for these rates is: Remote engagements are usually 3-4 hours long. If you think of many proceedings and meetings that would otherwise have been done in person, everyone involved is still getting the hang of doing it via video conferencing platforms and tendency is for the engagement to last fewer hours but then more days, rather than longer and fewer days. So I can comfortably do consecutive for 3-4 hours a day, I cannot nor would I ever try to do 3 hours of simultaneous alone. I think only a person who has little idea of what simultaneous mode is can even ask you to do it, it will hugely affect the quality of the interpreting and PMs talk. Better to lose a job than to botch it.Three hours (up to four) is already considered half a day, so 80 EUR for a simultaneous hour is in no way expensive and anything over 4 hours would be a full day &#; if they were working with an in-house (in-person) interpreters from Europe, who often charge 550-650 EUR for a full day (up to 8 hours) for big events and conferences. This is for one simultaneous interpreter and two would be paid double that. Then you have expenses, lunch etc... Like Irina pointed out, so many seasoned in-house interpreters will not even accept half a day engagement.Remote freelance interpreting will never be a race to the bottom because, when compared to the translation field, at least some of the translations people need are bureaucratic in nature. They are done as a formality and hardly anyone ever reads them. So they can be done by students of translation or even bad translators. When it comes to interpreting, communication is either flowing seamlessly or it becomes painfully obvious that the interpreter cannot do their job well enough and there's no not noticing that.Also, no matter what a genius interpreter one is or how well trained, you don't just sit down and start interpreting an event that has to do with business, legal matters, medicine, science...etc Anything, really. We aren't experts in those fields. If we are lucky we are talented interpreters and then you get loads of materials and you prepare. You translate, you research, you do your due diligence. So you aren't only paid for the hours of the event but also for all the research and translating you must do to prepare for the engagement.There's also an investment in equipment one needs to make. A computer who can well handle your one CAT tool might be useless for the remote interpreting requirements. You need two headsets, a good Ethernet connection, backup internet connection...etc In most places, at least some of these can be written off your taxes but still.Also, the translation field has this problem that very many complete amateurs think they can do it and, to an extent, they can &#; If you need an amateur translation nobody will ever read cos it's there for purely bureaucratic reasons.Interpreting field is the opposite of that. Many people who could do it with as little as basic training and then loads of self-improvement work, research, learning and practice think they cannot do it. That's how you should think about it and not allow it to become a race to the bottom for you or the rest of us.Edit: What I'm trying to say is that simultaneous interpreters work in pairs. You must switch every 20 or every 30 minutes, depending on how you and your partner like to do it. The fact that they're asking you to do it alone makes me think they have no idea of what they're asking you to do. One hour of simultaneous will be a very long time if you will have to do it alone. I usually switch every 30 minutes and after about 25 my concentration starts dropping so much that I would hate to have to find out what would happen if I tried to go on for another 30-60 minutes. Also, anything over one hour will be paid at 'a professional rate' doesn't mean a thing. A freelance professional rate by whose standards? It just sounds like they are leaving it open to have you work for 2 hours of simultaneous alone and pay you whatever they decide to pay you.Good luck.[Edited at -02-11 13:57 GMT]

IrinaN wrote:

It should be at least $750 for simultaneous working with partner, naturally. Some clients have a nerve to request 1 for a whole day:-). Out of the question. This is the rate for 8-hour day plus $100 for each overtime hour. I personally do not accept half-days or 2 hours. I would step down to $700 under certain circumstances and with certain partners and clients, and to $650 for a set of circumstances, such as some exiting location with all expenses (travel, at least 4-star hotel, rental car and per diem) paid. European colleagues should not worry about price damping on their turf:-) US companies often must have (and/or prefer) the interpreters who are US citizens, to go abroad with them.

The highest rates in the US are - /day charged by highly qualified Chinese and Japanese conference interpreters. Your pair is also one of the most expensive ones.

Unfortunately, "common" is the thing of the past... today finding a simo interpreter for $400-$500/day is not uncommon among EN>SP interpreters, and some Russian interpreters give in as well but no one I know. Incidentally, these are decent consecutive rates, also working with the partner. If by yourself, then $600.

What you can get depends entirely on what you can show for yourself.

Good luck!

madleen wrote:Thank you so much for sharing! I totally agree that there's no interpreter can work perfectly more than 30 minutes without break. Or for me, it's very hard too!I had a client requesting a quote for simultaneous, and he says there will be no partner in interpretat ion, a minimum of one hour , and they will be pro rated if it goes for more than one hour. What do you think the rate should be in this case? Thank you for your answer!

Korana Lasić wrote:To make it simpler for the agencies who've been pivoting to interpreting services since the pandemic, I worked out a by the hour rate of 60 EUR for consecutive (and I work alone) and 80 EUR simultaneous and of course, I work with a partner and require payment for the duration of the engagement, not just hours I was actively interpreting.My rationale for these rates is: Remote engagements are usually 3-4 hours long. If you think of many proceedings and meetings that would otherwise have been done in person, everyone involved is still getting the hang of doing it via video conferencing platforms and tendency is for the engagement to last fewer hours but then more days, rather than longer and fewer days. So I can comfortably do consecutive for 3-4 hours a day, I cannot nor would I ever try to do 3 hours of simultaneous alone. I think only a person who has little idea of what simultaneous mode is can even ask you to do it, it will hugely affect the quality of the interpreting and PMs talk. Better to lose a job than to botch it.Three hours (up to four) is already considered half a day, so 80 EUR for a simultaneous hour is in no way expensive and anything over 4 hours would be a full day &#; if they were working with an in-house (in-person) interpreters from Europe, who often charge 550-650 EUR for a full day (up to 8 hours) for big events and conferences. This is for one simultaneous interpreter and two would be paid double that. Then you have expenses, lunch etc... Like Irina pointed out, so many seasoned in-house interpreters will not even accept half a day engagement.Remote freelance interpreting will never be a race to the bottom because, when compared to the translation field, at least some of the translations people need are bureaucratic in nature. They are done as a formality and hardly anyone ever reads them. So they can be done by students of translation or even bad translators. When it comes to interpreting, communication is either flowing seamlessly or it becomes painfully obvious that the interpreter cannot do their job well enough and there's no not noticing that.Also, no matter what a genius interpreter one is or how well trained, you don't just sit down and start interpreting an event that has to do with business, legal matters, medicine, science...etc Anything, really. We aren't experts in those fields. If we are lucky we are talented interpreters and then you get loads of materials and you prepare. You translate, you research, you do your due diligence. So you aren't only paid for the hours of the event but also for all the research and translating you must do to prepare for the engagement.There's also an investment in equipment one needs to make. A computer who can well handle your one CAT tool might be useless for the remote interpreting requirements. You need two headsets, a good Ethernet connection, backup internet connection...etc In most places, at least some of these can be written off your taxes but still.Also, the translation field has this problem that very many complete amateurs think they can do it and, to an extent, they can &#; If you need an amateur translation nobody will ever read cos it's there for purely bureaucratic reasons.Interpreting field is the opposite of that. Many people who could do it with as little as basic training and then loads of self-improvement work, research, learning and practice think they cannot do it. That's how you should think about it and not allow it to become a race to the bottom for you or the rest of us.Edit: What I'm trying to say is that simultaneous interpreters work in pairs. You must switch every 20 or every 30 minutes, depending on how you and your partner like to do it. The fact that they're asking you to do it alone makes me think they have no idea of what they're asking you to do. One hour of simultaneous will be a very long time if you will have to do it alone. I usually switch every 30 minutes and after about 25 my concentration starts dropping so much that I would hate to have to find out what would happen if I tried to go on for another 30-60 minutes. Also, anything over one hour will be paid at 'a professional rate' doesn't mean a thing. A freelance professional rate by whose standards? It just sounds like they are leaving it open to have you work for 2 hours of simultaneous alone and pay you whatever they decide to pay you.Good luck.[Edited at -02-11 13:57 GMT]

Dalia Nour wrote:

Hello,

I'm wondering what's the common rates for the simultaneous interpreting and consecutive translation?
I'm using the language pair (English & Arabic).


Kind regards,
Dalia

[Edited at -04-24 11:49 GMT]

How is it different to consecutive interpreting&#;

madleen wrote:

Hi Korana,

For some reason I was never notified about your reply to me&#;&#;.
So when there&#;s a partner to switch with after say 20 or 30 min , do you still charge for the whole hour &#;as you may have to remain present till the event is over.

[/quote] Yup!

IrinaN wrote:

It should be at least $750 for simultaneous working with partner, naturally. Some clients have a nerve to request 1 for a whole day:-). Out of the question. This is the rate for 8-hour day plus $100 for each overtime hour. I personally do not accept half-days or 2 hours. I would step down to $700 under certain circumstances and with certain partners and clients, and to $650 for a set of circumstances, such as some exiting location with all expenses (travel, at least 4-star hotel, rental car and per diem) paid. European colleagues should not worry about price damping on their turf:-) US companies often must have (and/or prefer) the interpreters who are US citizens, to go abroad with them.

The highest rates in the US are - /day charged by highly qualified Chinese and Japanese conference interpreters. Your pair is also one of the most expensive ones.

Hi IrinaWhat would the charge be in your opinion if it is interpretation for an event happening abroad and engagement the is 8 am. to 5 pm for several days?And how about side charges (per diem, hotel,insurance&#;etc)Thank you very much

madleen wrote:

Hi Korana,

For some reason I was never notified about your reply to me&#;&#;.
So when there&#;s a partner to switch with after say 20 or 30 min , do you still charge for the whole hour &#;as you may have to remain present till the event is over.

Korana Lasić wrote:Yup!

Hi KoranaIn your opinion, if it is interpretation for an event happening abroad and engagement the is 8 am. to 5 pm for several days, how much should I charge?And how about side charges (per diem, hotel,insurance&#;etc)Do you charge &#;one travel day&#; charge?Thank you very much for your advice