Interpretation Rates Thread poster: Patricia Verdaguer
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I would like to know how much should I charge for a full 8 hour day of English Spanish English simultaneous interpretation working with another interpreter. There are several rates that I see per hour, but when we work in a booth we normally switch ever 20 or 30 minutes. I would like to know rates in the US.
| | | | Henry Hinds 
United States
Local time: 04:52
English to Spanish
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In memoriam
Try to get at least $400. And yes, it will take 2 interpreters switching off about every half hour. Each one would get $400.
| | | | sokolniki
United States
Local time: 05:52
English to Russian
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| Henry is absolutely right | Jan 12, 2011 |
$400.00 minimum per day per one interpreter. It is common to request a daily rate for the booth with two interpreters (in our case it will be $800.00 minimum).
| | | | | I imagined you were charging more in the US | Jan 12, 2011 |
Or is my perception being influenced by the current exchange rate (CLP vs USD)?
Anyway, I'm a bit surprised...
Greetings, ALEJANDRA
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Robert Forstag
United States
Local time: 06:52
Spanish to English
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| A passing thought | Jan 12, 2011 |
In the US, an efficient translator working at a reasonable rate can often make at least $400.00 for a day of written translation in the comfort of his own home. It is therefore hard to see the attraction of going to the trouble of dressing up, traveling to a venue where a conference is being held, doing eight hours of very high-demand work, and likely not having the time and energy to take advantage of being in a very interesting place where there really is a lot to see and do....
| | | | Williamson
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:52
Flemish to English
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Robert Forstag wrote:
It is therefore hard to see the attraction of going to the trouble of dressing up, traveling to a venue where a conference is being held, doing eight hours of very high-demand work, and likely not having the time and energy to take advantage of being in a very interesting place where there really is a lot to see and do....
Networking during noon-breaks, meeting interesting people in high places, who sometimes invite you for a night on the town on the expenses of the company.
| | | | | Re: A passing thought | Jan 12, 2011 |
Robert, it's not about the money: translation and interpreting are two different occupations (like golf and tennis), so there are people who cannot simply select the former or the letter depending solely on payment. Some people would earn 50 to 70 USD per day staying at home vs. 500 USD for interpreting, others are able to get as much as 400 USD for translation from home but fail to find interpreting jobs providing more than 250 USD per day. It's statistics, and it differs if you consider variou... See more Robert, it's not about the money: translation and interpreting are two different occupations (like golf and tennis), so there are people who cannot simply select the former or the letter depending solely on payment. Some people would earn 50 to 70 USD per day staying at home vs. 500 USD for interpreting, others are able to get as much as 400 USD for translation from home but fail to find interpreting jobs providing more than 250 USD per day. It's statistics, and it differs if you consider various aspects. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Giulia TAPPI
France
Local time: 12:52
French to Italian
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1) Some people can do both, some people simply cannot. A good translator may be absolutely lost in a booth ; a good interpreter may be a poor writer. So it is NOT a matter of price.
2) I am really surprised by such a low rate, but I live in France and do not know about the US market.
3) In France, the minimum rate if you work for an agency is 550€/per day/per interpreter ; for a direct client, you may ask 650/750€.
4) If I sell a translation 50/60€ per page (0,17 to 0,20�... See more 1) Some people can do both, some people simply cannot. A good translator may be absolutely lost in a booth ; a good interpreter may be a poor writer. So it is NOT a matter of price.
2) I am really surprised by such a low rate, but I live in France and do not know about the US market.
3) In France, the minimum rate if you work for an agency is 550€/per day/per interpreter ; for a direct client, you may ask 650/750€.
4) If I sell a translation 50/60€ per page (0,17 to 0,20€ per word), that means more than 10 pages, and I assure you this is a very high rate.
5) So interpreting is better paid ; moreover, when your day is off, you do not tkink about it any more, but when I translate I keep on thinking about better terms/sentences, even at night !
Have a nice day,
Giulia ▲ Collapse
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LEXpert
United States
Local time: 05:52
Member (2008)
Croatian to English
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| Competition and locality play a role | Jan 12, 2011 |
If you are a translator, your competition is everybody working in your combination and at your level in the world. If you are an interpreter, your competition will mostly be local (unless your combination is so exotic and in-demand that someone might pay to jet you around to wherever you are needed). I think the respective T/I markets and earnings prospects would vary greatly depending on combination and where you live.
Henry did say AT LEAST $400/day. I would think for simultaneous... See more If you are a translator, your competition is everybody working in your combination and at your level in the world. If you are an interpreter, your competition will mostly be local (unless your combination is so exotic and in-demand that someone might pay to jet you around to wherever you are needed). I think the respective T/I markets and earnings prospects would vary greatly depending on combination and where you live.
Henry did say AT LEAST $400/day. I would think for simultaneous you should indeed get more. I don't even do consecutive for less than that (prorated hourly, though still with a hefty minimum).
Good points have been made about how interpreting is different. Indeed, I also appreciate meeting interesting people, as well as the finality of it and lack of a need to second-guess oneself afterwards.
Still, I think interpreting is inherently a bit more difficult, because the process is more foreign to most people than translation is. Take the average educated multilingual person (not a professional translator), sit them down at a computer with Word, give them a few pages of text in one of their languages and ask them to produce a translation into another. They will at least be able to produce something that is usable on some level, at a minimum it will probably be just a step above GT-quality. Again (flame-proof suit on now ) , I'm not saying that such a person would produce a professional translation - odds are they won't unless they have an extraordinary natural talent - just that they could produce something sort of usable, if only on a basic level.
OTOH, take the average multilingual person, put them in a booth, or at a conference table during a heated discussion, and the results will probably an utter disaster, if they can even produce anything at all and don't simply freeze.
[Edited at 2011-01-12 16:47 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Patricia Verdaguer
Mexico
Local time: 04:52
Member (2008)
English to Spanish
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TOPIC STARTER | The information has been very helpful | Jan 12, 2011 |
Thank you all for your excellent contribution.
| | | | | The challenge! | Jan 19, 2011 |
The challenge an interpreter faces are immense. He has to play the interface to human emotions - cheer, content, laughter, silence, disbelief and the darker side - anger, verbal duel, frustation, mistrust. He becomes a sponge which aborbs the hard blows and has to put them across with tact and diplomacy while not getting carried away by hidden intent behind the smile. All while communicating the essentials of the communication.
At the end of a tough day the interpreter can be a ment... See more The challenge an interpreter faces are immense. He has to play the interface to human emotions - cheer, content, laughter, silence, disbelief and the darker side - anger, verbal duel, frustation, mistrust. He becomes a sponge which aborbs the hard blows and has to put them across with tact and diplomacy while not getting carried away by hidden intent behind the smile. All while communicating the essentials of the communication.
At the end of a tough day the interpreter can be a mental wreak while the the clients get on with their business as usual and the agency laughs his/her way to the bank.
Agree with the views of Giulia & Rudolf.
To sum up I would say to interpret one needs guts to face up to the challenge and therefore deserves a better remuneration than the toughest translation.
All the very best!
Pam ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Current interpretation rates | Mar 5, 2014 |
Can anyone let me know what the current rates are for a day of work translating on-site and, on the other hand, for interpreting on-site in the US?
How much should an interpreter charge for consecutive interpreting on-site per hour in 2014?
thanks!
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| Per hour rate | Mar 19, 2014 |
$45-$55 minimum per hour per one interpreter. But different language combinations pay different amounts, due to supply and demand.
| | | | Sylvia Hanna
Egypt
Local time: 12:52
English to Arabic
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| En/Ar Simultaneous Interpreting Rates in Spain | Aug 16, 2018 |
Would anyone tell me what the rates are for En/Ar simultaneous interpreting/day (8 hrs) in Spain today in 2018?
[Edited at 2018-08-16 10:31 GMT]
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