Preparation time
Every assignment, no matter how long, takes time to prepare. It takes just as long to prepare for a one-and-a-half-hour meeting as it does for a day-long or week-long conference.
What’s more, a short assignment can be even more challenging, as the interpreter doesn’t have time to immerse themselves in the subject and has to hit the ground running.
Service guarantee
The rule is that the interpreter dedicates their entire day to one client.
Even if your meeting only lasts an hour, they remain available in case you need them. Your meeting might start late or extend beyond the scheduled time; your agenda could change at the last minute or your CEO might decide to speak when available, without notice. And if this happens, we’re there for you. At no point will the interpreter look at their watch and say, “I have another meeting, I need to go”.
Interpreting is a highly demanding profession, and an interpreter is a highly qualified specialist. However, we view interpreting as a service profession, and accommodating unforeseen circumstances and changes is part of that commitment.
Service quality
Every meeting requires meticulous preparation, even a meeting which you say “won’t be technical”.
Preparing for and attending two meetings in the same day could affect the quality of the interpretation.
Journey
The interpreter travels to meet their clients in the countryside, in industrial areas, in other cities, or abroad…
The time spent in transit is the same regardless of the length of the assignment. And the interpreter allows themselves plenty of time to make sure they never arrive late and to be on-site ahead of time.
This is another reason to not attempt assignments for two different clients in the same day!
Approach fee
This is interpreter jargon for the allowance paid to the interpreter for the time spent travelling to and from home to their assignment location – not for taking the metro across Paris, but for catching a flight or train very early in the morning, very late in the evening, or the day before/after the assignment.
This could be a half-day or sometimes a full day that the interpreter spends on a plane, on a train, in a car or at the airport waiting for a connection. They may not be interpreting but they are dedicating their time to you and not available for other assignments.
Per diem
As a joke, we often say that when the interpreter is on a business trip, they’re like a child. They need to be fed and, when it involves travel, they also need accommodation and transportation.
We can, of course, handle the logistics and book the necessary travel tickets and hotel for the interpreter.
In addition to the fees and expenses, per diems (a set amount decided in advance) are paid to the interpreter to cover their meals when these are not organised and provided by the client themselves, as well as any local transportation costs.