Menu
Menu
Rates are established per service type. Each service has its own unique terms as far as minimums, billing increments and are all outlined within our Terms and Conditions. We aim to stay competitive and keep costs down for clients. There are no automatic annual increases. Should there be any adjustments, all clients are notified a minimum of 30 days before implemented. Our rates include Account setup, maintenance, coordination, provider management and maintenance, access to remote technology platforms, appointment time or travel time, 24/7 client online portal access and customer service support.
Rate differentials and variations are due to numerous factors
Why are the hourly rates for interpreters what they are? Interpreters are not volunteers, but working professionals with a code of ethics, trained in cultural and linguistic fluency. Interpreters are specialists in high demand that go through years of rigorous training and ongoing professional development. More information on Interpreters.
Services are generally invoiced electronically within 7 business days of the services being provided. PI has a default set of invoices produced by our online scheduling platform. Invoices include event name, date, time, language, modality (on site, video, etc.), and hours. To maintain confidentiality and privacy, additional information (e.g. consumer name, interpreters, etc.) is readily available via this platform. If additional information beyond the standard information listed above must be included, additional custom invoice charges will apply. Invoices are grouped by client account. If invoices are requested to be categorized into even smaller groupings (e.g. per department or per requestor), additional custom invoice fees will apply, since this will require significant work by the accounting department.
Invoices are typically sent within 7 business days. In some cases, for recurring services with a hospital or college semester classes, invoices may be sent only 1x/week. Invoices are sent by Partners Interpreting accounting department NOT the interpreter. You may pay with check, ACH/EFT, credit card. Our interpreters are employees (not contractors) therefore we are required by state law for timely payment and your prompt payment following your accounts terms are greatly appreciated.
Following best practices and in order to provide the best interpretation services possible, interpreters need preparation materials (prep) prior to an event. Prep includes PowerPoint slides, outlines, unique words, agendas, speaker names and acronyms and other industry resources (website etc…). In situations where the content is highly complex or technical, beyond standard working interpreters’ knowledge, media event, platform interpreting or when the Deaf consumer is presenting, teaching or plays a significant role, we will request additional time for the interpreter to do advanced preparation-this is beyond ‘standard assignment prep’. Preparation may include: review of materials and industry resources also including speaking with key point of contact (e.g. presenter) or doing a ‘dry run’ of the presentation etc. This is to ensure accuracy and message equivalency and interpreters need to be compensated for the time they spend preparing. Interpreters may also prepare for an assignment by arriving early at the site to speak with consumers and/or review relevant documents.
Interpreting is a very taxing process, both physically and mentally. An interpreter’s ability to effectively process the message and interpret it accurately diminishes significantly after approximately 20 minutes of interpreting.
Following industry standards to protect the occupational health of our interpreters and to assure the highest quality (language interpreting) communication, assignments may require a team of two or more interpreters. This includes assignments that are fast paced, highly technical, complex, including conferences and platform/stage interpreting. Our coordinator will work with you to determine the appropriate number of interpreters needed for your request, with best practices in mind. If Business’s designated contact person is unavailable to discuss the number of interpreters required, Partners will assign the number of interpreters it deems necessary, following best practices and generally accepted industry standards.
It’s not just about the time- Examples: 1 interpreter could be sufficient to cover a single 3 hour medical appointment, a 2-3 hour college class (e.g. lab, or computer class that’s primarily hands on etc.) or an 8 hour job shadowing for an employee. Whereas for the 30-minute televised press conference, 1 hour school IEP meeting with a dozen participants, the 75 minute college class (heavy lecture component), all day conference etc… would require a team (2) of interpreters.
For semester courses or classes, a team (of 2) interpreters may be assigned to the first class to determine if one or two interpreters are required to meet the demands of the class. Note in some cases interpreting specialists referred to as ‘Deaf Interpreters’ may be required to supplement the Sign Language interpreter to successfully facilitate communication, therefore a ‘team’ will be required. More information on the role of Deaf interpreters is available on our website.
In the event you have a last-minute ‘RUSH’ request, your points of contact must disclose if any other vendor(s) (independent contractor [IC] or agency) is actively working on the request. PI will determine how we can proceed with our coordination work to avoid scheduling conflicts, confirmation overlapping, and/or general confusion among interpreters, who may work with multiple agencies. Our coordinators will promptly communicate the status of the request for active last-minute needs.
Specifically for requests made under 48 hours, it’s a very labor-intensive effort and can interfere with the already established schedule. Therefore, IF your organization is considering reaching out to other independent contractors or agencies, we require that you give us a minimum of 60 minutes exclusively to work on the request before engaging other resources. If, after 60 minutes, there have been no confirmations made, per your direction, we can continue to work on the request, but understand your organization may decide to seek other resources. We acknowledge the possibility of cancelled requests due to your securing another provider.
The requesting contact should readily available and provide the most immediate mode of communication (call, email, text) for the coordinator to provide a confirmation as well as promptly notify PI when the status of the request changes. This mutual commitment reflects an understanding that prevents simultaneous confirmations among multiple vendors — in some cases within minutes — that causes disruption in schedules and compensation expectations.
In contrast to a general list of contractors, PI has a team of staff, in addition to an employee network of interpreters/captioners, so when last-minute needs are received, our coordinators actively move their schedules around to accommodate every request whenever possible. If no qualified provider is available, the options include re-scheduling the request or selecting an alternate service.
As part of PI’s commitment to the industry and profession, we have dedicated resources to the development of new sign language interpreters. American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters are in extremely high demand despite a limited pool of resources nationwide. College training programs continue to graduate students, but there continues to be a gap between graduation and employment — with very few options or supports.
PI interviews, screens, and fully onboards both student interns and novice interpreters. This involves an interview, a language proficiency screening, subsequent national background checks, and other required paperwork. As with any working interpreter, all mentees are bound by confidentiality and all tenets of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf Code of Professional Conduct.
PI’s protocol requires obtaining permission from the consumer(s) before having any student/intern be present at assignments. Similar to the medical field with a resident or preceptee, the student/intern interpreters are always teamed or accompanied by a certified experienced mentor/supervisor interpreter. Depending on the circumstances, the student/intern will either only observe or engage in brief team interpreting with their mentor. Our qualified mentors actively monitor all work produced by students/interns, ensuring no disruption to each assignment. Clients are not charged additional fees for the students/interns’ presence.
© Partners Interpreting 2022. All Rights Reserved. Website designed and developed by GIM Content Management