Online Interpreting Fees
I was asked for my thoughts on what to charge for interpreting online as opposed to face to face…
Ultimately we only need to think about what is different. In terms of a fee reduction:
Travelling time
Mileage.
That’s it.
Well obviously I’m not charging mileage…
And if travelling time is the only thing that justifies a fee reduction, then what things balance that equation that are not already overheads?
Needing a more expensive than normal broadband package. Normal domestic broadband is asymmetric, meaning you get faster download than upload speeds.
Being limited to a hardwired ethernet connection because wifi varies in quality and is always significantly lower speed than ethernet. (A quick check of mine, at my desk, shows 41Mbps on wifi compared to 215Mbps for ethernet.)
Having nobody else using your internet when working.
Having to secure a private and confidential area of your house.
Having to create a professional, plain, environment in your house.
Having reduced opportunity for co-worker brief, debrief, and even support on the job.
Online interpreting being itself a specialism.
BSL on screen being significantly harder to receive than face to face.
If interpreters charge less, agencies will push irresistibly for more jobs to move online, even where that is not appropriate (as we’ve already seen, only more so). There needs to not be a financial incentive for that shift.
Increased domestic power consumption.
And if interpreters earn less, more interpreters will be unable to sustain that and will leave the profession, reducing availability, and, in economic terms, consequently driving prices up further for clients.
So, in my opinion interpreters ought to charge more for online work, and the fact that I intend to stick to NUBSLI recommended minimums reflects increased value for money.