Most interpreting companies make you call to find out how this works. Here it is in plain terms, before you pick up the phone.
This page covers depositions, examinations under oath, 50-h hearings, IMEs, field investigations and medical appointments. Asylum interviews are billed differently, and that is explained further down.
The three-hour minimum
Interpreting is booked as a block, not by the minute. Our minimum is three hours.
When you book us, that time is yours. A deposition noticed for 10:00 AM that finishes at 12:30 is a three-hour booking, the same as one that runs to 1:00. The interpreter has held the morning for you either way, and turned down other work to do it.
Most depositions, examinations under oath and 50-h hearings finish inside the three hours.
If it runs long
Past three hours, we bill by the hour.
You do not need to guess the length when you book. Tell us your best estimate and we will plan around it. If the day runs over, that is normal, and it is billed for what it actually took.
Short notice
We take short-notice work, including same day. It is a large part of what we do for claims investigators.
There is no rush charge. The rate is the rate.
Travel
Travel outside the five boroughs may affect the rate, depending on the venue. We tell you before you confirm, not after the job.
If it cancels or adjourns
Depositions get adjourned. Witnesses do not show. Claims settle on the courthouse steps. We understand that, and it does not damage a working relationship.
What matters is notice. Cancel more than 24 hours ahead and there is no charge.
Inside 24 hours, the booking is billed — what the industry calls a bust fee. By that point the interpreter has turned down other work and cleared the day, and there is no way to fill it.
Tell us as soon as you know. Even an hour of warning helps.
Remote work
Telephone and video assignments are booked the same way, with the same three-hour minimum and the same cancellation terms. There is no travel charge.
Asylum interviews are different
USCIS asylum interviews are billed as a flat fee for the appearance, not by the hour. The fee depends on which office your notice names.
There is no three-hour minimum, because you are not buying a block of time. You are buying an interpreter who will be in that room for as long as the officer takes.
If USCIS reschedules your interview, we move with you. What you have paid carries to the new date.
If you cancel inside 24 hours, a bust fee is retained and the balance carries to a rescheduled date. By then the interpreter has cleared the day for you.
Payment
For law firms, insurance carriers and investigation companies, there is no deposit and no prepayment. We do the work and we invoice you.
Asylum interviews are reserved with payment in full. The date is held for you once it is paid.
What you get for it
A named interpreter, confirmed in writing before the date. Someone who has done your kind of proceeding before, not a generalist sent to fill a slot. On time, briefed, and ready to go on the record.
Getting a firm number
Every assignment has a language, a venue, a date and a likely length. Those four things set the price, and we can give you a firm number on one phone call.
Call (718) 496-9129, or send us the details and we will reply within the hour.