How Much Does It Cost To Hire an Interpreter?

1. Geographic location

Interpreters charge a lot more in developed countries than developing ones such as Vietnam. Below are the average prices to reserve an interpreter for one day between English and the local language in major cities around the world. The prices are calculated based on actual interpretation fees on Freelensia in 2018.

Furthermore, prices are more expensive in major cities within the same country. However, in a remote location where experienced interpreters are not found, the client may need to contract an interpreter from a major city. In this case, travel expenses and time must be compensated for, further adding to the cost of hiring an interpreter for the event.

2. Language pair

In general, prices are more expensive if both languages are not the local languages of the city where the event takes place. For example, we know a case when interpreters from Vietnam was flown in during a Japanese - English real-time seminar in Cambodia because there were no suitable local interpreters. Also, if one language is the local language, then prices are higher if the client comes from a rich country where English is not commonly spoken.

Regarding the language combination, recent years have revealed that Asian and Middle Eastern languages are among the top highest paying translation languages in the world. Currently, the languages that are most in-demand in general are Japanese, Arabic and Chinese because it is difficult to find interpreters and translators that have a good command of both English and those languages.

As you know, the Chinese economy has experienced astonishing growth in the last few decades, and Forbes predicted it could overtake the U.S. to become the world’s biggest economy by 2018. Its dominance in the world’s economy makes it a noticeable source of business opportunity. As Chinese businesses are spreading globally and the country presents emerging outsourcing capabilities due to low costs and high productivity levels, it’s not a language to be ignored, particularly as English is not really widely spoken in the nation.

In terms of Japan, the country itself has been a significant contributor in many other nations’ prosperity- including the USA & the UK, etc. both as an export market as well as a fundamental investor. It is also noted that Japan provides an abundance of opportunities, especially in terms of science and technology. Japanese businesses are highly innovative, it is the world’s third largest economy, leader in matters of high technology, research & development and one of the most technologically advanced and integrated nations in the world.

As Arabic-speaking nations are a fast-growing market for trade, initiatives to integrate the Arab world into the global economy are opening up many potential new business opportunities. Moreover, the Arab region with its growing population provides a huge export market for goods and services and has much to offer the world market with a GDP of over 600 billion dollars annually. In order to do business effectively, it is imperative to understand the language and culture of the people with whom one hopes to negotiate and conduct trade.

Below are the average prices for one-day business meeting interpreters in Vietnam between Vietnamese and various languages.

3. Interpretation type

Different interpretation types will require different levels of experience and skills. As a result, an interpreter will charge a separate price depending on what you want him to do.

There are many interpretation types, such as (ordered by level of difficulty and correspondingly, price): Tour guide; PG (Promotional Girl); Booth attendance; exhibition visit; Factory visit; Escort; General business meeting; Police interrogation; Court session; Medical examination; High-level business meeting; M&A negotiations; MC (Master of Ceremony)/Moderator; Seminar (consecutive interpretation; Seminar (simultaneous interpretation).

Below is a rough price distribution of the various interpretation types for Japanese - Vietnamese interpreters based on prices from their listings on Freelensia.

You’ve now learned about pricing for language interpreting services and how it’s determined. Having this knowledge, you are now in a better position to procure and request interpreters from language services companies or working directly with freelancers on interpretation platforms.

Do you know that reserving interpreters online via platform is a growing trend nowadays? Click here to learn why.