Small Town Interpreting Questions

[danman]

Hi all,

I've been interpreting on a semi-regular(6 times/year) basis at hospitals and doctors offices in my small town area. I have been doing this mostly as a service for the few deaf people in town, since I am a qualified interpreter, and the service is desperately needed. I started off doing it for free, and then as it became more than once a year or so I've started charging the hospital. I really have two questions for you: the informed deaf; or the experienced interpreters. 1) How much should I realistically be charging? 2) Do I need to purchase insurance to protect myself from a possible lawsuit? Are there any freelance interpreters out there(maybe from a bigger town) who have insurance? Or do the hospitals cover you under their general malpractice insurance policies?

 

[Frisky Feline]

do you have a RID certification?

Im sure some interpreters will reply to you. I hope.

 

[danman]

I do not have any certifications, although I've been told by my clients that they prefer me to many of the 'certified' interpreters they've received through their medical care. I do have a lot of experience interpreting, and am qualified.

I'm trying to balance the costs for the hospital against current wages charged by independent interpreters while factoring in the inconvenience in my schedule and lost time from my full time job. I'd like to charge them somewhat less than they would expect to pay from bringing an Interpreter from the nearest 'big city'(about 3 hours round trip typically, up to 5 hours round trip at some of the outlying clinics).

I'm wondering if there are any interpreters on here, independent or otherwise, who have experience in hospital/dr. office interpreting. How do you work out your pricing?

Also now that I'm picking up multiple clients(as opposed to one previously), I recognize the liability I incur from the possibility of a lawsuit. Again, please chime in if you have input

 

[Reba]

On what basis do you consider yourself qualified? Have you graduated from an ITP? Have you had some kind of evaluation?

Yes, you definitely need your own professional liability insurance if you are working independently.

 

[Reba]

I do not have any certifications, although I've been told by my clients that they prefer me to many of the 'certified' interpreters they've received through their medical care. I do have a lot of experience interpreting, and am qualified.

What kind of experience do you have?

I'm trying to balance the costs for the hospital against current wages charged by independent interpreters while factoring in the inconvenience in my schedule and lost time from my full time job. I'd like to charge them somewhat less than they would expect to pay from bringing an Interpreter from the nearest 'big city'(about 3 hours round trip typically, up to 5 hours round trip at some of the outlying clinics).

You need to also consider ethical and legal issues. Does the hospital already have a contract with another interpreter/agency? Will you be undercutting certified interpreter fees in a way that the hospital will be putting price before qualification?''

Legitimately, if you are local, you can cut the transportation charges that hospitals would incur for out-of-town terps.

You can factor it into your reasoning process but you can't charge for your inconvenience or lost time from your full time job. Keep in mind, if you can't commit to availability you might want to reconsider your plan to interpret professionally.

It will be up to you to maintain accurate billing and income records, and to pay your own taxes.

I'm wondering if there are any interpreters on here, independent or otherwise, who have experience in hospital/dr. office interpreting. How do you work out your pricing?

When I started out as a professional terp I worked for an agency, so they handled the billing. When I went independent I calculated my fee from the amount the agency paid me, what their share would have been, and then balanced it somewhere in-between.

Also now that I'm picking up multiple clients(as opposed to one previously), I recognize the liability I incur from the possibility of a lawsuit. Again, please chime in if you have input

You need to be very careful with your responsibilities as a medical interpret. You need insurance coverage. You also may be required to sign forms as part of the informed consent process, and for HIPAA confidentiality requirements.