TERMS AND CONDITIONS
T&C 2023
HOURLY RATES & FEES: All assignments (virtual and in person) have a 2-hour minimum fee for service (USD) (Some in-person assignments may have a 3-hour minimum. All hourly rates are subject to change depending on the nature of the request and complexity, ie. if contracting First Choice Interpreting Service (FCIS) to fill multiple requests or ‘staff’ Interpreters for an ongoing or one-time assignment. This will also apply to requests which are technical in nature, require linguistic specialization or knowledge, and/ or have special requests).
(a) Standard Base Rate
(a1) Standard Base Rate - Nonprofit/Fixed Income Normal business hours are from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m ET, Monday-Friday
(b) Specialized Base Rate: This will be determined based on the dynamics, nature, technicality, specialized language, and demand of the request such as political, cultural/racial, legal, medical, etc. This also applies to interpreters being asked to function in a trilingual/multilingual capacity. *evening/weekend differential will apply*
(c) Emergency Rate/Last Minute: This applies to most jobs requested with less than 48 business hours notice. Multiple-day requests, and/or certain events such as conferences, entertainment, depending on their nature may also incur an e-rate fee based on assignment needs. The nature of the request will determine the applied rate. *evening/weekend differential will apply*
(d) Evening/Weekend Differential: Evening/Weekend Differential will be billed at an additional $5/hr on top of the applicable hourly rate. The evening differential applies to jobs starting after 5:00 p.m. ET, and the weekend differential applies to jobs after 5:00 p.m. ET, Friday through Sunday. In the case that both differentials are true, only one will be applied at the time of billing.
(e) Holiday Rate: All National and Federally recognized holidays will be billed at time and a half. For our Black Interpreters, this will include Juneteenth and MLK Day. For Black History Month, we will be using the Specialized base rate and applicable differentials for all Black specific requests. *see HOURLY RATES* *evening/weekend differential will apply*
(f) High Profile: EX: PRESS CONFERENCES/BRIEFINGS/PUBLIC APPEARANCES/TELEVISION: This rate will be billed when Interpreters are asked to interpret for televised live feeds in high profile situations, which are sensitive in nature, require licensing/certification, expose them to a greater level of scrutiny, and which are also specialized in nature. This also applies to strenuous, multiple-day events in which interpreters are expected to work long hours with limited breaks or with the dense subject matter. This rate excludes time needed for travel/parking and preparation. If the interpreters are requested with less than 48 hours notice, there will be an additional emergency fee assessed of $15/hour added to the original fee. *See HOURLY RATES*
PAYMENT OPTIONS / TERMS: Checks, credit cards, and certain electronic payments are accepted at this time such as ACH direct deposit through our invoicing system or through the contracting entities pay roll system. We do accept international payments/ wires. We ask that you inform us of your choice to use this method of payment in advance in order to receive the most accurate cost estimate of services requested. * All final payments are due in full within 30 days of invoice receipt*
(a) Late payments: When an invoice is past due it will incur penalties. Late payments may be subject to additional fees, not to exceed 10% of the full invoice amount, or of $25 USD for each 30-day cycle in which the due amount has not been paid in full. For requests with an estimated final cost of $1,000.00 USD or higher, a deposit of half the total amount will be required to retain services.
(b) Overtime: When assignments go over the scheduled end time they will be billed an adjusted amount based on the quarter hour. Example: A request is made for an interpreter which is scheduled to end at 1:00 PM, but the assignment goes until 1:15 PM. The adjusted rate will be billed to the quarter hour, and every subsequent quarter block until the assignment is completed, rounded up to the nearest whole.
MILEAGE / TRANSPORTATION: Included in the hourly rate unless otherwise noted by (FCIS), in which case the standard Government mileage rate will be applied as well as parking reimbursement. This can be discussed per request and based on local State Laws and best practices. *Receipts upon request*.
CANCELLATION POLICY: There is no charge when a request for service is canceled two full business days before the start of the assignment (48 business hours). Any cancellations made thereafter will be billed in full. Client no-shows are covered under the cancellation policy umbrella. Your entity is not billed if FCIS cancels or is unable to fulfill a request. When long-term assignments are canceled in which lead work has already taken place, required coordination/preparation, or was scheduled to span a determined amount of time, prorated fees will apply. *See Emergency/Last Minute Requests*
TEAM INTERPRETING: An assignment requiring Sign Language Interpreters, which is scheduled to last at least 60 minutes and/or may be more rigorous in nature, will be filled by a team of two or more Interpreters. This is done to preserve the integrity of the message, protect the health of the Interpreter(s), and provide equitable access to all attendees/ participants. Assignments involving multiple sessions or multiple participants in need of interpreting services may choose to request a team to be assigned to each session or to each participant. ie breakouts/concurrent sessions. In all cases, duration of the request is not the singular factor that determines the number of Interpreters needed.
VIRTUAL INTERPRETING: Remote interpreting requests where participants are connected via a virtual platform will be billed at the standard hourly rate with a two-hour minimum fee for service. Teaming needs will be assessed based on the complexity and nature of the request/assignment, regardless of duration. *see TEAM INTERPRETING*
(a) Tech Checks: When hosting virtual events, there is often a need to pre-conference to ensure stable internet connections, do run-throughs/rehearsals, or walk through with the production team to test the virtual platform. This is outside of typical interpreting duties, however, we understand the complicated logistics of incorporating language accessibility into your events. Interpreters, for any request, will be available at least 15 minutes prior to the requested start time at no extra charge. In the event that the host(s) would like to schedule a pre-conference, exceeding 20 minutes in length, whether on the day of or on an agreed-upon time and date, this will be billed at the hourly base rate foregoing the two-hour minimum. This is to block out the interpreter's time to be available for the pre-meet. Since tech checks often are not programmed at the time of the request, we cannot guarantee that all assigned interpreters will be available for additional tech checks. If possible, please look to schedule this in advance, preferably at the same time you make your accessibility request. *see STANDARD BASE RATE*
(b) Recording & Re-use Rights: When hosting an event in which the live interpreters will be recorded and archived for future viewings, embedded in the event, this needs to be stated in advance as part of the request. Since the interpreter’s interpretation will be accessible for the foreseeable future and they are unable to dictate when and where this video is shown, a ‘right to record’ fee will be billed at an amount no less than $75 per interpreter, based on complexity and duration of the event. If the recording is being archived for in-house purposes only, this recording fee will not apply. If you are a non-profit or fixed-income client, it is possible this rate will be waived depending on the event.
PREP MATERIALS: Preparatory materials and information are requested for all events but specifically televised/recorded/Livestream/high profile events, where names, speakers, positions, and details are of the utmost importance and crucial to the message delivery. Examples of prep materials are: Prepared remarks (even a draft), target audience, participants (speakers and their roles), résumés, jobs descriptions, objectives/goals, canned questions, location (indoor or outdoors). These materials are never shared outside of FCIS and the Interpreting Team assigned to the job. In some cases, a run through is also ideal whether in person or virtual. Every event is different, therefore, the needs may change dependent on the situational dynamics.
OUT-OF-STATE INTERPRETERS / TRAVEL: If there are limited numbers of qualified local interpreters to perform ongoing or one-time requests, interpreters who meet the qualifications and reside in other States/Locations (including international), can be requested for onsite assignments. The entity will reimburse or cover travel in advance as well as room and board, if applicable, in addition to paying the standard billable hourly rates and per diem. A negotiated higher fee for service may also be discussed in lieu of paying for travel, depending on distance and location. This may also be true in cases where local interpreters have to travel long distances to perform their duties. *See HOURLY RATES*
DEAF INTERPRETERS: The use of Deaf Interpreters (DIs) or Certified Deaf Interpreters (CDIs) will be based on the needs of each interpreting request. C/DIs will be vetted and assessed, meeting the same criteria as Hearing Interpreters (HIs). Contingent on situational dynamics, as well as to meet the needs of native language users, C/DIs will be teamed/partnered with HIs for inclusive and linguistic accuracy. *see TEAM INTERPRETING*
TRANSLATION: This involves requests for any pre-recorded content in which C/DIs and/or HIs will be used. Base rates will apply to all interpreting work performed by the mentioned Interpreters. The time needed to accurately translate said content from the source language will be calculated at half the hourly base rate and added to the actual interpreting time. If the interpreters will be archived and reused as part of the permanent translation, a recording fee may also be applied. *see HOURLY RATES & VIRTUAL INTERPRETING (b)*
COORDINATION: When contracting FCIS, or a member of its team to coordinate interpreting services for a one-time event, any ongoing event/assignment, or to handle on- going scheduling, the entity will be billed according to the standard base rate times the amount of coordination hours. In most cases, the coordinator will be present during the requested interpreting times and available to serve as a backup/support/additional member of the team. When the Interpreter Coordinator is also scheduled as a working interpreter, the entity will be billed the hourly rate plus half. This can also be handled on a case-by-case basis.
REFERRAL FEE: When not contracting FCIS for services but FCIS is referring interpreters to be hired by your Entity, FCIS will charge a fee of $50. We look forward to doing business with you. These terms and conditions are subject to change. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact: info@firstchoiceinterpreting.com or call 301.346.3095 (v/txt/ft/wa)
Terms Updated: Jan 2023
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