I wanted to make a quick point about how low interpreting rates have fallen. At the moment, it is about one THIRD as expensive for a customer to get an interpreter in-person as it is to get one over the phone.
Let’s examine some rates……the rates I am going to put forth are not even CLOSE to the lowest rates in the industry, the lowest rates we have seen, or the lowest rates even this office has worked for.
The average telephonic rate for a customer is approximately $1.59/min.
For an in-person Spanish interpreter, in a hospital setting, the rate/min is $.41/min ($25 hour). Just to be clear, I am talking about the rate paid to the AGENCY, not to the interpreter.
For an in-person interpreter in languages other than Spanish, the rate/min is $.50/min.
Wow!!!! All of a sudden, in-person interpreting is very attractive for the medical sector. Telephonic interpreting can be clumsy and not give the best customer service.
However, most companies usually pay the interpreters at about a 50% margin, putting rates for Spanish interpreters at a very low rate. Interpreters are not paid on the same level as other professionals.
Again, these are not even the lowest rates I have seen in the industry. I know hospitals that are paying less than that for their interpreters.
Where will this end. How low can we go? I feel the industry is upside down when it costs less to have an interpreter come in-person than it does to talk to one over the phone.
Any thoughts? Agree or disagree?
GB