I get it, okay? I know conference interpreting and PSI are two different markets. But does that justify the massive gap in rates? I don’t think so.
Let me explain. This morning I woke up to a post by a colleague (I don’t remember your name—if you see this, please feel free to reach out) who rightfully—let me repeat, rightfully—complained about being offered €60 for a one-hour simultaneous interpreting assignment. Her perfectly valid point was that a job requiring 5+ years of study, plus prep work, cannot be done for €60/hour.
As a conference interpreter myself, I couldn’t agree more. But can we talk about PSI for a second?
A couple of weeks ago, being the light-hearted conference interpreter I am, I had this brilliant idea of giving PSI a try. It’ll be fulfilling, I thought. It’s good to help out, I thought. So I applied to work with an agency. They got back to me yesterday.
The good news: they want me (yay!).
The bad news: the way they want me—i.e., how much they’re willing to pay.
OPI: about €10/hour.
VRI: about €11/hour.
Oh, and they even offered me translation work at €0.03/word (yuck!)
When I read this, my privileged conference-interpreter self was sure it had to be undercutting. So I reached out to a well-established LinkedIn community for advice, but — much to my astonishment — I was told to accept the job because these rates are standard in the industry. 🤯
What do you think?
Sure, sim is mentally taxing, but it’s not like listening to and relaying stories of illness, crime, and abuse all day is a walk on the beach either. Sure, sim requires preparation, but it’s not like I’d show up in court or to a doctor’s appointment completely unprepared.
Community interpreters deserve A LOT more recognition.🙌