According to the World Bank's report, the growth of global economy will significantly decline by 5.2% this year due to the rapid, tremendous shock of the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic and border shutdowns to prevent the spread of this pandemic. This means it will be the worst economic recession since World War II. Businesses are also rushing to cut costs to keep the business running, creating an exceptional rise on demands for interpreters with reasonable prices for business meetings, exhibitions and conferences.
In order to successfully employ the qualified candidates while minimizing time and money, the interpreter recruitment process should be simplified and implemented according to specific methods and roadmaps. Here are a few suggestions from Freelensia to find quality interpreters candidates at a reasonable cost.
1. Plan the event and contact the interpreter early
For important events such as meeting, exhibitions or seminars, organizers need to plan in advance early to ensure the process goes smoothly and provide a memorable experience for participants. In addition, the organizer should contact interpreters early in order to reserve them for the event on time. According to Freelensia's experience, experienced interpreters often have their calendar scheduled one month before the event. These interpreters are skillful and can be hired with a reasonable price compared to their actual level. If the organizers delay contacting them, it is likely that there will be only interpreters who are not experienced, or their price can be too high for their ability. For more information, please refer this article How much does it cost to hire an interpreter of Freelensia.
2. Confirm interpretation type, language and working time
Each interpretation type will have different service fees. For example, interpretation fee for business meeting will be more expensive than for exhibition booth attendance, and fee for simultaneous interpretation will be more expensive than consecutive interpretation. In addition, different language pairs will have a high price difference, and interpretation cost will increase if the event takes place in one day instead of half a day, or interpreter has to work overtime. Therefore, both client and interpreter should discuss carefully before the event starts to ensure responsibilities from both sides. For example, in one case, the client only need to use consecutive interpretation but then they think they need simultaneous interpretation (cabin interpretation). In another case, the client only need one cabin interpreter instead of two like the traditional way, if the seminar or workshop are simple and short.
If you want to read more about interpretation types, you can refer to our blog article Different Modes and Types of Interpretation.
In addition, the time of the seminar, meeting or exhibition is also important. Interpreters, equipment rental units and venue usually charge half a day (for example, 8:00 – 12:00 and 13:00 – 17:00) or one day (for example, 8:00 – 17:00 including 1 hour lunch break). Arranging the event activities to not exceed the above time frames will help businesses save overtime costs that interpreters and other providers may charge. On the other hand, clients should also schedule time for explanation meetings, briefings, or rehearsals before the event. Interpreters may charge different rates for these extra working hours, even equal to the interpretation fee (if prorated by the number of working hours).
3. Use a remote interpreter
Remote interpreters help clients communicate with business partners by interpreting directly via video or phone. As we mentioned in our article Interpreting in the time of the Coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic has brought many challenges as well as opportunities for businesses to use online meeting applications. The use of remote interpreters through online meeting applications helps businesses connect with many potential candidates at reasonable prices. Specifically, businesses in big cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago (USA), London (UK), Paris (France), Tokyo (Japan), and Seoul (South Korea) can connect with cheap interpreters in developing countries like Vietnam, China, India, Mexico, Turkey, etc. According to Freelensia's survey, businesses can save approximately 30-70% of the interpreting cost when choosing a remote interpreter in the above mentioned developing countries. You can use the following links to quickly find cheap interpreters for each language pair at the Freelensia platform:
Find affordable English - Vietnamese interpreters
Find affordable Japanese - Vietnamese interpreters
Find affordable Korean - Vietnamese interpreters
Find affordable Chinese - Vietnamese interpreters
Find affordable English - Japanese interpreters
Find affordable English - Chinese interpreters
Find affordable English - Korean interpreters
4. Cut out the intermediaries and take advantage of your network
According to Freelensia’s research, traditional interpretation companies charge a commission of 20-30% to introduce interpreters to clients. Sometimes, through 2 to 3 intermediaries in order to connect with the interpreter, you will have to pay 150 - 200% of the fee that the interpreter actually receives. Minimizing intermediaries is important if the business wants to minimize interpreting costs. Especially, when taking advantage of the relationship introduced by your clients, partners and internal staff, businesses will have a simple and economical way to find interpreters.
In addition, social networks such as Facebook and LinkedIn are becoming an integral part of the job. To further reduce intermediaries and connect directly with interpreters, businesses can search for interpreters on these social networks. However, you should note that the quality of service may not be guaranteed if you work with an interpreter that you do not know. Interpreters, when contacted directly, may also feel it is not necessary to do their best because there is no evaluation system after the event is over.
5. Reserve interpreter online with Freelensia, anytime!
Hotline: (+84) 89 933 60 85
Homepage: https://www.freelensia.com
With nearly 3,000 members (including interpreters for English, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, etc.) in Vietnam, China, Japan and other countries, Freelensia provides interpreters for many events that includes exhibitions, business meetings, seminars, conferences, etc. with the following outstanding benefits:
- Freelensia's service fee is 10%, much lower than that of traditional interpretation companies
- Interpreter’s interpretation fee is posted publicly and stable
- Client can discuss with the interpreter and watch their interpretation videos
- Client can publicly evaluate the interpreter after the event finishes
- Freelensia provides an online calendar, specialized vocabulary for the event and supports both client and interpreter via live chat during the event.
Read more about the steps to reserve interpreter online at the Freelensia Information page and contact Hotline (+84) 89 933 60 85 or email support@freelensia.com for advice on our services.
See also
- Finding Chinese - Vietnamese Interpreters in Ho Chi Minh City
- Finding Japanese - Vietnamese Interpreters in Ho Chi Minh City
- Work With a Large Number of Interpreters for a Big Event
- How To Evaluate an Interpreter?
Disclaimer: All photos used in this article were taken from various sources on the Internet.