Information about Freelensia

FAQ

TABLE OF CONTENT 

 

GENERAL

1. Is it free to join Freelensia?

2. Why can't I post any listings?

3. How do I add a secondary email address?

4. Can I exchange contact information with another member?

5. What is the payment and refund policy at Freelensia?

6. What is the best way to contact Freelensia?

INTERPRETER

A. Account and work

1. Can I hide my true identity?

2. What are the attributes of a good listing?

3. How can I upload an interpretation or introduction video? What if I am not comfortable recording one?

4. What kind of support can I get from Freelensia?

5. How should I conduct myself during an interpretation event?

B. Payment and fees

1. How do I receive my interpretation fees?

2. How much should I charge the client?

CLIENT

A. Account and verification

1. Can my colleagues manage the account with me?

2. Does Freelensia verify the identity and experience of the interpreters?

3. Can I call or meet the interpreter before making a reservation to verify their skill level?

4. Does Freelensia guarantee the quality and punctuality of the interpreters for my event?

B. Payment and fees

1. How are Freelensia's fees structured?

2. Can I pay the reservation fee after the event is over?

3. If I am a Vietnamese company, can I get VAT invoice for Freelensia fees?

 

GENERAL

 

1. Is it free to join Freelensia?

Yes, it is free to join Freelensia, create listings and discuss with interpreters and clients on the platform. We only charge the client when he/she makes a reservation request to a specific interpreter and the request is accepted by the interpreter.

 

2. Why can't I post any listings?

In order for us to enable posting right for your account:

If you are an interpreter, please edit your profile: you should have a self-introduction in the language(s) you interpret and in your native language, update the city where you are located, update information in the Interpreter section with a portrait image at https://www.freelensia.com/xxx/settings (xxx is your Freelensia username).

If you are a client, please register with your organization's e-mail address and wait 24 hours while we enable posting privileges for your account.

 

3. How do I add a secondary email address?

a. Hover your mouse over your profile then click the Settings button (on a smartphone this button is behind the setting bar ☰ on the top-left corner).

b. Click on [Account]

c. In the [Email addresses] section, click on [Add a new email address], then click [Save].

After that, you will receive a verification email sent to your newly added email address. Please click on that link to verify your email.

You can also watch our guide video of how to add/remove an email address here.

 

4. Can I exchange contact information with another member?

No, you cannot. To protect the interests of all parties concerned, members are not allowed to share or ask for contact information, use external links, or provide any other information such as official company name or specific address that may allow readers to contact you outside Freelensia. After the interpreter officially accepted the reservation request of the client on Freelensia, we will provide contact information to both parties 3 days before the start date of the event.

 

5. What is the payment and refund policy at Freelensia?

Once an interpreter has accepted a client's reservation request, both parties can still cancel the transaction up until 72 hours before the event's start time.

After this time:

  • The interpreter can only cancel if he/she can provide Freelensia with proof of extenuating circumstances (such as sickness, accident, funeral, flight delays, etc.). If the interpreter fails to submit the appropriate documents, we may close his/her account and notify other Freelensia members of the violation.
  • The client is obliged to pay the event fee to the interpreter regardless of whether the event takes place or not. In the case the client fails to pay the event fee when it is due, the client and his organization will not be able to reserve another interpreter until this amount is paid.    

Please note that in any case, the reservation fee that the client paid when making the reservation request will not be refunded.

You can read more about our cancellation and refund policy here.

 

6. What is the best way to contact Freelensia?

a. Chat live with our agents at the bottom-right corner on the website.

b. Send an email to our Support Team at support@freelensia.com.

c. Contact our Site Admin account on Freelensia by clicking the [Contact Site Admin] button to send us a message. We will respond within 24 hours. 

d. Send us a message by clicking the Contact Us button in the menu bar at the top of the website.

 

INTERPRETER

 

A. ACCOUNT AND WORK

 

1. Can I hide my true identity?

Yes. If you do not want your identity to be displayed publicly on our platform, you can use a nickname for the [Display name] field in your profile. You can also upload a profile photo that does not show your face. If you upload an interpretation or introduction video/audio, you can choose from two privacy settings below:

a. Public: The videos/audios will be visible on Freelensia's Youtube Channel and sent to clients during Freelensia's marketing campaigns or for specific events.

b. Private: The videos/audios will NOT be visible on Freelensia's Youtube Channel, but will be sent to related clients during Freelensia's marketing campaigns and specific events. There will also be a private link that you can share with your clients on Freelensia.

Please note that the videos/audios are always under your control and you can tell us to hide or delete them at anytime. 

 

2. What are the attributes of a good listing?

A good listing should have all the information relevant to the interpretation services you advertized in the listing. Some attributes of a good listing are: 

a. Detailed title: 

The clients are likely to search by entering the languages and type of interpretation they look for their events so your listing title should at least contain the language pairs and the interpretation types for that listing. 

b. Professional photos: 

Photos are the first things a client will notice at when they browse your listings. Adding a professional portrait photo and some photos showing you working at some events in the past can also increase the chance of being selected by the client.

* Please note that the listing photo is different from a profile photo. If you post multiple listings to advertize different interpretation services, you can choose different photos. For example in your business meeting listing, you can upload photos of you interpreting during the discussions of two companies, while for your real-time interpretation listing, you can upload a photo of yourself in the booth wearing headphones.

c. Correct fees: 

At Freelensia we have two types of fees: the reservation fee which the client will pay Freelensia when he/she sends you a reservation request, and the event fee which the client pays you at the event. Make sure you set the reservation fee to 10% of your event fee.

Furthermore, you should compare your fees with those of other interpreters on Freelensia for the same language pair, interpretation type and time unit. An experienced interpreter can charge more on the average, but make sure your prices are not unreasonable.

d. Correct interpretation types: 

You should not select all interpretation services that you are able to offer! Instead, please select only the interpretation types that you are willing to interpret for the same event fee you have set for that listing.

e. Clear and detailed description: 

Besides all the required fields you have to fill in, please also add in information to non-required fields so that clients can learn more about your background.

f. An introduction or interpretation video/audio: 

From our experience, interpreters with an introduction video/audio are more likely to be chosen by clients. As you cannot share contact information or meet the client before they make a reservation, a video/audio will help strengthen your candidacy. 

You can refer to our sample listing here or watch our guide video on how to post a listing.

 

3. How can I upload an interpretation or introduction video? What if I am not comfortable recording one?

You can upload your video here, and you can also upload directly from your smartphone. After processing your video, we will contact you on for the next steps.

If you are not comfortable recording a video, you can upload an interpretation or introduction audio. We will use your Freelensia profile photo as the background when we convert it to a video file and upload it to our Youtube channel. 

Please note that you can choose from two privacy settings below for your video/audio:

a. Public: The videos/audios will be visible on Freelensia's Youtube Channel and sent to clients during Freelensia's marketing campaigns or for specific events.

b. Private: The videos/audios will NOT be visible on Freelensia's Youtube Channel, but will be sent to related clients during Freelensia's marketing campaigns and specific events. There will also be a private link that you can share with your clients on Freelensia.

 

4. What kind of support can I get from Freelensia?

As a member of Freelensia, you will enjoy the following benefits that you do not have if you transact with the client outside Freelensia.

a. Lower payment risks:

We will tell you if the client has a corporate email address, and on the client's profile you can view previous reviews by other Freelensia interpreters. Finally, in the case where the client fails to pay you the event fee and Freelensia has determined that the client is at fault, we will refuse access to Freelensia for that client and future users from that organization.

b. Online dictionary:

We have a specialized dictionary of more than 300,000 terms categorized by industry and interpretation type for more than five languages. Prior to an event's start time, you will get online access to the terms relevant to the event so that you can better prepare. These words have been contributed by other Freelensia interpreters after they completed their events :)

c. Chat support:

We will create a dedicated chatroom on major chat applications (Zalo, Line, WeChat, KakaoTalk) to support you during the event. If you have any questions regarding event information, vocabularies, payment, etc. please do not hesitate to send us a message/voice message. Our agents are standing by to support you.

d. Backup interpreter:

In the case where you can no longer attend the interpretation event, please let us know and we will dispatch a backup interpreter. Our network of more than 3,000 interpreters allow us to cover for you in most cases.

e. Online reviews: 

You can review the client after the event finishes. The client knows this and will also try their best to make your work as simple as possible.

 

5. How should I conduct myself during an interpretation event?

a. Come at least 10 minutes before the start time and dressed appropriately for the event.

b. Print the receipt and time sheet provided by Freelensia and bring them to the event.

c. Use Freelensia chat services when encountering vocabularies difficulties.

d. Interpret the content as closely as possible. Do not remove or add content based on your own liking.

e. Bring a notebook and take notes diligently of the content discussed between the two sides.

f. Note down important and difficult words that you learned during this event.

g. After the event, please sign and keep one copy of the receipt and time sheet. Submit a copy to Freelensia in the evaluation form we will send by email after the event.

Note: If there are any overtime charge or other services provided, etc., please add them into your receipt and receive payment from the client. Freelensia will not charge extra fees for this.

B. PAYMENT AND FEES

 

1. How do I receive my interpretation fees?

The interpretation fee includes reservation fee and event fee. The reservation fee will be paid in advance by the client on Freelensia if the client wants to reserve your service. The event fee will be paid directly to you by cash or by other means of payment by the client after the event finishes or at a time agreed between both parties.

 

2. How much should I charge the client?

Your services should be properly priced. Do not leave money on the table by pricing too low but you are also almost guaranteed to have no reservation if you set your price too high compared with other interpreters in the market. Do price research to narrow the range of acceptable prices for your services.

Please note that when you are discussing with the client for a specific event, you may give them a discount for your event fee. However the reservation fee for Freelensia cannot be discounted, and you cannot increase your event fee unless there is over-time or surcharges such as traveling and lodging expenses.

 

CLIENT

 

A. ACCOUNT AND VERIFICATION

 

1. Can my colleagues manage the account with me?

Yes, one account can be managed by many members by adding more email addresses to that account. Please see our answer on How to add a secondary email address above.

 

2. Does Freelensia verify the identity and experience of the interpreters?

Currently, we are verifying the identity and language certificates of some of the interpreters on our platform. If you want to inquire regarding the verification status of a particular interpreter, feel free to contact us. We are developing a new feature on the interpreter profile page which will highlight the fields that have been verified. We hope to release this feature soon. 

 

3. Can I call or meet the interpreter before making a reservation to verify their skill level?

No, you cannot. After the interpreter officially accepts the reservation request of the client on Freelensia, we will provide contact information to both parties 3 days before the start date of the event.

To verify the skill level of the interpreter, you can: 

a. Contact Freelensia Support Team to verify the identity and language certificates of the interpreter for you. or

b. Ask the interpreter to upload an introduction video/audio to Freelensia's video database so you can listen to his/her voice. 

 

4. Does Freelensia guarantee the quality and punctuality of the interpreters for my event?

No, we do not. 

Regarding quality, it is your responsibility to verify the interpreter's profile, listings and videos as well as discuss with the interpreter about his experience in relation to your event's industry and interpretation types.

Regarding punctuality, before the event, we provide a guideline to the interpreter to conduct himself/herself well during the interpretation event.

After the event is over, we provide a review system so that you can give feedback and rate the interpreter to encourage him/her to improve their services for future events.

B. PAYMENT AND FEES

 

1. How are Freelensia's fees structured?

There are 2 types of fees on Freelensia: event fee and reservation fee. Both fees are listed in the interpreter's listing. The reservation fee is the amount the client pays online to Freelensia in advance when the client wants to reserve the interpreter's service. The event fee is the amount the client pays the interpreter on or after the event day, based on the agreement between both parties.  The reservation fee is equal to 10% of the event fee set by the interpreter. 

 

2. Can I pay the reservation fee after the event is over?

No, you cannot. You must pay this fee in advance when you want to reserve the interpreter's service. The reservation fee is a commitment to guarantee that the interpreter will save that date for your event. 

 

3. If I am a Vietnamese company, can I get VAT invoice for Freelensia fees?

Yes, you can. However, please note that we will add up another 5% of administration fee and 10% of VAT to that interpretation fee.