Equality of access for all people is an issue that organisations must consider, especially in light of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). Those who provide any type of service is having to examine their policies carefully.
Courts of Law, the Police and Employment Services who set up Training Courses will often pay for interpreting services. Students may also have a budget for interpreters paid for by government. It is sometimes possible to obtain funding for health related (hospital/dental) or educational issues but this varies, depending on the authorities involved.
The issue of who pays for interpreting services should not be ignored. Fees ought be agreed with the interpreting agency or the interpreter at the time of booking. The Association of Sign Language Interpreters of England, Wales and Northern Ireland (ASLI) publishes a biennial survey of interpreter’s fees. Agencies or Communication Support Units (CSU) may also charge an administration fee.
Interpreter’s professional Terms and Conditions can vary; it is advisable to check before firm commitments are entered into. Usually an interpreting contract will include details concerning cancellation charges. These might be:
- 14 days notice or more - no fee
- less than 14 days notice but more than 7 days - half fee charged
- less than 7 days notice - full fee charged
Should an interpreter find or be offered alternative work, the cancellation fee ought not be charged.
If cancellation by the interpreter due to illness or other unforeseen circumstance would seriously affect an event, it is vital that liability issues are negotiated with the agency/interpreter prior to booking. At present there is no fixed arrangement to deal with this and negotiation and clarification is required.