Fees and Terms and Conditions
Welcome to Echo Interpreting,
Upon receiving a request for an interpreter we will endeavour to provide interpreter/s availability to you within 48 hours. Once an interpreter is confirmed you will be notified and given the name of the interpreter/s you can expect to attend your appointment.
Victoria has a shortage of NAATI qualified Auslan interpreters so it is important to submit your booking requests as early as possible. The more notice that is given for an assignment the more likely it is that we will be able to secure the appropriate interpreter/s. We recommend that wherever possible at least two weeks’ notice is given for any interpreting assignment, as many interpreter are often secured weeks and month in advance.
Echo Interpreting recognises that there are OH&S risks in the form of potential overuse injuries for sign language interpreters. In accordance with industry standards, as endorsed by ASLITA (Australian Sign Language Interpreters and Translators Association) and Occupational Health and Safety guidelines, two interpreters must be allocated for any assignment of/or greater than one hour in length or when the assignment is short but complex.
Echo interpreting booking guidelines stipulate that one interpreter is usually suitable for one on one appointments of 1 hour duration with a 5 -10 minute break determined by the chair in consultation with the interpreter.
Bookings over 1 hour duration that involves 4 or more participants, may require a tandem interpreter to be booked for Occupational Health and Safety reasons and this will be at the discretion of Echo Interpreting.
Alternatively assignments consisting of large groups or complex information under one hour duration may also require a second interpreter and this too will be at the discretion of Echo Interpreting and will be negotiated at the time of booking.
Up to 2 hour appointments will normally require two interpreters.
Interpreters work in tandem to ensure minimal disruption to the flow of the assignment and to prevent risk of injury. If you are unsure please consult with Echo Interpreting at the time of booking.
The interpreting industry stipulates that interpreters need to abide by a code of ethics. In short, this mandates that the interpreter/s:
- Remains confidential
- Is impartial
- Provides services in a professional manner, maintaining appropriate conduct and solidarity to the profession
If any problems arise in relation to our interpreting services please do not hesitate to contact Echo Interpreting to discuss your concerns.
In the event that an interpreter ever feels uncomfortable or threatened in an interpreting assignment Echo Interpreting encourages the interpreter to remove themselves from the situation immediately and contact the booking office for further instructions.
Cancellations
Full payment will be required for any decrease in original booking times or cancellations received less than one full business day (Echo Office hours are 9.00am – 5.00pm Monday to Friday) prior to the commencement of an appointment. (Weekends and public holidays are not deemed as business days). E.g. an appointment commencing at 10.00am on a Thursday cannot be cancelled at 9.00am the day before as one full business day has not been given. The cancellation would have needed to occur prior to 5pm on the Tuesday, Wednesday 9am – 5pm would then be deemed as the “full business day” given prior to the scheduled appointment on Thursday.
Following Occupational Health and Safety standards, in the event that two interpreters are booked for an assignment and one of the interpreters cannot attend for any reason, the remaining interpreter is not necessarily required to continue with the assignment alone. If this situation arises, the interpreter must contact Echo Interpreting immediately! If Echo Interpreting believes that by continuing with the assignment alone there is a risk of injury the interpreter is permitted to leave the assignment and will be paid the full interpreting fee.
Where a client has failed to arrive within 30 minutes of the assignment start time, the interpreter/notetaker/PA is required to ring the booking agency. If Echo Interpreting has not received notification of late attendance, the interpreter/notetaker/PA is permitted to leave the venue and the paying client will incur full costs.
Interstate and country assignments
Any assignments that require either interstate or country travel and that include overnight stays, the paying client will incur
accommodation costs, transfers, flights (if necessary) and fees will be calculated including all time spent travelling to and from
destinations. This includes travelling from home to an airport (and return), time travelling in flight to a destination and return and all hours spent interpreting.
A daily allowance for taxi fares (if necessary) and out of pocket meal expenses will also be charged for any meals not included throughout the assignment. This can be negotiated with Echo Interpreting at the time of booking.
Schedule of Interpreting fees and conditions
All interpreting bookings are charged at a minimum of two hours. Time thereafter is charged in 15 minute increments
INTERPRETING
Business hours (8am to 6pm) – $125.00 per hour (2 hour minimum charge) excl GST
After hours (before 8am and after 6pm) – $150.00 per hour (2 hour minimum charge) excl GST
Additional 20% will be charged for Saturday bookings
Additional 30% will be charged for Sundays and public holiday bookings
Additional 10% will be charged for court bookings
Additional 10% will be charged for conference bookings and payment of 1 hour per conference day preparation time per interpreter will be required for each conference assignment.
URGENT LAST MINUTE BOOKING REQUESTS
Requests received within 12 business hours of the booking start time will be charged at an additional 20% of the full booking fee
NOTETAKING
Business hours (8am to 6pm) – $70.00 per hour (2 hour minimum charge) excl GST
After hours (before 8am and after 6pm) – $84.00 per hour (2 hour minimum charge) excl GST
Additional 20% will be charged for Saturday bookings
Additional 30% will be charged for Sundays and public holiday bookings
Additional 10% will be charged for court bookings
PARTICIPATION ASSISTANTS
Business hours (8am to 6pm) – $75.00 per hour (2 hour minimum charge) excl GST
After hours (before 8am and after 6pm) – $90.00 per hour (2 hour minimum charge) excl GST
Additional 20% will be charged for Saturday bookings
Additional 30% will be charged for Sundays and public holiday bookings
Additional 10% will be charged for court bookings
NDIS BOOKINGS
$132.00 per hour (2 hour minimum charge)
Appointments that cross over from standard hourly rate into the after hour rate will be charged as such E.g 7am – 9am appointment will be charged as 1 hour standard and one hour after hours.
Payment
Invoices are to be paid either by cheque made out to Echo Interpreting or directly into the nominated bank account within 14 days.
In the event that an interpreter, notetaker or participation assistant ever feels uncomfortable or threatened in an interpreting
assignment Echo Interpreting encourages the support staff to remove themselves from the situation immediately and contact the booking office for further instructions.
For NDIS Bookings
We encourage clients to send us a copy of their NDIS plan for our records.
Please notify Echo Interpreting immediately if your NDIS plan changes or is suspended. You can email info@echointerpreting.com.au
Ensuring there are enough NDIS funds to cover bookings is the responsibility of the individual making the booking. If you have insufficient NDIS funds to cover your booking, it will still be invoiced to you accordingly.
If you are unsatisfied with any aspect of the supports provided you can contact Echo Interpreting on info@echointerpreting.com.au to discuss a solution.
For self-managed participants an invoice will be emailed within 5-7 days of the booking date.
Travel costs
Any assignment outside 40km from Melbourne CBD (calculated from Bourke Street) will incur travel time and mileage charges. Travel time is charged at the regular hourly rate and mileage is calculated at 85c per km.
An initial estimate of the travel time and mileage amounts is calculated using www.whereis.com
This is done to give both Echo Interpreting and the client an estimate of the total costs involved. However if travel time and mileage amounts exceed the initial estimate due to road works, traffic, etc, the greater amount will be used to replace the initial estimate for invoicing purposes.
In the event that a booking has a scheduled length of less than 2 hours, any travel time will be deducted until the 2 hour minimum booking time is met. Thereafter any travel time will be paid in addition to the minimum 2 hour booking fee.
Echo Interpreting will always pay travel time and mileage to all interpreters/notetakers from the CBD to any job location outside 40km from the CBD, regardless of the interpreters’ location.