interpreting assignment time rescheduled on same day Thread poster: nini24
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nini24
United States
Local time: 06:38
English to Chinese
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Hi,
I had an interpreting assignment originally scheduled at 1:30pm but I was notified at around noon that it was rescheduled to 2:45pm.
What are your opinions with regards to the starting time to be invoiced? Thanks.
| | | | Michael Newton 
United States
Local time: 07:38
Japanese to English
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| rescheduling | Jun 21, 2019 |
They contracted for your time starting at 1:30 and they are bound to pay you. Full stop.
| | | | | Rate per Day | Jun 21, 2019 |
You normally charge per day and not per hour!
| | | | Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 12:38
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
| What did you lose? | Jun 21, 2019 |
nini24 wrote:
I had an interpreting assignment originally scheduled at 1:30pm but I was notified at around noon that it was rescheduled to 2:45pm.
What are your opinions with regards to the starting time to be invoiced?
Firstly, it depends on the agreed terms. There should have been terms agreed regarding delay and cancellation if you wanted to claim in that event. I don't normally bother as a translator, except for the cancellation of a very large project (e.g. a book) once started - in which case I don't return partial advance payments.
Was this a telephone assignment, where the loss was minimal as you could just keep working right up until the new start time? Or was it a face-to-face session where you'd already left for the station or got the car on the road? I see those as being very different.
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nini24
United States
Local time: 06:38
English to Chinese
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TOPIC STARTER | it was a "2-hour" interpreting assignment | Jun 21, 2019 |
erika rubinstein wrote:
You normally charge per day and not per hour!
a 2-hour minimum assignment based on my per hour rate
| | | | nini24
United States
Local time: 06:38
English to Chinese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | There is a 24-hour cancellation | Jun 21, 2019 |
[quote]Sheila Wilson wrote:
Firstly, it depends on the agreed terms. There should have been terms agreed regarding delay and cancellation if you wanted to claim in that event. I don't normally bother as a translator, except for the cancellation of a very large project (e.g. a book) once started - in which case I don't return partial advance payments.
Was this a telephone assignment, where the loss was minimal as you could just keep working right up until the new start time? Or was it a face-to-face session where you'd already left for the station or got the car on the road? I see those as being very different.
There was a 24-hour cancellation term, this company always paid for cancellations if notices were given less than 24 hours.
It was a face-to-face session, and I didn't leave for the 1:30pm intended time.
| | | | Tina Vonhof (X)
Canada
Local time: 05:38
Dutch to English
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[quote]nini24 wrote:
Sheila Wilson wrote:
Firstly, it depends on the agreed terms. There should have been terms agreed regarding delay and cancellation if you wanted to claim in that event. I don't normally bother as a translator, except for the cancellation of a very large project (e.g. a book) once started - in which case I don't return partial advance payments.
Was this a telephone assignment, where the loss was minimal as you could just keep working right up until the new start time? Or was it a face-to-face session where you'd already left for the station or got the car on the road? I see those as being very different.
There was a 24-hour cancellation term, this company always paid for cancellations if notices were given less than 24 hours. It was a face-to-face session, and I didn't leave for the 1:30pm intended time.
I agree with Sheila: if you didn't lose anything by leaving later or by returning later and there wasn't any inconvenience or loss of pay involved, I would charge for the 2 hours you had originally agreed on.
| | | | nini24
United States
Local time: 06:38
English to Chinese
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TOPIC STARTER | I am using this opinion | Jun 21, 2019 |
I agree with Sheila: if you didn't lose anything by leaving later or by returning later and there wasn't any inconvenience or loss of pay involved, I would charge for the 2 hours you had originally agreed on.
I will be using Sheila and your suggestion.
I was inclined to charge for the 1:30pm starting time, but this company has been consistantly paying according to my cancellation policy, so if anything, I will only charge for the 2:45pm starting time.
Thanks to all of your precious opinions.
Nini
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Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 12:38
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
| Depends on the future | Jun 21, 2019 |
nini24 wrote:
I was inclined to charge for the 1:30pm starting time, but this company has been consistantly paying according to my cancellation policy, so if anything, I will only charge for the 2:45pm starting time.
If I were working with a penny-pinching agency that had messed me about on numerous occasions and didn't pay well, I'd definitely want every penny/cent I could get this time, and then say goodbye. But these things happen, and if you want to keep working with them and they've been fair in the past, I'd just forget it. It would be totally different if you'd already bought a flight ticket and set your calendar to "unavailable" and they then put it back a week or two.
As an interpreter (which I'm not), I'd be looking at insurance to cover such things. Maybe it doesn't exist, in which case your T&C become very, very important.
By the way, can you find the T&C their clients have to sign? If they're charging their client for the time lost, you really do have every right to claim too - otherwise they're just making money out of your generosity!
| | | | nini24
United States
Local time: 06:38
English to Chinese
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TOPIC STARTER | it was not from an agency | Jun 21, 2019 |
[quote]Sheila Wilson wrote:
By the way, can you find the T&C their clients have to sign? If they're charging their client for the time lost, you really do have every right to claim too - otherwise they're just making money out of your generosity!
Not in this case.
I was entirely in the know of the situation, this was not for an agency, it was for a direct client who engaged me for 2 time slots, one in the morning (from 10am to noon), one in the afternoon (from 1:30pm minimum 2 hours), before the end of the morning session, a few attendees could not come back until 2:45pm, so the afternoon session was recheduled fto 2:45pm.
I lived quite close to that meeting location, so I went home had lunch and went back there for the 2:45pm meeting.
| | | | IrinaN
United States
Local time: 06:38
English to Russian
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| Unacceptable | Jun 23, 2019 |
2 time slots means 4 commutes, no matter how close, and you could not sell your time or do anything useful for yourself in between. Your time from 9:30 am (commute plus an interpreter must show up 15 min before the event) and at least to 4:45 pm was at their disposal. This job should be paid at a daily rate.
| | | | nini24
United States
Local time: 06:38
English to Chinese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | I agree, but on the other hand... | Jun 23, 2019 |
IrinaN wrote:
2 time slots means 4 commutes, no matter how close, and you could not sell your time or do anything useful for yourself in between. Your time from 9:30 am (commute plus an interpreter must show up 15 min before the event) and at least to 4:45 pm was at their disposal. This job should be paid at a daily rate.
Thanks Irina.
The interpreting assignments I get from this direct client are about 80% of the time morning sessions, the other 20% involve both morning and afternoon sessions, most of the morning sessions last about 10 to 15 minutes, at times they did last the whole 2 hours and beyond for which I was paid overtime, and sometimes it lasted for a few minutes. The afternoon sessions are seldom needed after being scheduled but I always get paid.
So I have done 4 commutes and 4 hours work and was paid for 4 hours which happened twice in the past 2 &1/2 years, on the other hand, I have done a few minutes work for 4 hours pay which occured a couple dozen times.
This time change from 1:30pm to 2:45pm happened for the first time with this client, I told the scheduler of the assignment that my intention was going to charge them from 1:30pm, she looked surprised and said she needed to discussed it with her supervisor, I thought I'd poste my question here.
When I get assignments from agencies, whole day assignments are always done with a daily rate.
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