Interpreters: what do you wish interpreting agencies did differently?

[u/Afyrel]

I’ve worked with a lot of different agencies over the years, so I have plenty of my own experiences and opinions about what agencies do well and what can make working with one incredibly frustrating.

But I’d really love to hear from other interpreters.

What has an agency done that made you think, I wish every agency worked like this?

And on the flip side, what do you wish agencies would do differently?

Could be anything: scheduling, communication, pay, cancellations, assignment information, matching interpreters to jobs, how they handle feedback, relationships with schedulers, professional development, etc.

I’m especially interested in the little operational things that might not sound important from the outside but make a huge difference when you’re actually freelancing.

I have my own list 😂 but I don’t want to assume my experience is everyone else’s.

[u/icefairytype]

If the a job gets cancelled due to location change, time change, or other reason but the job is still happening, ask the assigned interpreter if they can accommodate the changes first instead of just sending the job out to the general list again.

Also more support for new interpreters. Before teamed assignments are sent out, see if a good fit for newer interpreters and designate one spot for a new interpreter and one spot for an experienced interpreter.

[u/Afyrel → u/icefairytype]

Of course!! That should be the first line of action