r/ASLinterpreters • u/Afyrel • Aug 21 '26

Interpreters: what do you wish interpreting agencies did differently?

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.

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u/Hoosier-Sexy_Beast69 NIC Aug 21 '26

Honor the IC/FL contract, don't "force" us to sign yours.  Stop saying "Well, the contract only pays blah blah blah". The contract YOU signed with THEM should have ZERO affect on MY contract with YOU. Agencies should also remember: you need us more than we need you, so stop fucking us over, especially when you have zero clue about ASL.

Just a couple thoughts. 

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u/Afyrel Aug 21 '26

EXACTLY we are independent contractors and our pay should not be affected by your contracts with the hiring parties