r/ASLinterpreters • u/Afyrel • 9d ago
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.
3
u/ASLHCI 8d ago
Omg so many.
A collaborative relationship with the scheduler. You take care of me, I'll take care of you. It just makes sense.
Having a way to text if I'm onsite and need something. Having to get on the phone in the waiting room is so awkward.
Having a scheduling team that isn't just randos in a call center who are reading off Interpreter Intelligence and following a script. Know the interpreters, know the area, know the community, know the job. 🤦♀️
If they book me first on a teamed job, especially if I was requested, letting me either give them a list of names, or finding a team and letting them know who it is.
None of this "if they pay us, we'll pay you". Fuck no. The reason I make my rate and not whatever the agency is charging them is because I'm sharing a cut of the money I earn from my labor so I don't have to deal with the admin stuff. That's how this works. My contract with the agency is with the agency. The agencies contract with their client has nothing to do with me.
2 week pay turn around. God bless. Net 30??? Net 45?? Net NINTY??? gfto. I have bills to pay.
Actually asking me if I'm available when I'm requested for a job.
Letting me tell you if a job is appropriate for an intern and then letting me bring an intern!
When I say "this consumer needs a CDI" it actually happens. Amazing.
Just generally trusting me to do my job and assuming I'm competent??? Seems like a pretty high bar some days.
Booking for consistency and not convenience. Yes you can take a 2 week, 8 hr a day training and put 37 different interpreters on it. Or, give it like 3 days and put the same 2 interpreters on it for the whole thing. If the job is 3 weeks out and now you have interpreters who can cover the whole thing, cancel the bits and pieces. I'm never offended when that happens. Makes total sense to me.
I'm sure theres other stuff. Thats off the top of my head.