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Interpreting

Interpreting Services

One client, amazed, said, "It's like I was having a conversation with the other person as though we were both speaking the same language and could understand each other!"

I am an independent interpreter. I am not affiliated with L&I (they do not pay the interpreter anything when the patient no-shows) or DSHS (too many people take a cut before the interpreter gets paid). If you hire me, you hire me directly. (I will also work, directly, for agencies who will pay well, and within 30 days.)

I keep service and billing as direct and simple as possible. I bill by quarter hours from the time you ask me to be there until the time I am able to leave. My travel time is billed at the same rate, per MapQuest round trip travel times, from my office (downtown Olympia) to your location. (No travel time billed if you are on Lilly Road or downtown Olympia.)

Unlike most interpreters, I do not charge a minimum amount of time, so the faster you can get me in and out, the less you pay!! Regular rates are $80 per hour ($20 per quarter hour). For non-profit organizations, schools, or governments, I charge $60 per hour ($15 per quarter hour). 1-15 minutes is billed as one quarter hour; 16-30 minutes, half hour; 31-45 minutes, three-quarter hour, and 46-60 minutes, one hour. Travel and interpreting time are billed separately. I have no one-hour, two-hour, or four-hour minimums; you only pay for the amount of my time that you use (from arrival time to departure time, plus travel time per MapQuest). I do charge for one hour in the case of a patient or client no-show or other cancellation, but this can be avoided by calling me before I leave for the appointment. Because I interpret simultaneously, and not consecutively, I am much faster than most interpreters.

[Anatomy atlases, Shorter OED, DRAE, Navarro, Collins Spanish Unabridged, REDES, CLAVE, American Heritage Spanish Dictionary, Spanish thesaurus]

When you start adding up the hourly pay of everyone in the meeting, it is easy to see why my ability to interpret simultaneously can save you money.

Most of my interpreting experience is with one-on-one or small-group interpreting (medical appointments, emergency room interpreting, parent-teacher conferences, lawyer-client meetings, individual education plan (IEP) meetings). I do also occasionally interpret larger meetings using interpreting headsets. I do not, however, own a set of interpreting headsets. (If you need them, they would need to be rented somewhere.)

I am certified as a Spanish Medical Interpreter by DSHS. I am not, however, court certified at any level and prefer not to work in a courtroom setting. I can interpret a deposition, if needed, but a court-certified interpreter would tend to be better for that. My strengths are medical interpreting and educational interpreting.

There are two main modes of interpreting—consecutive (afterwards) and simultaneous (at the same time). My preferred mode is simultaneous. Sometimes it may take a minute for the people I am interpreting for to get used to this, because I am talking at the same time they are, but once they do, they find it is far more natural for everyone involved. One client, amazed, said, "It's like I was having a conversation with the other person as though we were both speaking the same language and could understand each other!" Um, yeah.

Additionally, with simultaneous interpreting, what would normally have been a one-hour meeting in English, will turn out to be perhaps a one-hour-and-five minute meeting. With consecutive interpreting, however, it might take two hours! When you start adding up the hourly pay of everyone in the meeting, it is easy to see why my ability to interpret simultaneously can save you money.

Telephone interpretation can be another possibility, but that should really be limited to things like setting and cancelling appointments. I really discourage its use for medical appointments, especially. An interpreter in the room with a patient and a medical professional can see when someone starts looking confused and can see when a patient is pointing to a certain part of the body while saying "here" at the same time the doctor or nurse is looking instead at the notes they are taking. An interpreter on the telephone can not see either of these.

To request an interpreting appointment, please e-mail or call with three possible dates and times that will work for you, along with the meeting location and your telephone number.

You can call us between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Los Angeles time (noon - midnight, Eastern Time; 1800 - 0600 h, Central European Time)—or other times if it is for an emergency room appointment only. If I am driving or with another client, please leave a message, and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Thank you!

Chris Marquardt
Spanish Pronto
Olympia, Washington, USA

Washington State Certified Translator (English to Spanish)
Washington State Certified Medical Interpreter (English < > Spanish)

+1 360 951 5755
translations@spanishpronto.com

Hours: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m., Pacific Time (noon - midnight, Eastern Time; 1800 - 0600 h, Central European Time)

Location: Olympia, Washington, USA (just 60 miles south of Seattle, Washington [2800 miles west of Washington D.C.])

American Express, MasterCard (Maestro), VISA, Discover, and UnionPay welcome

+1 360 951 5755
translations@spanishpronto.com