FAQ, etc:
 This is where I try to answer questions about my simultaneous, telephonic, conference, court and general interpreting services
What new email? All emails of the form prefix@portugueseinterpreter.com
have changed to prefix@jhenryphillips.com. The mail form always works.
How does this work ? Tell me how many interpreters you want to do what, when and where, and I will send you a bid.
Will you bill me later? New customers whose address and particulars are verifiable may qualify for credit or a lower retainer.
What do you charge per hour? For non-telephonic interpreting in other towns I charge days. In Austin or Curitiba I might bid a half-day once I know the venue address.
What is your conference interpreting rate? That depends on where, and on who is asking. Your best bet is to ask for a bid on a specific assignment with a known location, subject matter, etc. Sometimes I am in Brazil, other times Stateside.
We want you for district court work. I am in the NCID database, and the info there should match my phone link at this website. Otherwise, let me know and I will ask for corrections.
Do you mind talking to my Brazilian colleague? Not at all. One important company screened and hired me and my response was: I must say I was pleased to be screened. I have been stuck in the booth with non-interpreters in the past and imagined better stewardship of company resources and image could well have been exercised. It reassures me that the event is well-planned and will be competently put on. In a way I pity your competitors. Then again, your example will improve the industry once they realize they have no alternative but to follow your lead. So thanks for raising the bar, and I'm confident your stockholders will also appreciate your efforts.
Will you to pay for lodging and bill me later for that?
  If I do it will certainly cost an extra fee. It is cheaper to prepay me the lodging cost.
Is the equipment included?
Some, but maybe not all of it. Extra receivers are not very expensive to add, and equipment makes the work go more than twice as fast, with fewer errors.
Is there equipment enough for 20 people?
 Yes. For larger meetings, however, I have to make arrangements to rent additional equipment. Any lost units must be replaced.
What about additional languages? I can hire one of the local Spanish interpreters I've known for years if you need Portuguese and Spanish, and I have an extra tabletop digital transmitter. I do not, however, provide languages I don't understand. I am also not a real sound engineer, but if you need an agency I can recommend someone.
How do I pay for telephonic interpreting? In advance, in 10-minute increments--at least that's the least expensive way. I send an electronic invoice that accepts credit card payment. This takes about five minutes to do. You set up the conference call and I answer the phone and interpret.
Suppose I don't pay in advance? I look in databases to see if other interpreters consider you a good risk. If so I send my own bid for you to sign, which bid contains an integrating clause, and if relevant, my own NDA. In the case of a new language company I still charge a retainer and the rate is about twice or three times as high.
What if I want you to make the call? Extra stuff costs extra. So my dialing out doubles the cost, credit doubles the cost, bureaucratic paperwork doubles the cost
What if nobody answers? If you run into trouble making the call and wish to cancel, I will issue you a refund. That takes less than two minutes.
Will a desktop speakerphone work for meetings? If I am in my office it probably won't work, though we can test it to find out. If I am at the meeting with the Portuguese speakers it has a better chance of working, but those speakers and microphones are not very good for interpretation.
Brazilian Translated Home  ¦   Portuguese Interpreter Home ¦ Tradutor Americano Home