Local interpreter and certified translator

Solicitors, councils, schools, health providers, local businesses and individuals, often through agencies.

Hourly or half-day rates for interpreting, and a fee per document for certified translations. Travel time may be charged separately.

• Fluent spoken and written English and another language
• Staying neutral and professional in sensitive situations
• Good listening and memory
• Local knowledge and reliability

• Public sector and court work often asks for specific qualifications, DBS checks or agency registration, check before applying
• Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
• Certification rules vary by purpose, check what the organisation requesting it will accept
• Emotionally difficult assignments, plan support and breaks
• Travel costs and unpaid waiting time

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around £300 to £2,500, depending on any qualifications, insurance, DBS checks and travel set-up. Check what qualifications or agency registration the work you want asks for.

Monthly revenue is typically around £500 to £3,500 in our estimates, depending on your languages, the assignments you take and your hours. Remember travel costs and unpaid waiting time can reduce what you keep.

Check whether public sector and court work needs specific qualifications, DBS checks or agency registration, arrange professional indemnity and public liability insurance, and confirm what the requesting organisation will accept as certification.