Fees and Expenses

Freelance Language Service Professionals (LSPs) negotiate their own fees and expenses.

Lipspeakers may be called upon to undertake complex and specialist assignments, for example, in the criminal justice system, higher education, or working in business meetings or at conferences. It is often necessary for them to prepare papers in advance and travel long distances to fulfill assignments. In such circumstances lipspeakers are accustomed to negotiating appropriate remuneration with the agencies involved. This will also apply to areas such as unsocial hours (evenings, weekends and bank holidays).

Lipspeakers may charge daily or half-daily rates or by the hour, depending on the duration of the assignment and on other factors such as the complexity of the assignment and the traveling involved. A minimum call out charge equivalent to three hours is usual. For short assignments further afield a half day fee may be required. Hourly rates for Level Two Lipspeakers are likely be around £18.00 per hour and for Level Three Lipspeakers around £25.00 per hour. These figures are given for guidance only; it will always be necessary to contact individual lipspeakers to ascertain the fees that they would charge for a particular assignment.

For long, complex or specialist meetings or meetings with a large audience it is recommended practice to employ two lipspeakers.

Expenses

Most organisations recommend the use of public transport where possible. Standard class rail fares are common. Where cars are used rates often vary according to the size of the engine. In all cases lipspeakers and those who employ them should agree on the fare to pay beforehand.

A meal allowance may be payable according to the length of the assignment and distance to be traveled. For assignments lasting longer than one day overnight accommodation may be required.

Due to the shortage of lipspeakers, members of the Association of Lipspeakers are often working a long way from home and are careful to do all they can to keep their travel costs to a minimum.

Cancellation charges

In the event of a cancellation, the following charges are usual:

If the notice is 10 working days or more	No charge
If the notice is less than 10 working days and more than 5 working days	Half charge
If the notice is 5 working days or less	Full charge

Service providers are responsible for the cost of providing lipspeaker support for users of public sector services such as education, health, local authority and the legal system.

Under the Disability Discrimination Act, employers should provide lipspeaker support for interviews, appraisals, meetings and training courses.

This article was last updated 17 March 2007