1. Agreement and Purpose
1.1
These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") are the agreement between Lingua GM C.I.C ("Lingua GM") and the freelance interpreter ("the Interpreter") for all assignments the Interpreter undertakes through Lingua GM.
1.2
No change to these Terms is valid unless Lingua GM approves it in writing.
1.3
These Terms do not create an employment relationship. The Interpreter is an independent freelancer.
1.4
The Interpreter is not entitled to paid leave for sickness, injury, holiday or any other reason.
2. Assignments
2.1
Lingua GM is not obliged to offer the Interpreter any work. There may be periods when no assignments are available.
2.2
Once the Interpreter accepts an assignment, Lingua GM will send an assignment confirmation with the relevant details.
2.3
The Interpreter must provide interpreting services to Lingua GM's clients ("Providers") at the location and time stated in the assignment confirmation.
3. Payments
3.1
For face-to-face, telephone and video assignments, the Interpreter is paid for the period stated in the assignment confirmation, once the Interpreter has accepted the job and received that confirmation.
3.2
Payment is processed at the end of the month, after the Interpreter marks the job as completed on their own profile in the app. The system generates an automated invoice for the Interpreter.
3.3
Payment rates:
| Assignment type |
Rate |
| Scheduled face-to-face |
£20.00 per hour, plus £0.45 per mile for travel to the booking destination only. (one way) |
| Scheduled telephone or video |
£17.50 per hour |
| On-demand call |
£0.29 per minute, for time spent on the call only |
3.4
Rates for specialist roles or rare languages are subject to approval by Lingua GM management.
3.5
Face-to-face assignments are paid at the usual rate for the scheduled duration. Any overtime is paid in 15-minute increments.
3.6
For scheduled remote assignments, the fixed hourly rate applies to the first hour. Any additional time is paid in 15-minute increments.
4. Cancellations and Delays
4.1
Cancellation by a Provider (face-to-face). If a Provider cancels on the day of the booking, or with less than 24 hours' notice, the Interpreter is paid for the scheduled duration. Travel expenses are paid only if the Interpreter had already travelled to the venue.
4.2
Cancellation by a Provider (telephone or video). If a Provider cancels with less than 4 hours' notice, the Interpreter is paid for 1 hour, or for the scheduled duration if that is shorter than 1 hour.
4.3
Cancellation by the Interpreter. The Interpreter must notify Lingua GM in writing if they cannot attend an assignment, as follows:
| Assignment type |
Minimum written notice |
| Telephone or video |
24 hours, or 1 business day |
| Face-to-face |
48 hours, or 2 business days |
4.4
If the Interpreter cancels with less notice than required, they must pay a penalty fee of £30 per cancellation. After three such cancellations, Lingua GM will deactivate the Interpreter's account, even if the penalty fees have been paid.
4.5
Delays. If the Interpreter is on the way to a face-to-face assignment and cannot arrive on time because of unforeseen circumstances, they must immediately inform Lingua GM management or the booking team at
admin@linguagm.com.
5. Professional Standards and Fair Treatment
5.1
Impartiality. The Interpreter must always be, and be seen to be, impartial. Any perception of bias may compromise the role.
5.2
Integrity. The Interpreter must act with honesty, fairness and impartiality on every assignment, and must not be improperly influenced by self-interest or the interests of others.
5.3
The Interpreter must only accept assignments they are certain they can fulfil.
5.4
Performance. Lingua GM expects a consistently high standard of service. Poor performance, including poor timekeeping or punctuality, whether a single incident or repeated, may lead to a formal warning. If the standard is not met, Lingua GM may place the Interpreter's services on hold or deactivate their account.
5.5
Lingua GM will act promptly on any alleged inappropriate conduct, in the interests of the organisation, the Interpreter, the parties involved and the public.
5.6
Professional code. All Interpreters working with Lingua GM must follow the government and NRPSI (National Register of Public Service Interpreters) Code of Professional Conduct. The Interpreter must act with integrity, uphold the standards of the profession, and avoid conduct that could bring NRPSI or the profession into disrepute.
5.7
Convictions and cautions. The Interpreter must report to Lingua GM without delay any unspent conviction (as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974) or caution received in the UK or overseas. Lingua GM will follow its disciplinary procedure and consider all the circumstances.
5.8
The Interpreter must not knowingly or negligently act in a way likely to harm the profession, NRPSI, or the status of NRPSI registrants and officers. This does not limit lawful free expression and reasonable debate, or any definable professional duty or clear public interest.
5.9
The Interpreter must not accept or carry out work that:
- might make them liable to prosecution or civil liability;
- would breach the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
- would directly or indirectly breach the Code, even if Lingua GM or a Provider instructs them to.
5.10
Complaints. The Interpreter must respond promptly to any complaint Lingua GM forwards to them, and must assist the NRPSI Professional Conduct Committee and Disciplinary Committee with any investigation.
5.11
The Interpreter is solely responsible for their own conduct and work at each booking.
6. Confidentiality and Intellectual Property
6.1
The Interpreter must treat as confidential all information they obtain through an assignment, including working practices and client lists. They must not disclose it to any third party unless Lingua GM instructs them to, and only where disclosure is lawful and does not infringe anyone's rights.
6.2
The Interpreter must not take advantage of information obtained during or because of their work.
6.3
The duty of confidentiality continues after an assignment ends and, where appropriate, after the Interpreter's registration ends. It does not apply where the law requires disclosure.
6.4
The Interpreter must make sure that anyone they consult, such as a checker or reviser, also keeps the work confidential, and must consult in a way that protects confidentiality.
6.5
Any document from a statutory body, the NHS or a government body that is given to Lingua GM for translation remains the intellectual property of that body. It must not be shared outside Lingua GM without that body's prior written consent.
6.6
Lingua GM keeps all interpreter data encrypted on a secure database.
7. Obligations to Lingua GM and Providers
In this section, "Principal" means Lingua GM or the Provider the Interpreter is working for.
7.1
Quality and honesty
- Produce work of the highest standard, and tell the Principal about anything that may affect that standard.
- Interpret truly and faithfully, without adding, omitting or changing anything. A summary may be given only in exceptional circumstances and only if requested.
- Do not interrupt, pause or intervene except to ask for clarification, to point out that a party may have misunderstood or assumed something, to flag a possible missed cultural reference, or to flag anything that impairs interpreting (such as poor seating, sight lines, audibility or lack of breaks).
7.2
Competence
- Accept only work within your linguistic and specialist competence. This includes an advanced, idiomatic command of the languages, awareness of relevant dialects, any specialist skills needed, and a suitable understanding of the cultural and political context.
- Interpret only between the languages you are registered for, except in exceptional circumstances.
- Understand the procedures and terminology of the setting you work in, and follow any special rules or protocols that apply.
- If you struggle with a dialect, technical term or lack background knowledge and cannot resolve it, tell all relevant parties and withdraw.
7.3
Impartiality and conflicts of interest
- Disclose at once any financial or other interest, or any other factor that could affect your objectivity or make it inappropriate to accept the work.
- Disclose at once if the interviewee or their immediate family is known or related to you.
- Do not discriminate or show preference on grounds of religion or belief, race, politics, gender, age, sexual orientation or disability, beyond what is needed to transfer meaning faithfully.
- Do not accept any inducement or reward, in cash or otherwise, other than payment from the Principal.
7.4
Reliability
- Carry out work by the agreed dates and terms, and tell the Principal in good time of any delay or need to change them.
- Except in exceptional circumstances, do not withdraw from or fail to complete an accepted assignment without reasonable notice to Lingua GM.
7.5
Subcontracting and delegation
- Do not subcontract or delegate work, or accept delegated work, without the prior consent of Lingua GM's directors and, where practicable, the Principal's written consent.
- Only recommend another person if you have good reason to believe they are competent and bound by this Code or a comparable one, and only at the directors' discretion.
7.6
Clients and non-solicitation
- Do not contact, or give a means of contacting you to, a Provider's clients without Lingua GM's express agreement.
- Do not approach, or accept offers of independent work from, Lingua GM's Providers. Doing so may end your contract with Lingua GM.
- Tell Lingua GM about any such offer you receive, to keep things transparent and avoid conflicts of interest.
8. Declaration and Consent
To start receiving and completing bookings with Lingua GM C.I.C, the Interpreter must tick each box below and return this document.
·
I agree to respect and follow all these Terms and Conditions.
·
I agree that whenever I make a non-emergency last minute cancellation, I will pay the £30 penalty fee.
Questions:
admin@linguagm.com
