How do you feel about Terps

Etoile said:
"So You Wanna" is great, highly recommended even if it is expensive.

I don't remember if I am allowed to talk about my salary or not according to my agency, but I will say that it is in the $30k-45k range. Again, though, I live in DC where demand is very high. If I were working in VRS I could probably make even more. I am pretty sure most interpreters who work for my company are also in the same salary range, with the VRS terps making a little more maybe.

Does that help, Gobae?
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Hmm, interesting

in PA, educational interpreter earns between $8.40 to $12 per hour
RID interpreter earns approximately $35 per hour

In CA, (San Francisco, to be specific), RID terps earn about $45 per hour

(they told me their hourly salary)
 
Oddball said:
In CA, (San Francisco, to be specific), RID terps earn about $45 per hour

(they told me their hourly salary)
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Okay, but in what setting? General freelance? Medical? Legal? VRS? Educational?

No one at the educational institutions where I work makes even close to that, RID-certified or otherwise.

SmiLe ImL said:
Don't forget plus how many mile per gallon they earn.
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I also don't get mileage in my regular job and it's a 45-minute drive each way. Please be careful about generalizing.
 
I do know that the interpreters were getting paid over 30$ hourly in educational setting in San Diego back in 2003.
and they were getting their mileage paid as well.

It's a different economy in SAn Diego than in Iowa so the salary across the nation shouldn't be compared unless you include the housing prices and the living wage.
 
Gobae said:
Yeah, so? That's the same for almost ANY non-union or non-civil service job. And yet, most industries manage give ball park figures to the general public, even if those figures have a wide range. Come on, SOME info about terping salary is better than nothing. :shrug:
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You've seen the ranges here, and how varied they are. Interpreters salaries are MUCH more varied than others. One big reason is because the interpreting field has not been around long at all. There has been a demand for terps probably in every community in history, maybe with the exception of Martha's Vineyard for a time, but it wasn't until the ADA in 1990 that anyone was legally obligated to hire terps. The field of ASL interpreting -beyond CODAs- has been around less than 50 years. I know you are looking for a solid range...but considering many places people are still volunteer interpreting while in others they are getting highly paid with benefits, you aren't gonna find one. How many civil jobs in America do you know of that the majority of Americans won't know of or accept or even believe is a job? Sign Language/Spoken Language interpreting is a very unique field.
 
Sorry, I guess I'm getting misunderstood again.

I've already gotten an answer regarding terp salaries in my area, after much difficulty. Unfortunately, I discovered that it was not enough to do go into the field, despite the fact that it's one of the things I think I really love to do.

I was commenting on:

1) I think its very strange that this info is so "guarded"
2) I don't buy the arguement that you can't get an accurate answer because the job is has so many variables. (It seems to break down easily into less than 6 areas)
3) I would think that making salary info more available, would either help get more people into the field (if the salary was high) OR point out the need for better pay (if the salaray was low).

That was all. Thanks.
 
Gobae said:
1) I think its very strange that this info is so "guarded"
2) I don't buy the arguement that you can't get an accurate answer because the job is has so many variables. (It seems to break down easily into less than 6 areas)
3) I would think that making salary info more available, would either help get more people into the field (if the salary was high) OR point out the need for better pay (if the salaray was low).
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I completely agree that salary information should be more available. It's odd considering Deaf culture and sharing information like that is a benefit for everyone.
 
Oh, I didn't think of this one modern technology at the VRS don't need a payment for the mileage. I only know one thing for the terp service have to go to where deaf person makes an appt at the placement, so that u get a paid both of mileage n' hourly salary. That's what I heard from my friend told me, his boss complained at work finding out that two services have two different prices for the terps earn too much money abt avg. over $100 to $200.
 
Pretty interesting thread here.

I am happy with most interpreters except one... I asked Agency to delete her in my wish list.

I am befriend with few of interpreters... They know how to separate friendship and duty when they involve with deafies.





Reba said:
I don't get paid mileage for most of my jobs.
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Here in Germany, Agencies, court, Insurance companies, Employer etc are obligate to pay the cost of mileage, drive time, etc for interpreters.


 
Gobae said:
Sorry, I guess I'm getting misunderstood again.

I've already gotten an answer regarding terp salaries in my area, after much difficulty. Unfortunately, I discovered that it was not enough to do go into the field, despite the fact that it's one of the things I think I really love to do.

I was commenting on:

1) I think its very strange that this info is so "guarded"
2) I don't buy the arguement that you can't get an accurate answer because the job is has so many variables. (It seems to break down easily into less than 6 areas)
3) I would think that making salary info more available, would either help get more people into the field (if the salary was high) OR point out the need for better pay (if the salaray was low).

That was all. Thanks.
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For further reference, you could go to Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition

That website and handbook has salary figures for every career out there.
 
Gobae said:
2) I don't buy the arguement that you can't get an accurate answer because the job is has so many variables. (It seems to break down easily into less than 6 areas)
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Then you haven't thought about it enough. It varies by type of work, qualification level, and geographical location. Even within the "type of work" variable there are differentials. An elementary school interpreter in Wyoming, who doesn't have any official certification, is going to get paid a lot less than a legal interpreter in Rochester NY who is fully certified. Seriously, there are too many variables to say "interpreters make this amount" with any accuracy.
 
I rarely have any problem with my terps here.

I like all of them, but one of the terps is unqualified. I get picky when it comes to stuff like that, so I didn't have her this year.

I like all my terps from 2004 thru now though.
 
The only thing I can say that is the terps have their own choices. Whether they want to become part of the VRS system or not. If they do thats fine by me. If they create shortages, thats fine by me too because I can take advantage of this in the legal platform and train more 'terps' to take up the slack and theyre getting paid as much as $105 an hour from our subcontracts.

And thats why youre not going to see me bitch about the terp situation anymore, per se.

Richard
 
I had a shitty interpreter yesterday. :(

But I requested a different one for next week so it should go better. :)
 
Recently not that long ago I called to VRS on emergency, terp misunderstand what I said when I signed to her after translating she talked to third party I caught her lipreading n' sign language, she didn't follow exactly what I said. She said sorry, she made a mistake. I tho I was right knowing their way I can't trust their sign lang. That's why I never like terps at all only few of 'em are talented that's becuz their parents are deaf, it depends what kind of sign language they are from. And even, some of my deaf friends got misunderstand what terps said it's not that easy to understand them while I heard a voice speaker real loud I can understand what they talk about, my deaf friend asked me to interpreter for him becuz they sign different not like pure sign language. Then why do we continue have terps all along life for half century? We need to change for the better to use by Hi-Tech Textcaption Translator.
 
There are excellent interpreters who are not CODAs, and there are CODAs who are terrible interpreters.
 
Etoile said:
There are excellent interpreters who are not CODAs, and there are CODAs who are terrible interpreters.
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True. There's more involved in interpreting than just fluency in the language.
 
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