1. Compensation for travel time: Compensation for travel time on the day before the meeting starts (if the meeting begins early in the morning), or on the day after the final meeting day (KRW 400,000 per day)
2. Business trip allowance: KRW 200,000
3. Accommodation: For domestic trips, KRW 200,000 per day is provided to cover accommodation and meals (KRW 200,000 for Jeju Island).
In general, accommodation is provided by the organizer. If the organizer provides lodging (single room occupancy), the accommodation allowance will be deducted.
4. Non-interpretation days: If the stay outside Seoul includes days with no interpretation work, KRW 400,000 per day will be charged as an interpreter standby fee.
5. Transportation: For domestic travel, the interpreter must be able to reach the destination using the fastest available means of transportation, and the round-trip transportation cost shall be borne by the organizer. For destinations without an airport, the organizer is expected to provide KTX train tickets.
As conference interpreters generally study a wide range of topics and terminology on an ongoing basis, they can usually prepare for a meeting adequately within about one week.
However, in the case of highly specialized subject matter, interpreters may need additional time to overview materials in the relevant field, conduct further research, or in some cases consult with experts in order to fully understand the background. For that reason, it is ideal to allow sufficient time for preparation.
It is helpful to provide materials such as speeches, presentation slides, paper abstracts, and the speakers’ exact titles and biographies in advance. For online meetings, prerecorded videos and scripts are also highly useful. If it is difficult to share presentation materials beforehand, providing at least a summary of the key points to be covered will still help ensure the highest possible quality of interpretation.
A graduate degree from Graduate School of Interpretation and Translation is generally regarded as the equivalent of a professional credential.
All interpreters and translators affiliated with SOTONG are graduates of such programs.
Depending on the length and complexity of the meeting, three simultaneous interpreters may be assigned.
For online interpretation, it is also possible to conduct the pre-meeting online, which can additionally be used to review the meeting access procedure and check the network connection in advance.
The cancellation fee is therefore charged as compensation for the interpreter’s loss of time and income resulting from the cancellation.
Cancellation fees are as follows:
• 4–7 days before: 30% of the interpretation fee
• 2–3 days before: 40% of the interpretation fee
• 1 day before: 50% of the interpretation fee
• Same day: 100% of the interpretation fee
When interpretation is recorded or broadcast, the psychological burden on the interpreter increases accordingly. In addition, because the interpreted content may be replayed repeatedly through broadcasting or online platforms, the interpreter must work with an even greater degree of care and attention. For this reason, any recording or broadcasting of the interpretation must be disclosed to the interpreter in advance, and the corresponding additional fee must be paid.
Recently, in online video conferences, it has become increasingly common for the interpreter’s audio to be streamed via platforms such as YouTube. Please note that in such cases, an additional charge equal to 100% of the interpretation fee will apply.
Interpretation time is calculated from the official start of the event requiring interpretation to its conclusion.
This includes break times.
The only exception is a one-hour lunch break, which is excluded from the calculation. Therefore, interpretation time is generally counted from the start to the end of the event, excluding only the one-hour lunch break.
However, if interpretation is required during the meal period, that time is also included in the interpretation time.
Even if there is a session in the middle of the day during which interpretation is not required, it is still counted as interpretation time if the interpreter must remain on site for the afternoon session and is therefore unable to take on other work.
For online meetings, additional equipment may be required, such as a modular interpretation booth (if needed), one laptop per interpreter, a wired internet connection, headsets, etc.
In such cases, interpretation is typically carried out either from the organizer’s office or from the interpreter’s home.
Please note that for online interpretation, an additional recording or streaming fee will apply if the interpreter’s audio is recorded or broadcast.
AIIC’s standards are widely recognized by the international conference interpreting profession and are used globally as common guidelines for interpretation practice.
In most cases, an intermediate translation process is used, such as Foreign Language A → Korean, followed by Korean → Foreign Language B.
An accurate quotation can only be provided after reviewing the source document to be translated.
Translators are selected based on their professional translation experience, with preference given to those who are well suited to the subject matter, such as experienced translators or those with relevant academic backgrounds. Translator résumés can be provided upon request.
Translation requests are accepted during business hours, from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. For urgent projects, an express surcharge of up to 50% may apply.
