Assignments do get cancelled sometimes, unfortunately. In that case, a cancellation fee paid to interpreters is common, and here is why:
Interpreters prepare diligently for an event. Sometimes, it takes several days of reading agendas, reports, glossaries, and online sources to prepare for a 1 hour event. Preparation time is required even for seemingly simple topics and is included into interpreters’ daily rates. It would be grossly negligent and highly unprofessional to come to an assignment unprepared.
If an event is cancelled or dates are changed, “lucrum cessans” (lost income) practice dictates that interpreters receive a cancellation fee for the time they spent preparing and for the income that was lost.
The amount of the cancellation fee is stipulated in the contract and can reach 100%. The reason being that it is next to impossible to find a replacement assignment at short notice.
Cancellation fees can be progressive depending on when the event is cancelled or postponed.
I will in any case inform the client if I have been able to find a replacement job and will reduce the cancellation fee accordingly.
