to book interpreting services
email: kyrapollitt@gmail.com
My most frequent language combination is English (L1) and British Sign Language (L2). I have practiced this combination in a wide variety of domains, nationally and internationally. I have particular expertise in literary, performing and visual arts; television and media; conferences; politics; education; and employment.
I have a PhD on poetics in natural sign languages, and am a published English language poet. I am qualified to teach English to adults (CELTA).
I have functionality in International Sign (L3), and limited functionality in French (L4). I have previously studied German (L5), Spanish (L6) and Latin (L7).
I am registered with the National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and DeafBlind People (NRCPD). My registration ID is 1000377.
I hold a valid PVG certificate, issued through Disclosure Scotland.
I hold Professional Indemnity Insurance through the Association of Sign Language Interpreters (ASLI), and Public Liability Insurance through EQUITY.
terms and conditions
Every interpreter, or interpreting agency, will offer their own terms and conditions. My terms and conditions are drawn from best practice across the field and reflect my extensive experience and my international reputation as a highly skilled practitioner. They are set out below:
Definitions
'Interpreter' is the person (‘I’, ‘me’) who performs the act of interpreting/translation between spoken or written English and British Sign Language (BSL) in a professional capacity.
‘Client’ (‘you’, ‘your’) is any party or intermediary engaging the services of the interpreter, and having responsibility for her remuneration.
‘Participant’ describes any individual engaging in communication during the assignment.
‘Assignment’ is any period, or set of consecutive periods, of interpreting for one specific purpose or event.
Services
I will provide interpretation/translation between spoken or written English (L1) and British Sign Language (‘BSL’; L2), or such other language combinations as are described and agreed when an assignment is accepted.
Additional or alternative services will only be provided with express agreement, and subject to a negotiation of fees.
Confirmation
Bookings are usually confirmed by text message or by email prior to the assignment. Occasionally confirmation may be made by verbal agreement, and this shall be honoured and binding in the same way as written agreement.
Once a booking is confirmed, these terms and conditions will apply, and you become wholly liable for:
Ø remuneration of my services, and
Ø reimbursement of any expenses incurred by me in connection with the assignment, whether or not interpreting services are in fact provided.
In the event of no Deaf participants being present at the assignment, the contract will be considered fulfilled and I will not be obligated to continue.
Preparation
A well prepared interpreter/translator can provide a higher standard of service to participants.
As much information as possible should be provided as soon as possible, prior to the assignment. Examples of useful materials include:
Ø names of participants
Ø programmes, agendas, previous minutes, reports
Ø briefing papers, speakers notes, motions
Ø maps, photographs, diagrams, slides, or other visual materials
If it is not possible to provide preparatory materials, a briefing meeting may be arranged. Briefing meetings should be remunerated at the agreed rate/ the rate given below.
Confidentiality and conduct
I work to a Code of Conduct, which includes strict confidentiality of all materials pertaining to an assignment.
I will return or shred all hard copy materials, ensure digital materials are appropriately deleted, and will not directly profit from matters discussed in the assignment, excepting when such matters might reasonably have been encountered elsewhere.
Fees and duration
My fee will be agreed in negotiation with you, and will reflect such factors as complexity of the assignment, number of participants, inherent degree of exposure, unsociable hours, et cetera.
An hourly rate of £45 is a good guide.
Online assignments will be charged at a minimum of 1 hour, where this also includes preparation time.
Face-face assignments will be charged at a minimum of 2 hours, where this also includes preparation time.
Any quotation of fees given to you will only be considered valid for a maximum of 1 month before confirmation.
To reflect the intensity of the interpreting task, a half day comprises 3 hours, a full day comprises 6 hours.
A short break is usually taken every 15-20 minutes, and there should be a midday rest of one hour.
Should an assignment run over time, I may terminate the assignment, or agree to continue for a further period on that same day, or to continue for a further agreed period at a subsequent date. All such subsequent periods of engagement will be subject to additional charges at the rates agreed/ given above.
Working conditions
When an assignment requires interpreting for a period of more than one hour, a minimum of two interpreters is required, unless an exception is explicitly agreed.
For reasons of Health and Safety, I shall be under no obligation to continue with an assignment if my co-interpreter fails to arrive.
When three or more interpreters are engaged for an assignment, one interpreter should be designated Team Leader and, for an additional fee, be responsible for all liaisons with you and for the distribution of work.
If interpreting services are required for a period of more than 8 hours, a second team should be organised and the work shared equally between the two teams.
You are responsible for providing a safe and suitable working environment, and should consider noise, lighting, lines of sight, et cetera.
I reserve the right to withdraw from an assignment if there is good reason to do so because the environment is unsafe e.g. where there are valid Covid-19 safety-related concerns. I will state these reasons at the time of withdrawing from the assignment.
When working in healthcare settings I should be considered a member of the healthcare team and covered by the relevant NHS policies and procedures.
When working online, I will endeavour to ensure an appropriate visual environment, use headphones to improve sound quality and secure confidentiality, et cetera. However, the security, functionality and practical suitability of the digital platform is your responsibility e.g. the platform should allow for ‘pinning’ to afford me and the Deaf participants sufficient visual access to BSL; ethernet cables should be used to secure wifi signal; local listening devices such as Siri, Alexa or Google Mini should be switched off.
Details of digital platform use should be discussed with me at the time of confirmation. I reserve the right to decline a booked assignment on grounds of platform functionality, familiarity and/or preference. Such an instance will be regarded as a cancellation and charged according to the schedule given below.
No recording of my interpretations should be made without my prior consent, except where such recording is inherent within legal proceedings. It should be noted that Speech to Text recordings do not provide a verbatim record.
When using online platforms, the recording function should be turned off.
Similarly, my interpretations/ translations should not be distributed or broadcast without my prior consent.
An additional fee may be negotiated if recording is essential or desirable.
Expenses
I try to use public transport where possible. These expenses will be included on my invoice and are payable by you.
Where public transport is not available, mileage will be charged at 45p per mile, and parking expenses will also be payable by you.
Where travel from my normal place of residence to an assignment and back involves a total of more than four hours, travel time will be remunerated at 50% of the agreed hourly rate.
Where travel from my normal place of residence to assignment and back cannot reasonably be completed within the same day as the assignment, travel time will be remunerated at the same rate as working time.
Practical arrangements for travel and accommodation can be made either by me or you, according to our agreement.
Where travel arrangements are made by you, these should ensure that I am not obliged to leave home at an unsociable hour, and that I will arrive in good time being sufficiently rested to fulfill the assignment to the expected standard.
Where I am asked to make travel arrangements, I will seek to obtain travel and accommodation at a reasonable cost compatible with satisfactory performance of the assignment.
Payment
Details for BACS payments will be provided on my invoice.
Payment should be made within 30 days of submission of this invoice.
Interest will automatically be applied at 8% over base rate (or such rate as is determined by statute, the latter prevailing), to all overdue sums from the first date on which they become due until they are paid in full.
Cancellation
If an assignment is curtailed or cancelled either wholly or in part, or performance of the assignment is frustrated for reasons for which you or your principal are responsible, you will be liable for payment of a cancellation fee, as follows:
Notice of 7 days or less, full fee payable
Notice of 8 to 14 days, half fee payable
Notice of 15 or more days, no fee payable
Any expenditure already incurred in connection with the assignment, and any additional expenditure incurred as a result of the cancellation should also be reimbursed.
If, however, at the time of cancellation you are able to offer an alternative assignment of a similar type under comparable conditions and circumstances for all or part of the period of the original assignment, your liability in respect of cancellation fees will be reduced by the amount of fees payable for the new, alternative assignment.
I will notify you at the earliest possible opportunity if I am prevented from undertaking an assignment, or if my performance is frustrated by unavoidable circumstances. In giving such notice I relinquish any right to remuneration for any uncompleted part of the assignment, and the reimbursement of my expenses — except those already irrecoverably incurred, or necessarily incurred in returning me to my normal place of residence by suitable means.
Where possible, and in agreement with you, I may endeavour to find a suitable substitute. You should reasonably accept this substitute, and engage them on the same terms as previously agreed with me. You should notify all other parties of this change, as appropriate. Acceptance of the substitute by you discharges me from any further obligation or liability.
Complaints and liability
One condition of my NRCPD registration is a commitment to the maintenance of my skills.
Whilst I am a highly skilled and very experienced practitioner, and will interpret/translate to the best of my ability, knowledge and belief, no guarantee can be given as to the absolute accuracy of any interpretation/ translation.
Any matters arising regarding any aspect of my professional conduct and activity should be raised with me in the first instance, no later than fourteen days from the final day of the assignment.
If we are unable to resolve the issue, the matter may be referred to NRCPD using their online complaints procedure or via complaints@nrcpd.org.uk. Your complaint should be submitted within six months of the assignment.
My liability shall be limited to the value of my invoice for the assignment. Consequential damages and liability are expressly excluded.
I am a member of the National Union of British Sign Language Interpreters (NUBSLI).
Applicability and integrity
These Terms and Conditions shall be subject to any detailed arrangements or any variants expressly specified in the order relating to a particular interpreting task. No waiver of any breach of conditions in this document shall be considered as a waiver of any subsequent breach of the same or any other provision.