Assignment T&C

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Terms and Conditions By carrying out the assignment, you hereby agree / and strictly adhere to; -

Freelancer Agreement Professional Contract – Schedule 3 of Freelancer Agreement Interpreter Quality Assurance Agreement- Schedule 2 of Freelancer Agreement Rates of Pay Agreement Customer Care Policy

Assignment Terms and Conditions 1. It is the responsibility of the interpreter to plan their journey well in order to reach the venue on time. 2. If you think you are going to be late, you must call our offices immediately, at least 15 minutes prior to the reporting time. 3. You should Arrive to the venue at the reporting time and ask for a pre-assignment briefing in order to prepare yourself for the interpreting assignment (where this is possible). 4. Introduce yourself in a professional manner to the service user and non-English speaker 5. ID card must be worn all times throughout the assignment & must be clearly visible. 6. Interpreter Quality Check Feedback form must be given to the service user at the start of the assignment. Where possible, please try to get feedback form completed 7. Where a ‘Non-English Speaker’ feedback form is provided, request the client/claimant/patient (Non-English Speaker) to complete the feedback if they are able to read / write in their language 8. Only accept assignments in your 'Native Language' or Languages where you have a high level of proficiency. 9. All Language Empire Interpreters must dress appropriately. Language Empire is a diverse employer. Dress code is flexible for ethnicity and religion purposes. 10. Female: We request our female interpreters to dress smartly in accordance with their ethnicity and religious purposes and practices. 11. Male: Must wear Shirt and Tie, formal trousers and shoes. To dress smartly and any other items in accordance with ethnicity and religious purposes and practices. Please note:

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We strictly require a 24 hour notice for cancellation of assignments Please refer to our ‘Rates of Pay Agreement’ for our cancellation Terms. Assignment cancelled less than 24 hours will claim a charge of £50.00 as per clause 5.4 of the freelancer agreement. If you fail to attend an assignment, Language Empire will claim a charge for £100.00. The customer may launch legal action to compensate for the wasting their time and their Non-English speaker due to you not attending the assignment as per clause 5.2 of the freelancer agreement. If you arrive late to an assignment without informing Language Empire, the customer has the right to cancel the assignment and or not to pay. If you arrive late to an assignment after the report time on any occasion your payment will be reduced by 20%. However, if you are late due to public transport delays or traffic hold ups we will investigate and if this is the case then there will be no reduction in payment.

The charges detailed above will be recovered by Language Empire either from monies owing to the Interpreter for providing Interpreting Services or by recovery under the small claims court procedure. In the event of unforeseen circumstances leading to lateness, cancellation or failure to attend an Assignment then this will be taken into consideration by Language Empire provided satisfactory evidence is made available to Language Empire so we can present the same to their Client as per clause 5.5 and 5.6 of the Freelancer Agreement. Payment

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Ensure you have your job sheet signed as confirmation of your attendance You will be paid from the start time indicated on the ‘Assignment Details’ of the Job Sheet, even if the assignment starts later unless otherwise in cases where you arrive late. You will only be paid for the time you are at the venue and not the estimated duration Taxi fare will only be paid if authorised by senior management in writing to you or in an emergency You will be paid according to the ‘Band Rate’ selected on the ‘Interpreter Signed Confirmation and Expenses’ section of the Job Sheet. Return the job sheet, IQC & Non-English Speaker feedback forms within 48 hours. Job sheets can be returned by scanning and emailing the document. By fax or post. Any Job sheets returned late will cause a serious delay in payment. Additional Travelling expenses will only be paid if you travel in excess of 24 miles return journey (which means to and from the venue). For examples and full detailed payment information please refer to the ‘Rates of Pay Agreement’

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Feedback Form – Interpreter Quality Check (IQC) We would like you get your IQC feedback form completed from the service user. The information we collect from the feedback form is added to your profile to enhance the rating of your profile. Furthermore, the feedback collected is also provided to the Customer Organisation as a report every month to provide an evidenced report on service user satisfaction for contract monitoring purposes. We have attached an ‘IQC’ feedback form to your Job Sheet, please give the feedback form to the service user at the start of the assignment and get the completed feedback form from the service user at the end of the assignment. If we have attached information regarding the assignment you are booked for, you must read the information we have provided in order to familiarise yourself with the nature of the assignment. We also recommend you research further on the organisation/assignment type in order be a competent interpreter for the organisation. If you would like further assistance with regard to the assignment you have or the organisation, please do not hesitate to contact our admin team and we will be more than happy to provide more information and or further assistance.

Code of Ethics, Professional Code of Conduct, Interpreting Procedure and Confidentiality Statement. Code of Ethics: 1. Cultural sensitivity & courtesy: Interpreters and translators must be aware of the cultural differences that may exist and are required to be sensitive and respectful to the individual(s) they serve. 2. Impartiality: The interpreter and translators shall maintain impartiality and shall not counsel, advise or project their own personal biases or beliefs. The interpreter shall avoid distorting the message in favour of one party or the other. 3. Non-discrimination: Interpreters and translators shall always be neutral, impartial and unbiased. Interpreters/translators shall not discriminate on the basis of gender, disability, race, colour, national origin, age, socio-economic or educational status or religious, political or sexual orientation. 4. Conflict of interest: Interpreters and translators shall disclose any real or perceived conflict of interest which would affect their objectivity in the delivery of services. Providing interpretation or translation services, for family members or friends may violate the individual's right to confidentiality, or constitute a conflict of interest. 5. Withdrawal: Interpreters and translators, who are unable to ethically perform in a given situation, shall refuse or withdraw from the assignment without threat or retaliation.

Professional Conduct: 1. Professional integrity: Interpreters and translators shall demonstrate professionalism and personal integrity, including: • If the interpreter or translator believes he or she may have interpreted/translated inaccurately or incompetently, he or she will make this known and, if possible, provide a corrected interpretation/translation. • If the interpreter or translator believes he or she is influenced by the content to be interpreted/translated, that he or she becomes unable to interpret/translate accurately and completely, he or she shall inform the parties of his/her intent to withdraw without threat or retaliation. 2. Accuracy: Interpreters and translators shall render the message faithfully, conveying the content, spirit and cultural context of the original message. This means the interpreter or translator shall interpret everything the speaker or document says without changing the meaning, conveying what is said and how it is said, without additions, omissions or alterations, but with due consideration of the cultural context of both the sender and the receiver of the message.

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3. Role boundaries: Interpreters and translators shall maintain the boundaries of their professional role, refraining from personal involvement. This does not mean that an interpreter cannot be friendly or develop a rapport with the person speaking, but does not represent personal involvement in their interpretation. 4. Self-evaluation: Interpreters and translators shall accurately and completely represent their certifications, education, training and experience. 5. Personal demeanour: Interpreters and translators shall be punctual, prepared and dressed in an appropriate manner. 6. Inability to perform: Interpreters and translators shall assess, at all times, their ability to interpret/translate. Should interpreters or translators have any reservations about their competency to perform in any given situation, they must immediately notify the parties and offer to withdraw without threat or retaliation. 7. Professional development and training: Interpreters and translators shall make a reasonable effort to acquire ongoing development of their skills and knowledge through professional training, continuing education, and interaction with colleagues, and specialists in related fields. 8. Cultural competency: Interpreters and translators shall develop awareness of their own and other cultures in order to promote cross-cultural understanding. Interpreters and translators will strive to bridge the cultural differences between all participating parties, by seeking to minimize, and avoid potential misunderstandings based upon stereotyping and/or differing cultural practices, beliefs, or expectations. When clashing cultural beliefs or practices, a lack of linguistic equivalency, or the inability of parties to explain in their own words are encountered, the interpreter or translator may assist by sharing cultural information or helping develop an explanation that can be understood by all.

Confidentiality: 1. Interpreters and translators shall not divulge any information learned in the performance of professional duties. This includes any documents or other written materials. 2. Confidentiality is to be maintained in all situations, except when legally mandated to disclose information in specific situations such as child abuse, elder abuse, a person’s threatening harm to him-or herself or others, or where the interpreter/translator determines to the best of their ability, that non-disclosure may result in harm. 3. Disclosure: Interpreters and translators shall not publicly discuss report, or offer an opinion concerning matters in which they are or have been engaged, even when the information is not privileged by law to be confidential. Interpreting procedure to be followed: All Language Empire interpreters shall follow the ‘linguistic model’ [a] of interpreting, and interpreters will be required to adhere to this model unless otherwise required to ‘advocate’ [b] You must ensure that you the ‘interpreter’ do NOT act as advocates in your line of duty unless there’s an express requirement by the service user (i.e. Dr, Police officer, Probation officer) and if they ask you to do so. If there exists a requirement by the service user, then you the ‘interpreter’ must adhere to the Advocacy Model of Interpreting [b]. [a] Linguistic model of interpreting: this is where the interpreter ONLY interprets what (s)he hears, i.e. does not ask questions or gets involved in the discussion. This is typical of Public Service Interpreters. [b] Advocacy model of interpreting: the interpreter asks question to ensure that the client fully understands and appreciates what is being said; e.g. in a doctor-patient situation, the interpreter will check that the client realises what (s)he is being asked to sign and the possible consequences and, if necessary, ask the doctor to explain it further. This is typical of Community interpreters.