When requesting the services of a Conference Interpreter, it is vital to ensure that a fully qualified professional is recruited. The interpretation market is free and, unfortunately, non-regulated. This allows any individual without the proper qualifications to practice the profession and tends to encourage less scrupulous persons to hire amateurs whose professional skills are, to say the least, doubtful. Thus, tempted by very low budgets, many events’ organisers end up with a bad deal. Bargains can turn out to be expensive!

Given the absence, for the time being, of an official professional certification in our country for the profession of conference interpreter, the only way to ensure from the very start the quality of the interpreting services is to hire qualified professionals, APIC interpreters.

Upon initial contact (whether directly with the interpreter or through an agency) the following elements should always be considered:

• Type of event
• Main topic of the event
• Location
• Dates
• Timetable (a conference interpreter should never work for more than 7 hours per day)
• Languages used at the event and language combination (for instance, from English into Portuguese or also from Portuguese into English)
• Interpreting technique required (simultaneous and/or consecutive)
• Special requirements (for instance, recording the interpreters’ work, viewing film projections, etc.)

We also recommend reading the documents on "Working Conditions"and "Guidelines for Organisers" available on this website.