Project Cancellation or Rescheduling is an Opportunity Cost to Interpreters

We book our work a month, two or three in advance generally. Once it is confirmed obviously we refuse all other offers for the same dates. If the project is cancelled or moved, we cannot get that client back. Moreover, we spend many hours, generally a couple or three days preparing for major events: researching the major players, the history of the event, nailing down acronyms, names, technical terms and just gaining the best level of understanding possible. Those days (like the many hours doing the administrative work that any business must do) are not paid. That is why a cancellation fee is always included in the contract stipulating a percentage of the total amount to be paid upon cancellation or rescheduling.  It might be 50% thirty or more days in advance and 100% if less than that. For more click the image above or here.