The Interpreters & Translators Fix Kit
Built for interpreters and translators.
Interpreters and translators sell skilled time and words, and most of the money that leaks goes out through terms that were never written down: no minimum for an on-site job, no fee when a job is cancelled late, travel time and rush work given away, discounts on repeated text accepted without checking, and agency invoices paid late. I wrote this kit so each term is on paper before the next job.
Opens secure checkout. Instant download after payment. 30 days to ask for a refund — refund policy · terms
The 8 leaks it covers
5 you can close it · 2 the other side owes it · 1 a pro decides
- Rate set without your own cost floorWhere to look first: Add up a year of business costs: software and translation tools, dictionaries, insurance, certification fees, continuing education, phone, internet, equipment.Keep it from coming back: Re-run the cost floor every January.You can close it
- No minimum charge on short on-site assignmentsWhere to look first: List your on-site assignments from the last three months with their billed time.Keep it from coming back: Put the minimum in every confirmation email.You can close it
- Late cancellations with no fee in the termsWhere to look first: List assignments cancelled in the last six months, and how much notice you got.Keep it from coming back: Confirm the cancellation terms with every booking.The other side owes it
- Travel time and mileage never billedWhere to look first: Log travel time and miles for every on-site assignment for a month.Keep it from coming back: Start the mileage log when you leave, every time.You can close it
- Rush, evening and weekend work billed at the standard rateWhere to look first: List jobs in the last quarter that were rush, evening or weekend.Keep it from coming back: Quote the surcharge before you accept.You can close it
- Translation-memory discounts accepted without checking the match reportWhere to look first: For each discounted project, ask for the match analysis report the client used.Keep it from coming back: Ask for the analysis before you accept any discounted job.You can close it
- Agency invoices paid late with no follow-upWhere to look first: List every unpaid invoice with its date and agreed payment terms.Keep it from coming back: Send reminders on a fixed schedule.The other side owes it
- No tax set aside from money paid with nothing withheldWhere to look first: Write down which of your pay arrives with no tax taken out: interpreting and translation fees.Keep it from coming back: Move the set-aside the day each payment lands. Put every estimated-tax date your preparer gives you on the calendar in January.A pro decides
Free: one full leak from this kit
No sign-up, no email. Here is leak 1 of 8 exactly as it appears in the kit, so you can see what you get before you buy.
Rate set without your own cost floor
You can close it- Add up a year of business costs: software and translation tools, dictionaries, insurance, certification fees, continuing education, phone, internet, equipment.
- Estimate the hours you can actually bill, or the words you can actually deliver, in a year.
- Cost floor = yearly costs divided by billable hours or words (CALCULATED: from your own figures), before any pay for yourself.
- Add the pay you need and the self-employment tax on it.
- Compare the result with what each client pays.
Your part: Set your rates.
Rate sheet: Rates effective [DATE] Translation: [RATE] per word ([LANGUAGE PAIR]), minimum [AMOUNT] per project Editing / proofreading: [RATE] per hour Interpreting: [RATE] per hour, minimum [HOURS] hours per assignment Rush (under [HOURS] hours): [SURCHARGE] Travel time: [RATE] per hour; mileage [RATE]
Re-run the cost floor every January.
What this kit can't decide for you: We never tell you what to charge.
That's 1 of 8. The other 7 come the same way in the kit: steps, words to send, a habit to keep each one closed.
Opens secure checkout. Instant download after payment. 30 days to ask for a refund — refund policy · terms
What people in this work look up
When interpreters and translators go looking for answers, they search things like “interpreter rates”, “translator rates per word”, “freelance translator rates” and “medical interpreter pay”. Those searches turn up forms, averages and other people's numbers. This kit starts from your own records instead: the 8 places money leaks in this work, where to look first and the words to send to close each one.
What you get for each leak
- Numbered steps to close each leak
- Your part, spelled out
- Words you can use: letters and scripts, ready to send (fill in the brackets)
- A habit that keeps each leak from coming back
- An honest line on what the kit can't decide for you
A page from the kit
Questions people ask
Rate set without your own cost floor: where do I start?
Start here: Add up a year of business costs: software and translation tools, dictionaries, insurance, certification fees, continuing education, phone, internet, equipment. To keep it from coming back: Re-run the cost floor every January.
No minimum charge on short on-site assignments: where do I start?
Start here: List your on-site assignments from the last three months with their billed time. To keep it from coming back: Put the minimum in every confirmation email.
Late cancellations with no fee in the terms: where do I start?
Start here: List assignments cancelled in the last six months, and how much notice you got. To keep it from coming back: Confirm the cancellation terms with every booking.
What it can't decide for you
This kit works from your own records. It doesn't give legal, tax, licensing or financial advice, and it never tells you what to charge. Where a CPA, attorney, insurer or state board makes the call, the kit says so and gets your records ready for them.
14-page PDF · instant download after payment · Code VYR-KIT-INTERPRET-01
Opens secure checkout. Instant download after payment. 30 days to ask for a refund — refund policy · terms
Next step
- Run your free LeakReceipts check — it reads your own receipts and records and shows where money is leaking out, line by line.
- TrueNET — the whole-picture money truth: what you actually keep after every cost, across everything you earn and spend.
Use Jobber or Housecall Pro? Run the free leak check — it reads your job export in your browser and shows the money leaks the software doesn't flag. Nothing is uploaded.