Team size, per professional practice
For any simultaneous session running over roughly an hour, the accepted professional standard (AIIC practice, distinct from the ISO booth standards, which cover equipment rather than staffing) is two interpreters per active language, alternating every 20–30 minutes. A single interpreter can carry a 45-minute address; a three-hour board session cannot be carried by one person without a measurable drop in accuracy toward the end. This is the single largest lever on price, and it's non-negotiable for quality once the clock passes an hour.
Relay
If the meeting needs Portuguese to Mandarin and no interpreter in the market works that pair directly, the industry solution is relay: a Portuguese–English interpreter feeds an English–Mandarin interpreter in real time. Relay adds a second professional to the chain for that language pair — a structural cost, not a markup.
Format: in-person, remote, or hybrid
Remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI) removes travel cost but adds platform and connectivity requirements (ISO 20108 governs the sound and image quality a remote platform has to deliver for the interpreters to work safely). In-person adds travel, but removes the platform dependency. Hybrid sessions typically need both, plus a technician.
Preparation, booths, and distance
A technical or board-level session needs the interpreters to receive materials and build a terminology list in advance — sometimes days of preparation for a two-hour session. A trilingual conference needs multiple booths and a distribution system for headsets. And interpreters travel with per diem and, for multi-day assignments, accommodation — standard for any professional service that requires being physically present.
Key takeaways
- An interpreting quote is priced on the event's format and requirements, not the language pair.
- Two interpreters per active language, per AIIC practice, is standard for any session over roughly an hour.
- Remote, in-person, and hybrid formats carry different, legitimate cost structures.
Need an accurate number for a specific event?
Describe the actual event — format, material, length — and we'll scope it against these variables, not a rate card.