Conference interpreter per diem and travel calculator

Contractual Rules for Non-Local Conference Interpreters

When organizing simultaneous conference interpreting with professionals outside the host city, budgeting involves distinct operational tiers governed by international standard working conditions.

1. Travel Day Indemnity (Loss of Earnings)

Travel time prevents interpreters from accepting other assignments on the travel date. For journeys under four hours each way, market standard compensates half a day's fee per journey leg (equal to one full day fee total). For journeys over four hours, each travel day is compensated at 100% of the normal daily working fee.

2. Daily Subsistence Allowance (Per Diem)

The per diem covers meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and minor local transit (taxis, airport transfers). It is paid for every day the interpreter is away from their home domicile, starting from the day of departure until return.

3. Single-Occupancy Hotel Accommodations

Conference interpreters require undisturbed rest to sustain the high cognitive processing demands of simultaneous turn rotations. Standards require quiet, single-occupancy hotel rooms situated either at the conference venue or in the immediate vicinity.

4. Mandatory Rest Day for Intercontinental Journeys

When crossing two or more time zones or traveling over six hours, standard practice includes an arrival rest day prior to the first working session. Bypassing the rest day significantly increases cognitive fatigue, error rates, and vocal strain in the booth.