Freelance Interpreter Guidance Booklet

Freelance Interpreter Handbook Version 6.0 June 2020

Freelance Interpreter Guidance Booklet

Your Introduction to Supplying Interpreting Services to

Capita Translation and Interpreting


CONTENTS

1. Introduction

• 1.1 Benefits of Supplying Interpreting Services to Capita TI

• 1.2 Capita TI’s Interpreting Services

2. How to Register Your Interest in Picking Up Jobs From Us

• 2.1 Right to Provide Services in the UK

• 2.2 Information Gathering

• 2.3 Tiering

• 2.4 Interpreter Code of Professional Conduct

3. Supplying Interpreting Services to Capita TI

• 3.1 The Interpreter Portal: http://www.capitalinguistportal.com/ui/

• 3.2 Receiving and Accepting Bookings

• 3.3 Completing Timesheets and Closing Down Jobs

• 3.4 Data Protection: Your Responsibilities

• 3.5 Identification

• 3.6 Your Health and Wellbeing

4. How to Receive Payments From Us

• 4.1 Rates of Payment

• 4.2 Payment for Blocks of Time and Minimum Charges

• 4.3 Payment for Out–of-Hours Jobs

• 4.4 Waiting Times

• 4.5 Cancellation

• 4.5 1 Cancellation by the Client

• 4.5.2 Cancellation by You which includes Interpreter DNAs (Did Not Attend)

• 4.6 Other Fees Payable by You

• 4.7 Job Offer Email

• 4.8 Payment Methods and How to Receive Money into your Bank Account

• 4.8.1 Accepting the Payment

• 4.8.2 Remittance Advice

• 4.8.3 Payment Terms

• 4.8.4 Helpful Hints

• 4.8.5 Tax

• 4.8.6 HMRC tax returns

• 4.8.7 Further Support for Payment Queries

5. Handling Difficult Situations

• 5.1 Your Introduction as an Interpreter to all the Parties Involved

• 5.2 Being Left Unaccompanied with a Witness, Victim or Patient on a Job

http://www.capitalinguistportal.com/ui


• 5.3 Taking Breaks

• 5.4 Being Unable to Finish Witness Statements

• 5.5 Leaving a Venue after a Job

• 5.6 Home Visits

• 5.7 Jobs Overrunning

• 5.8 Use of Mobile Phones

• 5.9 Security of Clients’ Premises and Staff

• 5.10 Cancellations of Jobs

• 5.11 Handling Challenging Encounters

6. Conduct

• 6.1 What We Expect from You

• 6.2 What Happens if we Receive a Complaint About You from the Client?

• 6 3 Logging Process

• 6.4 Categories of Complaint

• 6.5 Outcome of the Complaint

• 6.6 Reviewing Client Complaints

• 6.7 Compliments

7. How You Can Give Feedback about Capita TI or the Conduct of a Client

• 7.1 The Process

8. Day to Day: Additional Notes to Support You When Carrying Out Jobs

• 8.1 Additional Notes on Receiving Job Bookings

• 8.2 Client Cancellations

• 8.3 Circumstances Where an Interpreter may be Removed from our Supplier List

Immediately

• 8.4 Personal Safety

• 8.5 Changes to your Address

• 8.6 Use of Headsets and Radio Transmitters during Jobs

9. Capita TI Company Information and Standards

• 9.1 Capita Translation and Interpreting Company Registration

• 9.2 Equality and Diversity

APPENDICES

A. Interpreter Code of Professional Conduct

B. Travel Payment Policy

C. Sample Timesheet

D. Quality Assurance and Behaviour Management Policy

E. Useful Website Addresses and Content


1. INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the Capita TI Freelance Interpreter Guidance Booklet. This Guidance Booklet

aims to highlight the benefits of supplying interpreting services to us, the automated systems

at the centre of our service, our commitment to you as a supplier and to outline our

expectations of you when supplying interpreting services to us on Jobs which have been

offered and/or allocated to you ("Job").

This Guidance Booklet is divided into four sections:

• How to Register Your Interest in Picking Up Jobs From Us

• How to Supply your Services to Capita TI

• How to Receive Payments

• General Guidance

All of this information and more is available on our website

www.capitatranslationinterpreting.com/cti-linguist/.

We would like to thank you for expressing an interest in supplying services to us as a

freelance supplier of interpreting services and we hope that we will have a positive and

rewarding relationship.

1.1 Benefits of Supplying Interpreting Services to Capita TI

Capita TI has been providing interpreting services to public and private sector clients for over

ten years.

We facilitate hundreds of interpreting Jobs per day, across the United Kingdom and Northern

Ireland involving, but not limited to, the NHS, local councils and police forces.

All interpreters like yourself engage with us as freelance, self-employed suppliers and

are not employed in any capacity by Capita TI. For the avoidance of doubt, we also

confirm that upon our agreement to consider offering you any Jobs, you are not

considered an agency worker under the Agency Worker Regulations 2010.

Nothing in this Guidance Booklet, nor any Job offered to you shall be construed or

have effect as constituting a partnership, joint venture or contract of employment

between Capita TI and you as the Interpreter.

You may at any time decline a Job offer and you are not required to work exclusively for

Capita TI. You may pick up the same/similar/completely different work with establishments,

companies, persons etc. other than with Capita TI.

Interpreting Jobs are offered to our interpreting suppliers in several ways;

• through our automated system using our linguist portal

• advised by telephone from our Capita TI Service Delivery Coordinator Team

• via text or email.

You have the freedom to take on as little, or as much available work as you are capable of

and wish to do. For ease of administration, we also provide you with access to our purpose

built, online system which you can use to manage the services which you provide.

http://www.capitatranslationinterpreting.com/cti-linguist/


The main benefits of providing your services to Capita TI include:

• We endeavour to pay for completed Jobs within a week of completion or soon

thereafter, making it easier for you to track and manage your finances;

• You may receive payment for travel time and Job waiting time in relation to specific

Jobs;

• We provide access to an online portal allowing you to accept or decline

available/suitable bookings, view completed Jobs and communicate directly with us

at any time during the day without the need to call;

• You can have immediate access via the online portal to all the Jobs currently

unclaimed in your spoken languages, matching your skillset and abilities. This allows

you to choose those that best suit your availability and individual preference, and not

accept Jobs which you do not wish to undertake;

• Our clients are able to make a request for a specific Supplier to pick up a Job. We

will then facilitate that arrangement, where possible (i.e. the Interpreter is willing to

accept the Job and it is economically viable for Capita to offer the Job to you)

• The facility for you to add in periods of unavailability on our portal so we know when

you are not available for, or do not wish to pick up Jobs and will not contact you

during that period;

• We provide you with information of third-party companies who offer relevant courses

and workshops to enable you to keep your skills and knowledge up to date to support

continuous professional development.

1.2 Capita TI’s Interpreting Services

The vast majority of our interpreting bookings are delivered to UK public sector organisations

who require consecutive interpreting services to facilitate everyday conversations with non-

English speaking members of the public. On rare occasions our private or public sector

clients request our support at conference type events where simultaneous interpreting

services are more appropriate.

Capita’s clients generally require the following types of interpreting support:

1. Pre-booked face to face interpreting services

2. Pre-booked remote interpreting services (audio and video) using a tool of their choice

(Microsoft Teams, Skype, Zoom, Attend Anywhere etc)

3. On-demand remote interpreting services (audio and video) using the Capita LiveLINK

remote interpreting platform

4. Pre-booked remote interpreting services (audio and video) using the Capita LiveLINK

remote interpreting platform

The information in this handbook relates to the services described in points 1 and 2 above. If

you are interested in providing on-demand remote interpreting services, you should contact

the Capita LiveLINK support team: [email protected].

mailto:[email protected]


2. HOW TO REGISTER YOUR INTEREST IN PICKING UP JOBS

FROM US

Our clients have the right to expect the highest standards from the interpreters we provide

access to. In order to accept Jobs from us, there is a Supplier onboarding process that all

interpreters must undertake so that we are confident we are facilitating a link only to those

appropriately qualified and experienced.

This onboarding process is in three parts:

• Account Registration – Creating an online Supplier profile in our database

• Vetting - Establishing your qualifications, experience, security clearances and right to

work in the UK

• Assessment - A situation based and language skills assessment, as deemed

necessary

Please register your interest by visiting our main website

www.capitatranslationinterpreting.com/cti-linguist/

When creating an online Supplier profile, you will receive a unique Linguist Identification

Number (LIN) for administration purposes only. This will enable you to easily correspond

with us, for us to identify you, and will be used to identify you and your work by our clients.

An important part of the account registration process is your review and acceptance of our

Interpreter Services Agreement, which informs you of your obligations and those of Capita TI

during our business relationship.

Should there be any changes to the Interpreter Services Agreement, you will always be

asked to review and accept them online when logging in to your Supplier profile.

Once you have completed all sections of the account registration and uploaded or emailed

all relevant supporting documentation including your qualifications (such as a DPSI or

degree certificate), security clearances (such as EDBS certificate), evidence of hours worked

as an interpreter previously, tax information, proof of address and your eligibility to work in

the UK, a member of our Language Resources team will review your online profile and

documents. If any documents are missing or out of date, you may not be offered any Jobs,

or there is a risk that you may be offered Jobs in the wrong ‘tier’ (see section 2.3). It is

therefore important that you provide up to date contact information so that Capita TI may

contact you.

Our Language Resources team will then ask you to take part in a language skills and

situational based assessment, either by telephone, video call or face to face.

Once the onboarding process has been fully completed, you will be placed on our

Interpreting Supplier Panel.

If you wish to register to be on our Interpreting Supplier Panel for more than one language,

please note that your skills/qualifications for each language will be reviewed separately. You

will be given a separate tier (see section 2.3), based on the level of qualifications and skills

evidenced for each language. For example, you may be given a Tier 1 for one language and

a Tier 2 for another, depending on the qualifications and experience you hold for each.



Note: The minimum level of security clearance required to be offered Jobs from us is an up

to date:

Clear Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (EDBS) formerly known as Enhanced

Criminal Records Bureau check (eCRB)

The majority of our local government and NHS clients require a 'clear' EDBS as a minimum,

for any interpreters who supply their services.

and/or,

A Non-Police Personnel Vetting (NPPV) clearance at level 3

To work on Jobs for the Police you will have to have NPPV clearance at level 3, issued by

the Warwickshire and West Mercia Police National Contractor Vetting Unit.

Other higher levels of clearances for example Home Office or Counter Terrorism Clearances

may be required from time to time if requested by the client so if you hold any such

clearances you should let us know.

2.1 Right to Provide Services in the UK

Whilst not technically obliged to carry out full checks because interpreters are not employees

or workers of Capita TI, it is Capita TI's policy that all of the interpreters on our Interpreting

Supplier Panel have/will have the right to work to supply services in the UK and that we gain

proof of this before allowing any Jobs to be offered. Capita TI currently use the services of

The Security Watchdog (a Capita company) to carry out identification and verification, and

right to work in the UK checks, along with the majority of our other security clearance

checks.

To speed up the process and to avoid you needing to send original versions of important

documents such as your passport, you are able to send copies of documents that have been

verified as true copies of the originals by the Post Office. The Language Resources team will

advise you of what is needed as part of your onboarding process. The list of all suitable

documents is too long to reproduce here; however, here are some examples and documents

you may be asked to provide as part of your registration with Capita TI:

Single Documents

• valid UK passport or document endorsed to show that the holder is allowed to stay in

the United Kingdom and is allowed to carry out the services in question or

• passport or national identity card showing that the holder is a national of a European

Economic Area country or Switzerland or

• a residence permit, registration certificate or document certifying or indicating

permanent residence issued by the Home Office or the UK Border Agency to the

family member of a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland or

Under the Code of Professional Conduct and your contractual agreement with

Capita TI, you are required to advise Capita TI of any cautions or convictions as

soon as they occur.


• a permanent residence card issued by the Home Office or the UK Border Agency to

the family member of a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland

• a Biometric Immigration Document issued by the UK Border Agency, which indicates

that the person named in it is allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK, or has no time

limit on their stay or

• a valid passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder is exempt

from immigration control, is allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK has the right of

abode in the UK or has no time limit on their stay

If none of the above are available there are other documents that are admissible in

combination with each other, and we will be able to advise you of the necessary documents

when you register your services with us.

For more information on eligibility to work in the United Kingdom, you can visit the UK

Government website: https://www.gov.uk/legal-right-to-work-in-the-uk

2.2 Information Gathering

Once Capita TI have received all of your documentation and clearances, a member of our

Language Resources team will contact you to discuss and assess your aptitude to provide

services to us and our range of clients, understand the extent of your experience, your

availability to supply to us and provide you with an opportunity to ask us any questions. They

will make the arrangements to undertake your situational based and language skills

assessment and to obtain any necessary security clearances on your behalf.

2.3 Tiering

Once you have successfully passed all vetting checks, provided the evidence required and

passed the assessment, the onboarding process will be completed. You will be cleared to

supply interpreting services to us, placed on our Interpreting Supplier Panel, recorded as

“active” on our system and be allocated a ‘tier’ for each of your spoken languages

appropriate to your experience, qualifications, and skills. There are a number of different

tiers and you will be allocated a tier for each language and for each type of Job (client

register) for which your qualifications are suitable.

How Tiering Works

It is a requirement for all our clients that the linguists used by Capita TI meet the agreed

levels of qualification, experience and security clearance to complete a Job.

The purpose of this tiering structure is to give our clients the facility to indicate the level of

experience and qualification (Tier) required for the Job. Our current client registers are as

follows:

Name of Client Register Types of bookings

CTI This register is used to allocate interpreters to attend Capita PIP

(Personal Independence Payment) bookings – the appointments are for benefits claim assessments to take place.

ESPO Police Levels This register reflects the requirement for NPPV Level 3 security

https://www.gov.uk/legal-right-to-work-in-the-uk


cleared Interpreters to attend Police bookings. Tiers per language are allocated in line with the requirements for each interpreter ‘Level’ as specified in our Police call off contracts under the ESPO Language Services Framework. For those interpreters who are currently undergoing NPPV screening, as soon as we receive confirmation of your clearance, then the police register will be added to your profile and any suitable police Jobs that match your profile will be offered to you.

Public Sector Our various NHS and local government client registers. There are

several ‘Public Sector’ registers to reflect the different payment rates applicable to our clients.

LiveLINK Voice This register includes those interpreters who are registered with us

to provide remote audio interpreting services via the Capita LiveLINK remote interpreting platform to all clients

LiveLINK Video (non-Police) / LiveLINK Video Police

These registers include those interpreters who are registered with us to provide remote video interpreting services via the Capita LiveLINK remote interpreting platform to Police or non-Police clients. These interpreters may also be used to provide remote interpreting services to clients using the clients’ choice of tools (e.g. Skype, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Attend Anywhere etc)

There are up to four separate interpreter tiers per client register, based on a supplier's language, qualifications and experience. The following information is a guide as to the types of acceptable qualifications for each Tier. It is not an exhaustive list. You should contact us to discuss your specific qualifications and experience if you are unsure where it would fit into our Tiering criteria. CTI, LiveLINK Voice and LiveLINK Video (non-Police) registers: Tier 1 The interpreter must have one or more of the following:

• Chartered Institute of Linguists Diploma in Public Service Interpreting, DPSI, (English Law Option)

• Chartered Institute of Linguists Certificate in Community Interpreting (CCI)

• Metropolitan Police Test (post 1997) Together with:

• At least 100 hours public sector interpreting experience (not restricted to legal interpreting)

• References

Tier 2 The interpreter must have one or more of the following:

• ‘Partial DPSI’ Law Option i.e. the interpreter must have passed all modules with the exception of written translation Module 3B

• A degree in linguistics, English philology, Modern Languages or MA in Teaching of English, or other language related diplomas where English features as part of the course

• Health or Local Government full DPSI Together with:

• At least 100 hours public sector interpreting experience

• References


• Demonstrable experience in the public sector with appropriate linguistic background

• Formalised basic interpreter training including one of the following: The WEA Programmes

Tier 8 (rare languages) In the case of rare languages where the DPSI or equivalent qualification is not available, the interpreter must provide one or more of the following:

• Proof of ability to speak the foreign language together with the Cambridge Proficiency in


Bi-Lingual Skills Certificates, Community Level Interpreting Degrees under the NVQ certification system

Together with:

• References

• It is also desirable for Tier Three interpreters to have at least 100 hours of public sector interpreting experience

English Certificate or equivalent English proficiency

• Other formal interpreting qualification in the language specified

• Demonstrable public sector interpreting experience between the language and English

Together with:

• References

ESPO Police Levels and LiveLINK Video Police registers: Tier 1 (ESPO Level 1) The interpreter must have one or more of the following:


• Chartered Institute of Linguists Diploma in Police Interpreting, DPI



• References

Tier 3 (ESPO Level 3) The interpreter must have one or more of the following:


• Chartered Institute of Linguists Diploma in Police Interpreting, DPI


• At least 100 hours public sector interpreting experience

• References

Tier 9 (ESPO Level 5) The interpreter must have one or more of the following:

• Chartered Institute of Linguists Diploma in Public Service Interpreting, DPSI, (English Law Option) unit pass

• Chartered Institute of Linguists Diploma in Police Interpreting, DPI, unit pass

• Community Interpreting Certificate Together with:

• Public Service interpreting experience

• References

Tier 8 (rare languages – ESPO Level 4) In the case of rare languages where the DPSI or equivalent qualification is not available, the interpreter must provide one or more of the following:

• Proof of ability to speak the foreign language together with the Cambridge Proficiency in English Certificate or equivalent English proficiency


Together with:

• 100 hours of interpreting experience

• References

Public Sector registers: Tier 1 The interpreter must have one or more of the following:

• Chartered Institute of Linguists Diploma in Public Service Interpreting, DPSI, (English Law Option or Local Government Option or Health Option)

• Chartered Institute of Linguists Certificate in Community Interpreting (CCI)

• Metropolitan Police Test (post 1997)


• Demonstrable experience (>100 hours desirable) in the public sector with appropriate linguistic background

• Formalised basic interpreter training including one of the following: The WEA Programmes Bi-Lingual Skills Certificates, Community Level Interpreting Degrees under the NVQ


• Partial DPSI (All Options) i.e. the interpreter must have passed all oral modules

• A degree in linguistics, English philology, Modern Languages or MA in Teaching of English, or other language related diplomas where English features as part of the course

Together with:


• References

certification system

• DPSI Unit Pass Together with:

• References

Tier 8 (rare languages) In the case of rare languages where the DPSI or equivalent qualification is not available, the interpreter must provide one or more of the following:

• Proof of ability to speak the foreign language together with the Cambridge Proficiency in English Certificate or equivalent English proficiency


• Demonstrable public sector interpreting experience between the language and English Together with:

• References

Language Service Professionals working with the deaf and deafblind: All Communication Professionals working with deaf and deafblind people must be registered with the NRCPD where applicable and hold the following qualifications: Sign Language Interpreter

• MRSLI

• NVQ 4 (pre-October 2010) BSL/English Interpreting and Language Units, or

• NVQ 6 (post October 2010) BSL/English Interpreting and Language Units, or

• Postgraduate diploma or MA in BSL/English Interpreting from UCLAN or Leeds University.

Lipspeaker

• Member of the Register of Level 3 Lipspeakers

• CACDP Level 3 in Lipspeaking certificate

Speech to Text Reporter

• Member of the Register of Level 3 STTRs

• CACDP Level 3 Verbatim Speech to Text Reporting certificate

Deafblind Manual interpreters

• Member of the Register of Level 3 Deafblind Manual Interpreters

• CACDP Level 3 Deafblind Manual certificate

Notetaker (Electronic and Manual)

• Member of the Register of Level 3 Notetakers

• CACDP Level 3 Notetaking certificate

Definitions:

• NRCPD: National Register of Communication Professionals working with deaf and deafblind people. NRCPD registered communication professionals have all achieved recognised qualifications in their discipline and work to strict professional codes of practice. Registration is the only guarantee that providers of communication services have met safe-to-practise standards and carry professional indemnity insurance if it is required. All five registration categories sit within this framework.

• MRSLI: Member of the Register of Sign Language Interpreters. This sits within the NRCPD framework. Fully qualified and competent to work in all settings.

• CACDP: Council for Advancement of Communication with deaf people. • Registration Status and qualifications.


Before you go any further…

This is the end of the first section of the Guidance Booklet. The next section is all

about how to supply your services to us. Before we go any further, we ask that you

read and consider our Interpreter Code of Professional Conduct at Appendix A.

2.4 Interpreter Code of Professional Conduct

Capita TI endeavour to engage the services of high quality and professional interpreters.

Interpreters provide a very important service to the Public Sector, which can have serious

repercussions on individuals whom interpreters are asked to interpret on behalf of, if it is not

done correctly. To that extent, to assist interpreters to deliver their service in a manner

expected of them, we have set out in Appendix A of this Guidance Booklet, a Code of

Professional Conduct. The Code provides a guide of recommended practices when

delivering your interpreting services.

Although the Code does not and can never cover every set of circumstances, the

fundamental principles that Capita TI wishes our suppliers to follow when interpreting for our

varied client base, are outlined here. We believe these to be ordinarily and reasonably

expected of an interpreter in this industry.

So that Capita TI can comply with the service level promises made to its clients and because

of the importance of the service you will be providing to us, we require you to pay careful

attention to the guidance provided in the Code of Professional Conduct. It is likely that

Capita TI may refer to this should there be complaints made against you that relate to the

content of the Interpreter Code of Professional Conduct. Where you have been found not to

have followed the suggested guidance in the Interpreter Code of Professional Conduct,

Capita TI will take appropriate action as detailed further in our Quality Assurance and

Behaviour Management Policy (see Appendix D) or Capita TI may cease to offer you Jobs.

The latest version of the Interpreter Code of Professional Conduct is available at all times on

our interpreter website, capitatranslationinterpreting.com/cti-linguist/.

For linguists, these tiers also offer benefits:

• Higher tiered interpreters have greater access to Jobs as they are able to apply for a

greater volume of work;

• Higher tiers usually attract higher hourly rates of pay;

• Tiers can be changed as interpreters upskill and receive relevant recognised professional

qualifications and are able to provide evidence of this.



3. SUPPLYING INTERPRETING SERVICES TO CAPITA TI

This next section explains how to use our Interpreter portal. The portal is at the centre of

how we engage with you. It shows you how to receive and accept Jobs. In addition, it shows

you how to accept your payments from us to ensure you are paid for the services supplied.

There are also a few helpful tips and guidelines on your expected conduct on issues such as

punctuality, translation requirements, and the occasions when home visits are necessary.

For additional help and support with a number of queries, please visit our Interpreter Help

Guide which can be found on the portal: capitatranslationinterpreting.com/cti-linguist/

3.1 The Interpreter Portal

It is important to note that your interaction with Capita TI will mainly be through the

Interpreter Portal: www.capitalinguistportal.com/ui. We are continually developing this to be

as user-friendly as possible, and many of the changes implemented are as a result of the

feedback from our suppliers who use it on a daily basis.

As we understand that interpreters are likely to be on the move throughout the day, either

supplying services to us or other entities, the latest version of the Interpreter Portal (default

version) is mobile-friendly. This version allows you to perform the most commonly required

tasks such as reviewing and responding to Job Offers, closing down Jobs and accepting

payments. Once you log in to the portal, you can select the ‘old’ version using the button at

the top of the screen which allows you to view more details about your supplier profile. For

the avoidance of doubt, Capita TI will not provide you with any equipment to carry out your

services, e.g. a mobile telephone or laptop.

3.2 Receiving and Accepting Bookings

Our interpreting clients process an interpreter booking through their dedicated online client

portal, specifying the language they require, the date and time and venue where they need

the interpreter and which tier of interpreter matches their requirements. Where remote

interpreting services (audio or video) are required using a tool of the clients choice (Microsoft

Teams, Zoom, Skype, Attend Anywhere etc.) the details of the tool to be used and any links

to access the call at the booked time, will be included in the booking information.

Capita TI processes this information and creates ‘Job Offers’, many of these automated, to

those interpreters whose Supplier profile meet the criteria.

You should regularly review your Job offers in the online portal and you should answer all

Job offers wherever possible, accepting or declining with the relevant reason for decline. It is

just as important to decline Job offers as it is to accept them, so we can clearly identify the

resources we have available to assign to the Job. Job offers are available to accept or

decline via the online portal, long before our Interpreting Service Delivery Coordinator Team

are able to view them in the staff portal.

An interpreter may also be contacted by the Interpreting Service Delivery Coordinator Team

from time to time to be offered a Job. This will often be if the booking has an immediate

requirement for an interpreter to attend. For this reason, it is crucial that you make yourself

available by phone as much as possible during any period in which you would be interested




in picking up a Job. It is also important you keep us up to date with any changes to your

contact information, particularly your mobile telephone number and email address, as these

are our two preferred contact methods for emergency bookings.

If you accept a Job offer, by any method, you must wait for confirmation the Job has been

allocated to you, before travelling to the venue. You can see all Jobs that have been

allocated to you in the Jobs section of the portal where you can select ‘Today’, ‘My Jobs’ or

‘Recently Assigned’. You will also receive a Job Confirmation email; however, emails aren’t

always issued and received immediately so you are advised to check the portal for

confirmation. The only exception to this is if one of our Service Delivery Coordinators has

instructed you over the telephone to travel to an emergency booking as soon as possible.

You will still receive the Job Confirmation email for these Jobs at some point after the Job is

allocated to you; however, this may not be immediate.

This Job Confirmation email will also contain a link, which will take you to the Job details

screen in the portal. This email provides basic information about the Job, but for Data

Protection reasons you will need to visit the link contained in the email to get further details

of the Job.

Clicking on the link contained in the Job Confirmation email will also provide you with a

breakdown of the estimated fees proposed for this Job.

It is important to note that you are not obliged to accept every Job offered to you, and

equally we are not obliged to allocate to you every Job for which you accept the offer.

The system has been designed to allow you to pick and choose the number of Jobs to

fit with your own schedule and other jobs or commitments which you may have. If

you are unable to pick up a Job which has been offered to you or even subsequently

allocated to you, you may nominate/suggest another interpreter who can supply

interpreting services providing they are registered with us or are willing to register

with us and meet our acceptance criteria. Where reasonably possible, we shall

endeavour to use your suggested interpreter. As a result, we do not offer any guarantee

of the number of bookings you will receive, but the more you are available, the more Jobs

you should be able to take on.

Keeping Capita TI informed about your availability

Within the Interpreter portal there is an “Availability” tab which you can click on to update us

about any periods where you are not available or unlikely to provide services, e.g. holidays,

supplying to another establishment, another Job and other commitments. Capita TI will use

this information to avoid contacting you when we know you are unavailable.

You are also able to access any bookings with us by using the “Calendar” tab where you can

quickly see dates on which you have agreed to supply services to Capita TI for the coming

day/week/month and when you have slots available for future work. It also highlights to you

any potential double bookings you have so you can take action and advise Capita TI.


Please see Section 8.3 for further additional notes and recommended measures when taking on Jobs. 3.3 Completing Timesheets and Closing Down Jobs

So, you have accepted a booking, worked out your travel arrangements, arrived on time and

provided your services. Now what?

Accurate timesheets are crucial to your role to facilitate payments which you will receive

when supplying interpreting services to Capita TI. We provide interpreters with timesheets

that can be printed blank, directly from the Interpreter Portal at

capitatranslationinterpreting.com/cti-linguist/ and completed by hand. Alternatively, we have

an interactive version of the timesheet, so you can complete some of the details online

before printing it off (your personal details and details of the Job) so there is less to complete

by hand. These timesheets must be signed off by a client’s authorised member of staff

before you leave a Job. A signed timesheet is your record to prove your time spent on a Job.

To avoid the need for you to send these timesheets to us, which takes time and can delay

your payment, we have an online process, so the client is able to close down a Job and

confirm the Job start and end times. If the client has not done this, you are able to access

and close the Job online yourself, uploading a copy of your completed signed timesheet as

evidence. For remote interpreting bookings using the clients’ choice of tools, we will confirm

the Job start and end times with our client since you will not be able to obtain a signed paper

timesheet.

On the rare occasion, you may be asked to email a copy of your signed timesheet to our

Payments Team if needed to settle a dispute regarding the number of hours claimed. It is

Please also note that:

● New bookings may not be taken during an active and live Job. You may not have your phone switched on during an appointment. At some appointments you may not be able to take your mobile in with you, even if it is switched off.

● Under no circumstances should you take Jobs which lead you to be double booked. It is your responsibility to research the details of your Jobs and other commitments and ensure that sufficient time is left between your appointments, to take account of travel time, parking and security checks. If it is found that you are allowing yourself to be double-booked and therefore unable to fulfil your Job, it could lead to your removal from our Interpreting Supplier Panel.

Good practices to observe and adhere to, in order to ensure an efficient service:

● Bookings are offered to you based on your qualifications and security clearances ● Accept or decline all Job offers wherever possible ● Once you have accepted a Job, you should commit to carrying out the Job to the best

of your professional ability ● If you are unable to take the booking once accepted, you must try and inform us at

least two working days before the Job is due, so that another supplier can be sourced by Capita TI. For cancellations where you give less notice, you may be charged a short-notice cancellation fee in addition to the administration fee

● You are obliged to decline a booking if there is any conflict of interest deriving from the people involved in the appointment, i.e. they are your acquaintances, family, friends or neighbours

● It is the responsibility of the interpreter to arrive at the Job on time and be prepared and ready to start at the booked start time.



Closing down Jobs

● Interpreters are required to close the Job down after the estimated end time of the Job if the client has not done so. Go to: www.capitalinguistportal.com/ui

● Interpreters will be paid from the booked start time until the Job is finished. For example, if you are physically interpreting from 11.30-12.30 but were booked from 10am, you will be paid from 10am until 12.30pm (or whenever the client has finished with your services)

● Even when you are paid in blocks of 15 minutes or one hour (see 4.2) your paper time sheet and electronic time sheet should be completed with the exact start and end times. Our system will do the rounding up for payment purposes

● Images of the completed signed timesheets must be uploaded to the Job in the online portal when closing the job, as evidence of the start and end times you have entered in the system

● Jobs must be closed within 21 days of completion of the Job

● For any Jobs left open after 30 days after the Job has finished, we may charge a Job Closure Fee as per the details on the online payment rates sheet

● For remote interpreting bookings using tools of the clients’ choice, we will confirm the Job start and end times with the client

essential that your timesheet entries are accurately maintained at all times and are retained

for a sufficient period of time. Please be aware that as these timesheets affect a client’s

billing process, the information entered onto these timesheets is available to each client at all

times.

To ensure you are paid as soon as possible it is in your interest to make sure that you

carefully enter your times, and then monitor the payment process through the Interpreter

Portal: www.capitalinguistportal.com/ui.

See section 4.8 for further details on the payment process.

Below are some guidelines on completing paper timesheets and closing down Jobs:

For all Jobs you will need to input the Job start and end times online and upload a

copy of your signed timesheet to trigger the payment process. Jobs must be closed

within 21 days of the date of completion of the Job.

The timesheet is for your records only and is for your proof and protection in the

event of a payment dispute, or where the Interpreting Service Delivery or Accounts

Payable Team ask you to provide this for any other reason.

Paper Timesheets Remember these are your proof of supplying your services:

● All of the details must be legible, complete, and truthful

● Timesheets must be uploaded to the Job in the online portal and are NOT required to be returned to Capita TI by email unless requested or if needed to assist in a payment dispute. If so, they can be scanned and sent by email to: [email protected]. Make sure that you explain the nature of your enquiry, if appropriate

● Incomplete timesheets or alternative documents will not be accepted

● Please do not add any notes, costs or extraneous items to the timesheet. If additional information is to be provided, use another piece of paper

● If there is anything that you would like to communicate to Capita TI regarding a timesheet, do so separately by email or telephone

● Make sure that you do not leave the Job without a signature on the time sheet. If any issues arise where you are not able to get a signature, please contact Capita TI at the time.

Keep copies of all timesheets for your records.

It is recommended you do this for at least 6

months.





Step by step instructions for closing down a Job can be obtained from the Interpreter Portal

at capitatranslationinterpreting.com/cti-linguist/.

3.4 Data Protection: Your Responsibilities

As an interpreter you have a duty to ensure that data relating to a Job is kept secure and is

not disclosed to anyone who does not have a right to that information. Capita TI are

ultimately responsible for all information that is held on its clients, and any Data Protection

breach can cause serious harm to the reputation of Capita TI and to you as a professional

self-employed individual.

If you have any problems or questions about any data protection matter, please refer this to

the Capita Linguist Relations Team without delay.

Do not:

• Leave confidential data or information unattended

• Take any notes, paperwork or witness statements away from a client venue / Police

station

• Copy or download sensitive or personal data to a removable disc

• Send confidential data in an unencrypted format

• Discuss confidential Capita TI Jobs with anyone who is not authorised - this includes

family members

• Share data with people who do not need to know it / should not know it

• Under any circumstances leave your laptop, removable media or any confidential /

sensitive documentation in your car overnight

Do:

• Store confidential or critical information in a secure manner at all times

• Dispose of confidential data and information in a secure manner (shredding is

recommended)

• Take care when using the telephone. If you are discussing confidential information,

make sure your conversation cannot be overheard. This includes receiving Job offer

details from Capita TI when you are mobile

• At all times ensure you comply with the Data Protection Act or any other applicable

law in force at the time

• Ensure that, if you are using your device in a public place, sensitive data is not visible

to others. For example, fit a privacy filter on your laptop screen

• Make sure laptop/mobile devices which contain information about your services are

encrypted and have a strong password

3.5 Identification

Once authorised to supply your services to us you will be provided with an ID Badge for

security purposes only. This contains:

• your LIN number

• a photograph

• a list of your highest security clearance



• an expiry date

You must always take your identification badge with you when attending a Job. This will be

sufficient as proof of ID for the vast majority of Job types. It is important to let us know well in

advance, that your ID card is about to expire by emailing [email protected] so

that we can provide you with a new one.

The exception to this rule is a Job in a Prison or other highly secure environment

where you will need additional photographic ID such as a passport or driving licence.

You are also prohibited from taking many items into a Prison establishment and are advised

to check the rules that relate to the Prison you are due to visit. Examples of prohibited items

include but are not limited to; mobile phones and other communication devices, sharp metal

objects, medicinal drugs, glass (including perfume), alcohol, cameras, scarves and belts.

3.6 Your Health and Wellbeing

For some Jobs, particularly those within the NHS, you may be required to supply your

services in situations where your good health is crucial to protect those around you. For this

reason, some of our clients insist that we book only those interpreters who can prove that

they are immunised against the following: -

• Rubella (German Measles)

• Hepatitis B

• Tuberculosis

• Varicella Zoster Virus (Chickenpox)

If you are required to supply your services in such circumstances, you will be asked to

confirm your vaccination status for these illnesses is up to date and that your general health

is good.

At all times, you should ensure you adhere to any health or hygiene related rules or

guidelines issued by the government, our clients or Capita TI. Any Capita TI guidance or

new instructions are usually issued by email and via notifications and updates on the online

portal. From time to time, there may be a requirement for you to wear Personal Protective

Equipment (PPE) when attending bookings in order to prevent the spread of infections and

to ensure your own health and wellbeing. Such PPE includes a disposable face mask, apron

and gloves. Due to the fact you will regularly be attending bookings in venues frequented by

the public, it is advisable to always carry anti-bacterial hand sanitiser / wipes so you can

maintain good levels of hygiene throughout the day. If any specialist PPE is required for a

particular booking (for example, a protective visor), our clients will normally notify us via the

notes section on the booking and provide the PPE on your arrival to site. Your health and

wellbeing are a priority so you should not commence service or continue with a Job if you

have any concerns around risks to your health and wellbeing. In these circumstances, you

should notify the client at the venue and then Capita TI by telephone.

Interpreting can be an intense mental process and you must take every care to make sure

you look after yourself so you can perform well when providing your services. You should

also be aware of the number and length of Jobs you take from us and make sure you have

sufficient rest and time between appointments to relax and recharge.



4. HOW TO RECEIVE PAYMENTS FROM US

This section of the Guidance Booklet outlines the policies and processes involved

when receiving payment for your services supplied to Capita TI.

Please note that you will not receive payments unless all necessary information has

been provided as requested from you from time to time, such as bank details,

completed timesheets and any HMRC required information.

4.1 Rates of Payment and Tiers

Our clients work in a variety of different sectors, so the nature of their bookings vary. To

reflect this, we have several different rates of pay. In addition, for some client registers,

different tiers attract different rates of pay. Our online payment rates sheet which is updated

from time to time, can be viewed via the Linguist Portal: www.capitalinguistportal.com/ui.

For the avoidance of doubt, Capita TI will not reimburse you or pay for any parking

tickets or fines incurred or other ancillary costs which have not been agreed in

advance, during any period in which you supply services.

4.2 Minimum Charges and Payment for Blocks of Time

For most Jobs, we pay a one-hour minimum payment. Minimum payment periods for

different types of clients are specified on the online payment rates sheet. Any time spent

interpreting after the minimum payment period specified in the online payment rates sheet

for that particular client, will be paid either by the minute or round up in blocks of time.

For some Jobs, Capita TI will pay for the time spent delivering interpreting services rounded

up to the nearest 15-minute block. As an example, if you are interpreting for one hour and 9

minutes, you will record one hour and 9 minutes on your timesheet, but our system will

round up to one hour and 15 minutes for client invoicing and interpreter payment purposes. If

your Job is recorded as lasting 50 minutes, our system will round up to one hour (60

minutes) for client invoicing and interpreter payment purposes.

No matter how our payment rates are calculated, you must always record the accurate Job

start and end times on your timesheet. Our system holds the relevant payment rules for each

client and will automatically calculate your payments due based on the payment rules for

each client Job, and your tier for the language used, in line with the online payment rates

sheet.

4.3 Payment for Out of Hours Jobs

Note: For certain types of Jobs only (see the online payment rates sheet for more

information)

For some clients, we pay a higher rate for Jobs that take place ‘out of hours’ (‘out of hours’

usually means evenings, weekends and bank holidays). Client contracts can specify different

‘out of hours’ time periods which are detailed in the online payment rates sheet.

If the Job starts prior to the ‘out of hours’ time band and ends during the ‘out of hours’ time

band, you will be paid the normal rate for the time spent prior to the ‘out of hours’ time band,

and the higher rate for the time spent during the out of hours’ time band.



The definition of ‘out of hours’ can vary; please check the online payment rates sheet and

the Job details in the online portal to find out what will be paid for each Job.

4.4 Waiting time

Interpreters on a Job booked through Capita TI receive payment for waiting time, and this is

paid at the specified interpreting rate.

For example, if you are booked to attend to begin a Job at 10.00am, but are unable to

provide your services due to a delay by the client until 11.30am, you should receive a

payment from the booked start time to cover the time you have spent waiting as well as the

time you have spent interpreting i.e. one and a half hours.

4.5 Cancellation

Note: For certain types of Jobs only (see the online payment rates sheet for more

information)

4.5.1 Cancellation by the Client which includes Client DNA (Did not Attend)

Cancellations to Jobs are to be expected given that many circumstances can change from

the point a Job is booked to the date that the booking should take place. Events can also

unfold on the day that mean a Job can end up not taking place or a client may not attend.

We recognise that this can have an impact on you as you are often advised of the

cancellation at short notice and have no replacement work. Should a Job be cancelled, or a

client does not attend, there may be a payment made to you. There are rules in place to

define the circumstances when a payment is made. The payment for a cancelled or client did

not attend booking, once authorised, will show on your Job in the linguist portal account

under the Pro Forma Invoice section. The details of cancellation and client did not attend

payments for each type of Job and the terms under which these will apply are included in the

online payment rates sheet.

Please note a cancellation payment is only made where a Job has been cancelled by a

client and it does not apply where Capita TI requests to allocate / offer you a more

appropriate Job (for example where a booking closer to your home location has become

available).

4.5.2 Cancellation by you which includes Interpreter DNAs (Did Not Attend)

If an Interpreter cancels or fails to attend a Job, this causes considerable additional work and

disruption to both the client and to Capita TI. Recognising this, Capita TI reserves the right to

charge an administration fee and cancellation fee to an Interpreter who cancels a booking,

fails to provide enough notice of cancellation, or who simply does not attend (DNA) a

previously accepted Job.

The administration and cancellation fees will be charged at a fixed rate and the fee amounts

and rules for applying these fees are detailed on the online payment rates sheet.

The Interpreting Service Delivery Team will confirm if an administration and cancellation fee

is payable by you. It is our normal process to deduct a cancellation fee from any payments

which we owe to you. In the event the interpreter no longer supplies services to Capita TI,

these charges will be payable directly to us by the Interpreter.


We expect that these measures will encourage appropriate and responsible behaviour

towards accepting and arriving at Job bookings from our Interpreter panel.

4.6 Other Fees Payable by You

We reserve the right to charge administration fees in certain circumstances. The amounts of

any such fees and the rules under which they will apply are detailed in the online payment

rates sheet.

4.7 Job Offer Email

An estimate of the fee payable to you will be included in the Job Offer information issued

when we are offering you a Job. In addition, you can view this information on the linguist

portal by entering the specific Job and reviewing the details. This will show you the

estimated payment as well as any expected travel payment that is connected to the Job.

The final amount payable to you upon completion of the Job may vary from this estimate as

it will be based on the final position of the Job once completed. In the event of a longer

running Job than originally planned it may be more, or in the event of a shorter than planned

Job there will be a reduced payment. If your travel arrangements differ there may also be an

adjustment.

Waiting time cannot be estimated nor shown at this point. Therefore, this information is not

and cannot be provided in advance.

We also must emphasise that it is important to fill in timesheets accurately and ensure that

these are signed by an official once a Job is completed. Once obtained, the client's

authorised member of staff will be able to close down the Job after the original estimated Job

end time. If the client doesn’t close down the job, the interpreter is able to do this by filling in

the exact start and end time as shown on the timesheet. Until the Job is closed the payment

process will not be initiated, see Section 4.8.1. Jobs must be closed within 21 days after the

job end date.

There should never be a situation where the times shown on your timesheet/s overlap. You

will only be paid once for each period of time that you supply services to us, e.g. if you

complete a Job which has a short adjournment and during that adjournment you complete

another Capita Job, you cannot claim for payment for time spent on the adjournment for the

first Job as well as the second Job which has been completed.

Capita TI reserves the right to go back and investigate any previous payments made to you

in the event of a dispute or concern.

4.8 Payment Methods and How to Receive Money into Your Bank Account

You must add your bank details to your online profile in order to receive payment of any

money owed into your bank account. Payment is usually made by BACS transfer.

4.8.1 Accepting the Payment

First, you need to “accept” the payment in your www.capitalinguistportal.com/ui account by

clicking on the payment displayed. From any screen, select the “Payments” tab in the top

right corner of the screen. You will be presented with a list of Jobs you have completed.



Select ‘Payments’ in the left-hand menu. The ‘completed’ tab shows you all Jobs completed

by you. After clicking on the Job you want to view and clicking payments in the left-hand

menu you can accept or query the payment. All payments must be accepted within 90 days

of a Job being closed. Following this period, the payments will be removed from the Job and

will no longer be payable as per the Interpreter Services Agreement.

4.8.2 Remittance Advice

Once the payment has been accepted, it will appear on a Remittance Advice that is sent to

you each week. On this is a list of all payments you can expect to have in your bank account

on the next ’payment run’. See section 4.8.3 for further details of the payment process.

4.8.3 Payment Terms

Where payments have been accepted before midnight on Sunday, they will be included in

the batch for the next payment run. Capita TI run a number of audit checks on those

payments and may make some amendments to them. The remittance advice referred to

above will be issued the following Thursday and the amounts included on the remittance

advice will be paid within six working days i.e. before the following Friday. For example:

- Payment accepted on Sunday 12 May

- Remittance advice issued on Thursday 16 May

- Paid into your account before the close of business on Friday 24 May

4.8.4 Helpful Hints

Check your online supplier profile regularly - to help your cash flow and financial

planning. You should make sure you set aside some time after you have completed a Job to

close down the Job and upload a copy of your signed timesheet, check your payments and

make sure you accept them as soon as possible. It is much easier for us all if you query any

payment issues as soon as possible as it becomes much harder to recall times, dates and

incidents as time passes.

Do not accept a payment if there is a problem - if you are not happy with an amount that

is displayed in your profile, you should query this by selecting the payment and clicking on

the “Query” button. This will suspend payment until it is sorted out satisfactorily with you and

Capita TI and you can then select 'Accept'. Once you have accepted a payment, Capita TI

are unable to amend the payment and it is impossible for us to stop or vary the amount. If

you accept a payment and then later, contact us to request amendments, we may charge a

re-opening closed Jobs fee as detailed on the online payment rates sheet.

4.8.5 Tax

As self-employed individuals you are solely responsible for managing your own tax affairs in

line with the guidance issued by HMRC see

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/selfemployed/index.shtml

If you are VAT registered, please contact our payments team to make arrangements for

issue of VAT invoices and payments.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/selfemployed/index.shtml


For the avoidance of doubt, tax will not be deducted from any payments made to you.

You are also required to provide to Capita details of your taxation status, tax reference

numbers and National Insurance Number as Capita must submit quarterly returns to the UK

Tax Office (known as HMRC) regarding payments made to our contractors. This is a

mandatory requirement and Capita must do this.

4.8.6 HMRC Tax Returns

We recommend you keep a note of all Jobs completed and payments made to you by Capita to enable completion of your annual tax return as Capita does not provide this routinely and there may a charge for the provision of this information. 4.8.7 Further Support for Payment Queries

Capita TI has a dedicated Interpreter Payments team who will be happy to help you with any

questions you may have. All queries must initially be raised via the portal. If the issue is not

fully resolved via this process, please send any queries to [email protected].



5. HANDLING DIFFICULT SITUATIONS

This section provides guidance and helpful tips on handling some of the difficult situations

you may encounter.

5.1 Your Introduction as An Interpreter to All the Parties Involved

The way you introduce yourself is critical to the success of the Job as it sets the tone and

explains your role to all parties. You should ensure you are introduced correctly. If you are

introduced by someone else incorrectly it is acceptable for you to repeat the process - we

suggest you do this immediately. You do not need to follow a set script, but you do need to

make it clear to all what you can and will do when on the Job.

To assist you we have written below some sample introductions that you might consider

using:

Sample introduction – when picking up a Job with the Police

My name is xxx. I am here to interpret between you and the Police. I do not work for the

Police. I am an independent and impartial interpreter. I am here to assist you both.

It is important that you understand that I am obliged to repeat everything that is said by you

or anyone else at any time. Direct your speech to each other and not to me.

I may make notes to help me in my work. I take these notes to help me recall what is being

said during the conversation. I will leave my notes here at the end of the session.

Nothing that is said will be repeated by me outside of this room to anyone. I work to a code of

conduct which requires my confidentiality.

I am now going to repeat, in English, everything that I have just said.

Sample introduction – when picking up a Job within the Healthcare Sector

My name is XX. I am an independent and impartial interpreter. I am here to assist you both

by ensuring that everything you say is understood by everyone present.

It is important that you understand that I am obliged to repeat everything that is said by you

or anyone else at any time. Direct your speech to each other and not to me.

I may make notes to help me in my work. I take these notes to help me recall what is being

said during the conversation. I will leave my notes here for the practitioner.

Nothing that is said will be repeated by me outside of this room to anyone not involved in this

case. I work to a code of conduct which requires my confidentiality.

I am now going to repeat, in English, everything that I have just said.

---------------------------------

Using these Introductions is for your protection and for the protection of the process. It is

very important that you do this at the outset and ensure that all parties understand.


5.2 Being Left Unaccompanied with a Witness, Victim or Patient on a Job

Sometimes interpreters are left unaccompanied when dealing with witnesses, victims and

patients. On occasions they are expected and sometimes directed to take the statements or

to talk to patients themselves.

This practice creates circumstances that are dangerous to the people involved and to the

legal process and medical processes. Statements taken by interpreters that are not correctly

recorded because of interpreter error or a Police officer’s lack of experience in taking

interpreter-moderated statements are open to potential legal challenge. Being left alone with

a person whose medical history you do not know could be potentially dangerous to your

wellbeing.

We have set out below some suggestions on how to handle this situation

Police Jobs

Firstly, you should avoid as much as possible being left alone with an accused, victim or

witness without a police officer being present. If you are asked to have any unsupervised

contact of any kind with an accused, victim or witness, it is your responsibility to:

• Politely decline the request and refer the officer to their own best practice guidance in

relation to the taking of witness statements. If this does not resolve the situation, refer the

matter to the officer’s supervisor or the Operations Team immediately. Please do not leave

the site until the matter has been resolved to the satisfaction of all parties.

• Notify Capita TI of the request, they will inform the Account Manager responsible for this

client who will provide feedback and guidance to the station involved to ensure this does not

happen again with any of our suppliers.

The only exception is when the interpreter is required to assist a legal representative carrying

out a private consultation with an accused, victim or witness. However, if the legal

representative leaves the interview room for any reason, it is still your responsibility to leave

as well.

NHS and similar - Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults

At Capita TI we have Safeguarding Standards (these can be found on

capitatranslationinterpreting.com/cti-linguist/) which outline our responsibilities, in

conjunction with partner organisations, regarding the safeguarding of children and vulnerable

adults.

It is important when supplying services as an interpreter you understand your responsibilities

regarding the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults.

Best practice regarding the role of interpreter's between social workers, healthcare and/or

professionals and family members should include:

• Advising the social worker and/or healthcare professional should you know the non-

English speaker or one of their family members. We recommend interpreters ask for

the name of the non-English speaker prior to commencing a Job in order to identify



any conflict of interest that may be present. This information is also often noted within

the Job details on the linguist portal for most Jobs.

• Understanding your role is to interpret direct communications between social workers and/or healthcare professionals and the child, or vulnerable adult’s family members. It is not to talk on either party’s behalf or act as the family’s representative.

• Interpreting only the exact words that are used during the Job.

• Understanding that exchanges between family members should be accurately

interpreted at all times, as well as answers in response to direct questions.

• Being prepared to explain where relevant to the appropriate person or entity, any

cultural or other issues that may be overlooked however may be relevant to the Job.

• Interpreters should not allow themselves to be placed in difficult or compromising

situations. Interpreters should handle the situation in the same way as outlined above,

and always leave the room when the social worker and/or healthcare professional

does.

• Should an interpreter have any concerns regarding a safeguarding issue, this can be

reported to Capita TI on the Capita Translation and Interpreting Safeguarding

Reporting Form (this can be found on capitatranslationinterpreting.com/cti-linguist/ or

directly from Capita) and it will be dealt with accordingly.

If you have any questions regarding your suitability for this type of Job, please contact our

Service Delivery Coordinator team at [email protected].

5.3 Taking Breaks

Interpreting can be an intense and mentally challenging role, and to maintain the quality of

the work you provide you need to ensure that you take short breaks to allow some

recuperation. On most occasions, breaks will present themselves naturally but if you feel

tired and unable to concentrate it is your responsibility to alert the appropriate official and

request a short, five-minute break. It is preferred that you take this proactive step rather than

allow your performance to suffer. Short breaks done with the agreement of the client will

usually be paid but any formal breaks for example; an hour’s break for lunch, would not

usually be paid unless there are prior arrangements made.

5.4 Completion of Witness Statements in a Police Setting

Guidance on the protocols to follow when you are required to assist with the completion of a

witness statement when on a Police Job:

• Police officers are responsible for the content and standard of the statement and

must ensure all relevant details and points are included. Interpreters must not obtain

the witness statement on behalf of the officer.

• The investigating officer should ask the witness to give a free recall verbal account of the relevant incident. The interpreter will relay the response of the witness to the officer. It is permissible for both parties to make notes however, any records made by the interpreter should be appended to the foreign language witness statement at the conclusion of the Job. Any notes made by the police officer or staff member should be appended to their continuity statement.

• When the statement has been written the witness should be invited to read it and identify any inaccuracies or omissions. If the witness cannot read the statement, the




interpreter should read it to them. When the statement is complete the witness should sign or make his/ her mark upon each page. The interpreter must countersign the signature or mark on each page.

• When a witness statement is recorded in the language of the witness the interpreter must prepare a translation into English of that statement on an MG11 form. The translation should be completed immediately and returned to the officer in the case. Only in exceptional circumstances should it be done at a later date. The translated document is not actually a witness statement. Accordingly, the interpreter must then make a witness statement in English, on a separate MG11, formally producing the translation as an exhibit.

• If an interpreter wishes to leave prior to the natural conclusion of the Job, they should do so only in exceptional circumstances and with the consent of the police officer. If the Job cannot be suspended by mutual agreement and the officer in charge considers it necessary to complete the investigation, the matter should be referred immediately to a senior officer for advice or directly with Capita.

• At times it may not be possible to complete the written translation of a witness

statement either due to circumstances not under your control or perhaps your own

availability. Even if instructed to do so by a police officer or advocate you must not

under any circumstance remove any part of a witness statement from any of our

client locations – never take them home. If the situation arises, you should politely

decline the instruction and ask the officer in charge to rebook for you to return at a

mutually convenient time through the Capita TI Client Booking portal. It is possible for

a specific request to be made for an Interpreter by name.

5.5 Leaving a Venue After a Job

We recommend that you ask for sufficient time to be able to exit a venue safely, prior to the

witness, victim, accused or patient also being shown off the premises. This is not only for

your own personal safety but to avoid there being any need for you to continue your

relationship outside of the Job which would not be appropriate.

5.6 Home Visits

You may be asked to attend a Job at the home of the non-English speaker. You should

always remain in your car or site yourself away from the premises until the person due to

accompany you has arrived (Police Officer, medical professional, civil servant, social worker

etc). Under no circumstances should you go inside or introduce yourself prior to this. Once

inside, we suggest you introduce yourself as outlined above (see 5.1) to make it clear that

you are acting as an independent and impartial interpreter. It also follows that under no

circumstances should you allow yourself to be left alone with the non-English speaker. If

your contact leaves the premises, or the room, you should go with them. If needed, Capita TI

can assist you in making prior arrangements with the client contact on where to meet. It is

also advisable that you and your contact agree in advance what your emergency exit

strategy and signal will be in the event that you need to exit the Job quickly.

5.7 Jobs Overrunning

If you are booked onto two consecutive Jobs in one day, for example, and your first one is

overrunning you should remain on site at the first appointment until this is fully completed

and you have been given authority to leave. If your second appointment is also with Capita

TI, you should telephone us and advise us of the most accurate time you expect you are

going to be able to be available at your second appointment. If the delay is not too long, we


will telephone our contact there to see if it is acceptable that they can wait for you to arrive. If

not, we will attempt to appoint a replacement interpreter to attend the second booking to

allow you to conclude your business at the first. It is however also your responsibility to

make sure that you leave sufficient times between your appointments and any other

commitments such that any potential small overruns can be accommodated.

As always, if you are able to recommend a suitable and viable replacement to pick up the

Job on your behalf, in accordance with the terms of your agreement with us, we would be

happy to consider offering the work to them. Sometimes interpreters recommend a friend /

relative who is also registered or is willing to register to supply their services to Capita TI.

5.8 Use of Mobile Phones

It is essential that you turn off your mobile phone during a Job and do not use this until after

you have been given clearance to leave.

5.9 Security of Clients' Premises and Staff

You should always co-operate with client’s staff and comply with their reasonable requests

and instructions in ensuring the safety and security of their premises, staff, patients and

visitors. If you find yourself in a situation where you do not agree with what is being

requested, you should refer this to Capita TI for guidance.

5.10 Cancellations to Jobs

It is always advisable to double check with Capita TI before you set off to travel to a long-

distance Job to confirm that there has not been any change to the start time or a cancellation

to the booking. Of course, it is not always going to be the case that Capita TI will be advised

in advance, so we cannot prevent this from happening, but we will always endeavour to

advise you as soon as we find out that a Job has been cancelled.

5.11 Handling Challenging Encounters

Interpreting is an intense mental process and some of the situations you may interpret in

may stay in your thoughts for some time. You may hear things that are uncomfortable, or

witness people who are upset and traumatised by their experiences. You have to perform

“live” on the Job, which is a mentally stimulating situation. Therefore, it is up to you to make

sure that you are able to take on this challenging role and are mentally, physically and

emotionally fit for the process. As a freelance interpreter you will not have a manager /

supervisor who will be there to provide you with support so you must make sure that you

create and use your own support network and allow yourself to de-stress after each

encounter.

Whilst the content of the interpreting Job itself cannot always be planned for in advance you

can help to reduce your workplace stress by following the tips below:

Be well prepared. Think about the Job you are going to. Have you got all the information you need? Do you know where the venue is if not, research this beforehand. Have you prepared the glossary of terms that might be needed?

Look after yourself. If you are in good mental and physical shape you will be more able to handle a stressful situation, so it is important to look after yourself on an ongoing basis. Try


and make sure you achieve a good work/life balance, build in relaxation, eat healthily, take exercise and try not to allow yourself to get too tired.

Calm yourself down. If you start to feel yourself become stressed calm yourself down by slowing down your breathing and thinking about how you have overcome similar situations in the past. It may be appropriate to request a break so you can gather your thoughts.

Think positively. When you think positively you will feel in control and more confident. Visualise a positive outcome to a similar stressful situation in the past and focus on this past success.

Trust your knowledge and experience. When dealing with a stressful situation you can panic and forget to utilise all the knowledge and experience you already have. Remind yourself of the resources you have and trust your knowledge, experience and intuition to help you handle the stressful situation.

Ask for help. Faced with a stressful situation you may try to handle it on your own, however, you may want to get some help or someone to talk to. This will provide not only practical assistance but also reassurance. If you ever wish to talk through a stressful encounter, please feel free to call us here at Capita TI. For more specialist support from trained professionals, if an encounter has particularly affected you emotionally or mentally, you should contact The Samaritans on telephone: 116 123. This number is free of charge from landlines and mobiles including pay as you go mobiles. Alternatively, you can email them: [email protected]. Here is a link to their website for more information: https://www.samaritans.org/


https://www.samaritans.org/


6. CONDUCT

6.1 What We Expect from You

Our clients are dependent on punctuality, professional conduct, and professional

appearance when on-site. Please read the following and take these points into consideration

on each Job you accept from us along with our Code of Professional Conduct. Members of

the Capita TI Service Delivery Coordinator Team are always on hand to discuss any issues

and answer any questions you may have and will always be happy to help.

● Interpreters have a duty to work in accordance with industry practice and reasonable

requirements which may be made by the police officer, medical professional, social

worker or any other client representative, for example.

● You should arrive on time for your appointment and make sure you leave sufficient

time for any security checks you may have to go through.

● If attending a large facility like a major hospital or a secure establishment, anticipate

having to arrive well in advance of the booked start time.

● Any instance of being late will be logged and the time removed from your payment.

Repeated instances of late arrival would result in your ceasing to be a supplier we

use.

● Ensure you take your ID badge to all bookings. If you forget your ID badge it may be

possible to verify your identity by using a passport or other form of photo

identification. However, this should be a last resort, so please do not rely on this as

this is not professional.

● If you feel at any time the person requiring your services in any environment has

health issues that haven’t been mentioned, then these should be communicated to

your contact on site and also to Capita TI at the earliest opportunity. Any safe-

guarding issues must be reported in line with Capita TI’s procedure.

● You must adhere to all client Health and Safety procedures when on their sites.

● Make sure you get your timesheet signed at the end of the booking.

● Confidentiality must be maintained at all times.

If you are running late to a Job for whatever reason, please contact Capita TI on 0333

111 0060 to inform us of the delay. We will then advise the customer of the situation

so they can make the necessary arrangements.

For some of our clients we have an agreement to provide Interpreter business contact

telephone numbers in the event that an Interpreter is late for a Job. Any ‘work’ or ‘business’

telephone number fields you completed when creating your online supplier profile in our

system will be visible to our clients when you are assigned to a booking.

All reports of failure to maintain a good record of punctuality and attendance will be

investigated and recorded. Where such reports are founded and you do not offer suitable

reasons for your actions we will treat this as a breach of our Agreement, and may cease to

use your services for future Jobs which we may have to offer to others and remove you from

our Interpreting Supplier Panel.

It is extremely important that you inform us if you are unable to attend any of the Jobs you

have agreed to do, so that we can inform the relevant people, and arrange a replacement

interpreter.


6.2 What Happens If We Receive a Complaint About You From the Client?

Your duty as an Interpreter

The Capita TI Service Delivery Coordinator Team is charged with ensuring that all parties for

the supply of interpreting services have a positive experience. You should assist them,

respect them and provide information to them when requested. The information requested

may be crucial to us being able to resolve the matter with the client. Interpreters need to be

mindful that they are as essential as Capita TI staff in providing excellent service to our

clients.

6.3 Logging Process

Complaints can be logged either directly by our clients on our Client Portal or on behalf of

the client by Capita TI.

6.4 Categories of Complaint

They will usually fall into one of the following categories

• DNA (interpreter did not attend)

• Late (interpreter was late)

• Incorrect timesheet data entered by the interpreter leading to an incorrect payment

being requested

• Poor interpreting skills

• Interpreter was lacking cultural understanding of behavioural expectations

• Short notice cancellation by the interpreter

Our Process

The Capita Linguist Relations team is responsible for investigating all complaints received

regarding our suppliers. Once a complaint is received, Capita TI will usually contact you to

understand your version of events/explanation.

We take issues very seriously, the Jobs you work on are very important for the people

involved and to give an example, should there need to be a replacement Police interview

due to the non-arrival of an Interpreter this can take several hours of additional work for

Police staff and may result in suspects of crime being released without investigation. Our

Interpreters are people we need to feel we can trust and rely on and be professional. It is

also essential to the long-term success of our relationship with our clients that we have an

excellent pool of freelance Interpreters to uphold the standards in the industry and safeguard

its reputation.

6.5 Outcome of The Complaint

The outcome is dependent on the severity of the complaint/issue once investigated. If, after

consultation the Linguist Relations Team member believes that you were at fault (known as

a founded complaint) this may result in some action being taken against you. This is detailed

in our Quality Assurance and Behaviour Management Policy which can be found on our

linguist portal site. This could be a "warning" letter, a deduction of payment, suspension or

even your removal from our Interpreter panel. There may also be a Complaint Administration


fee levied to cover the cost of administering this complaint. This will be advised to you by the

person handling the complaint from the Linguist Relations Team.

6.6 Reviewing Client Complaints

In order to monitor the performance of our interpreters, all complaints and compliments are

recorded against your supplier profile, together with data on whether or not these were

founded.

6.7 Compliments

In the same way as complaints, our clients can log compliments about the service received

via the online Client portal. All instances of positive feedback about interpreters are shared

with them and are recorded against your supplier profile in our system for future reference.


7. HOW YOU CAN GIVE FEEDBACK ABOUT CAPITA TI OR THE

CONDUCT OF A CLIENT

Capita TI recognises that for the relationship we have with our interpreters to be mutually

beneficial it is also important that you can air your concerns and recommendations for

improvements and know that you will be encouraged to do so.

7.1 The Process

If your experience with Capita TI is not entirely to your satisfaction or you have a reason to

complain about a Capita TI client, we ask that you inform us immediately.

Please follow the steps below:

1. Please send your complaint in writing to: [email protected]

2. We will aim to contact you regarding your complaint or feedback as soon as possible

but in any event within three working days of contact.

3. Should you not hear from us within three working days, please call us on 0333 111

0060.



8. DAY TO DAY: ADDITIONAL NOTES WHEN CARRYING OUT

JOBS

The following section outlines additional guidelines and notes that you need to be aware of

during your time supplying your services to us.

8.1 Additional Notes on Receiving Job bookings

• If a client decides to make further use of your services at the end of an interpreting

Job you must instruct them to make a separate booking with Capita TI, you SHOULD

NOT accept the Job directly from the client. This must be booked as a new Job via

us.

• For the purpose of confidentiality, you may not be accompanied by anyone into the

Job other than as agreed by us / the client. If you need assistance with mobility or

other issues, please inform Capita TI and we will be happy to arrange this for you

and inform the client of any special requirements.

8.2 Client Cancellations

• Capita TI holds contracts with an increasing number of clients. Their policies on

cancellations are varied. In the past few years the industry norm across the country

has become that the client reserves the right to cancel with no cost. Therefore, only

under certain situations will we pay interpreters whose appointments are cancelled,

even at short notice. This is at Capita TI’s discretion and further information can be

viewed on the online payment rates sheet.

8.3 Circumstances where an interpreter may be removed from our supplier list

immediately

Your agreement with us and the Code of Professional Conduct, set out circumstances where

we may refrain from offering you any Jobs in the future and for you to be removed from our

suppliers list. This includes but is not limited to:

• Sending a family member / friend / fellow interpreter to a Job without notifying and

receiving agreement from Capita TI (agreement will not be given unless this

replacement is also an approved linguist on our Interpreter panel with an equal level

of qualifications and experience and clearances). If any of the situations below occur,

then this will result in the immediate removal of the interpreter in question from our

Interpreter panel. This is not only for the benefit of Capita TI and our clients; it is to

ensure that the people undertaking the Jobs are of the highest calibre.

• Acts of dishonesty where your conduct affects your ability or suitability for being an approved supplier with us and breaches recognised industry code of conducts; for example, theft

• Fraud or the deliberate falsification of records or expenses

• Being disrespectful or rude to clients or non-English speakers or indeed Capita TI staff

• Deliberate damage to our / a client's / service user's property

• A serious breach of Health & Safety policies whilst on client or Capita TI premises


• Physical violence or aggressive behaviour

• Indecent or immoral acts

• Being under the influence of or possessing, alcohol or illegal drugs whilst undertaking a Job

• Committing an act which has / is likely to bring the name of Capita TI into disrepute

• Any breaches of confidentiality requirements as agreed with Capita TI from time to time

• Harassment or bullying of individuals connected in any way to the Job and breaches of any anti-discrimination legislation

• If you are deemed unable to work in the UK or do not possess the right to work in the UK (or your proof of this is found to be false)

• If during your registration with Capita TI, you have provided documents that have later been found to be false or fraudulently obtained

• If you receive criminal convictions that render your security clearances to be no longer valid

8.4 Personal Safety

While undertaking a Job, you must ensure that you are safe and are interpreting in

appropriate conditions. Amongst other things, you must familiarise yourself with fire exits and

other emergency procedures on the premises. If you are feeling unwell on the day of a Job,

please contact the Capita Service Delivery Coordinator Team as soon as you believe you

may not be able to carry out a given appointment. We have a duty of care to you, the non-

English speaker and our clients to make sure that no unnecessary risks are taken and to

protect the health of everyone concerned. This is especially relevant when dealing with

health care Jobs where the non-English speaker may already be medically impaired.

If you have any health conditions that may affect your ability to provide interpreting services,

make Capita TI aware of this and we will inform the client of any special requirements to

accommodate them if possible. If you wish to discuss any of the above in confidence, please

contact us.

8.5 Changes to Your Address

Should your home address change it is imperative that Capita TI is informed immediately in

order that Capita TI’s systems can be updated.

To do this you need to notify Capita TI in writing by email and provide evidence of your new

address and post code details. Such evidence must comprise at least two of the following:

• UK Driving Licence with Counterpart

• Utility Bill in Interpreter’s name

• Bank statement in Interpreter’s name

• Council Tax bill in Interpreter’s name

• Credit card statement in Interpreter’s name

• TV Licence document in Interpreter’s name

• Insurance certificate in Interpreter’s name


Should the distance from your original address to your new address be large enough to

affect the calculation of any travel payments that were to be paid to you on future Jobs then

Capita TI may elect to either:

(a) Amend payment calculations to reflect a change in address for travel mileage and travel

time for booked Jobs that are as yet unfulfilled;

Or

(b) Cancel and reassign these Jobs to alternative Interpreters.

8.6 Use of Headsets and Radio Transmitters During Jobs

In appropriate cases and where there are multiple non-English speakers on site at the same

time Capita TI now offers clients the opportunity to use headsets and transmitters. Capita TI

will ensure that the equipment is sourced and shipped to the designated venue and that full

training is provided for the client.

If a Job is one where headsets will be in use, you will be informed beforehand by Capita TI

staff and you will also be shown how to use the equipment on site on the day.


9. CAPITA TI COMPANY INFORMATION AND STANDARDS

9.1 Capita Translation and Interpreting Company Registration

• Capita Translation and Interpreting is a registered company. Visit the Company

House website for our details at http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk//index.shtml.

9.2 Equality and Diversity

Capita TI is dedicated to delivering international services which embrace diversity, and which

provide a commitment to equality, extending to our freelance community across the globe. In

return, we request that all interpreters are equally as committed to helping us achieve this

goal and refrain from any acts which could be deemed to be discriminatory or harassment.

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.companieshouse.gov.uk%2F%2Findex.shtml&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHppdFEX6tpZbBRdwn0PAOMy-kL7g














APPENDIX A

Interpreter Code of Professional Conduct

The Code of Professional Conduct below sets out guidance on recommended and expected

industry practices and forms part of our Interpreter Services Agreement. It is also available

on-line on our website capitatranslationinterpreting.com/cti-linguist/. You will be notified from

time to time of any updates to the Code of Professional Conduct. Although a Code of

Professional Conduct can never cover every eventuality, there are fundamental provisions

that Capita TI requests our Interpreters to adhere to.

You shall: -

1. act with integrity and maintain the highest professional standards at all times. 2. be of good character and standing in the community (which may preclude those with

certain criminal records). 3. observe absolute confidentiality in relation to every individual Job unless otherwise

required by law or where disclosure is stipulated by the relevant legislation; this duty extends beyond the completion of the individual Job. Particular regard must be paid to confidentiality arising from legal consultations and to ensuring that legal professional privilege is not compromised.

4. never seek to take advantage of any information disclosed during a Job. 5. comply with all applicable Data Protection Laws 6. not use any information obtained in the course of a Job for any purpose other than as

authorised. 7. keep safe any document, recordings or media provided during the course of a Job,

ensure that it is not copied, and is returned at the end of the Job. Never take any Police statements home to translate at the end of a Job. Documents are for the eyes of the Interpreter and authorised staff only and must not be seen by or shared with anyone else.

8. act impartially at all times and not act in any way that might result in prejudice or preference on grounds of religion or belief, race, politics, gender, gender reassignment, age, sexual orientation or disability other than as obliged to in order to faithfully translate, interpret or otherwise transfer meaning.

9. not give advice, legal or otherwise, to the person for whom you are interpreting, nor enter into discussion with them (other than simple pleasantries, and to confirm language/dialect match or preferred means of communication).

10. disclose to Capita or authorised staff any known or potential conflicts of interest, or any other factor which may make it inappropriate for you to accept a particular Job as soon as this is identified.

11. disclose to Capita or authorised staff any relationship with the parties involved in the Job or their families as soon as this is identified.

12. disclose any information, including any new or existing criminal records or convictions, which may make you unsuitable for any particular Job to Capita as soon as this is identified

13. undertake Jobs only for which you are competent (both linguistically and in terms of specialist knowledge or skills).

14. disclose professional limitations in relation to each individual Job. 15. always interpret/translate to the best of your ability decline any reward in relation to a

Job other than the agreed sums payable by Capita. 16. seek to improve your knowledge and skills. 17. not engage in activities which could reasonably be deemed as likely to damage the

reputation of the profession of translating and interpreting or the reputation of the Capita client



18. never sub-contract or attempt to sub-contract work to another party under any circumstances.

19. only discuss your work with the relevant police officers, court officials, healthcare professionals or other appointed officials, and take care to ensure that you are not overheard. Never talk to anyone else in the vicinity of the venue.

20. not stay in a room on your own with the non-English speaker during a Job. You should always leave the room when the police officer, advocate, health care professional or other appointed official does so.

21. repeat everything that is said to you by the non-English speaker, without exception. This includes the interpretation of foul language and words of a sexual, sexist or sectarian nature.

22. disclose any previous involvement with the case to an official or to Capita as soon as this is identified.

23. arrive wearing clothing and accessories appropriate to the nature of the Job to show your respect to the Clients, witnesses, victims, prisoners and others you are assisting. Headwear is only acceptable if worn for religious or cultural reasons. Under no circumstances should any of the following be worn:

• Denim of any kind

• Shorts, any sort of beach wear, sportswear or inappropriately revealing

clothing

• Flip-flops

• Clothing that is dirty or ripped

• Clothing with large/obvious advertising motifs or branding

• Any item of clothing or dress that is not deemed appropriate for the type of

Job you are attending.

If in doubt, please check with Capita. Your minimum standard of presentation should be

what is deemed “business casual”; for most Jobs “full business” attire is necessary

especially when working in a Court or Tribunal setting. Full business attire for men includes

the wearing of a tie.

In the event that an Interpreter fails to adhere to this Interpreter Code of Professional

Conduct, then Capita may at its sole discretion invoke Capita’s Quality Assurance and

Behaviour Management policy. Capita’s Quality Assurance and Behaviour Management

policy can be found on the Capita Supplier Portal and can be provided via email upon

request on a case by case basis.


APPENDIX B

Capita TI Travel Payment Policy for Interpreters

Note: Details of travel payments can be viewed on the online payment rates sheet.

TRAVEL MILEAGE AND TRAVEL TIME

Travel mileage policies vary across Capita Clients and Jobs for some Clients do not include

mileage payments. Jobs for some Capita Clients, for example, pay mileage on a door to

door basis whilst others, for example, will not pay for mileage for the first ten miles of the

outward journey and for the first ten miles of the return journey.

Subject always to any Client restrictions as described above or any other Client restrictions

and only where the Clients allow for travel mileage to be paid:

• Where applicable, Capita may pay an Interpreter a rate per mile for the total miles

travelled and only for journeys that are legitimately made. On a single venue Job

this would be calculated as the door to door mileage, as if travelled by car taking

the shortest distance route as displayed in the ‘Estimated Payments’ tab of the Job.

• Where an Interpreter carries out multiple venue Jobs on the same day, mileage will

only be payable for the journeys legitimately undertaken.

• If an Interpreter wishes to use public transport or taxi, Capita will not reimburse the

Interpreter for the cost of such travel and will only pay for mileage as outlined in

above.

• The estimated payment in respect of travel mileage displayed on the “Estimated

Payments” tab for a Job on the Capita Supplier Portal, or on the Job offer issued

prior to confirmation of a Job, is based on the distance between an Interpreter’s

home address and the Job venue. Capita may, where appropriate, amend the

mileage payment should the starting point or end point of the journey change prior

to commencement of the Job.

You should be eligible to claim tax relief from HMRC on business expenses. For more information, view this link: https://www.gov.uk/expenses-if-youre-self-employed

Travel time

Travel time policies vary across Capita Clients and Jobs for some Clients do not include

travel time payments.

Subject always to any Client restrictions as described above or any other Client restrictions

and only where the Client(s) allow for travel time to be paid Capita may pay Interpreters for

travel time based on journeys undertaken (informed on a Job by Job basis) as if the journey

was made by car taking the shortest route. This would be payable for travel undertaken with

respect to the Job excluding the first hour of each journey (on outgoing and return journeys)

and shall be in all circumstances limited to a maximum of two hours for each outgoing and

each return journey.

We will not deviate from this policy even if asked to do so.

https://www.gov.uk/expenses-if-youre-self-employed


APPENDIX C Sample Timesheet

This can be found to download on capitatranslationinterpreting.com/cti-linguist/.



APPENDIX D

Quality Assurance and Behaviour Management Policy

We are expected by our clients to give a high-quality service and in turn to ensure delivery of

a high level / quality of service we request that interpreters are mindful of the principles we

recommend in the Code of Professional Conduct.

1. Purpose

To ensure that all our interpreters are treated consistently we have developed a Quality Assurance

and Behaviour Management Policy which sets out the likely actions we may take where we deem

it to be necessary because the interpreter has not provided his / her service to us as agreed /

expected.

2. Application

This document can apply to all suppliers of interpreting services to Capita TI.

3. Responsibilities

This procedure may be utilised by Capita TI’s Linguist Relations Team as and when it deems it

appropriate to do so.

4. Procedure

The decision on what action will be pursued will be made by the Linguist Relations Team.

Listed below are the actions that may be taken depending upon the level of severity of the

issue.

5. Actions We May Take

Formal Warning Letter

Rather than simply refraining from utilising your services, we may issue a warning letter. Should

we decide to issue you with a formal warning letter, it will set out details of the incidents that have

occurred, what behaviour / performance we / the client deems to be unacceptable, details of how

the issue may be rectified.

Suspension

In addition to the above, we may choose to refrain from offering you any Jobs for a period of time.

Termination of our Arrangement

Alternatively, should we or the client not be happy with the service which you have provided / are

providing or you have breached a term of your agreement with us or an act / omission has

occurred allowing us to end our arrangement, we will write to you confirming that Capita TI no

longer wishes to utilise your services. The Interpreter will be informed that they have been un-

tiered and will not be offered any Jobs. The Interpreter is not able to re-apply to Capita TI to supply

interpreting services until a 12-month period has elapsed. This letter is sent by e-mail and postal

mail. The Interpreter is rendered inactive on Capita TI’s systems and all future Jobs assigned are

re-assigned to an alternative Interpreter.


COMPLAINTS FROM INTERPRETERS

Any complaints submitted / issues raised by the Interpreter are reviewed by Capita’s Interpreting

Operations Manager. The Interpreter’s feedback is reviewed as part of our quality assurance

process.


APPENDIX E

Useful Website Addresses and Content

We have compiled a list of useful web addresses and content that we hope will help you

when carrying out Jobs:

http://www.fourmilab.ch/documents/calendar/ Cultural and religious calendar converter https://www.nhs.uk/ Enter postcode to locate NHS hospitals, GP’s, dentists www.parkopedia.com Enter a location and find the nearest public car parks http://en.parkopedia.co.uk/mobile-parking-apps Apps for your mobile devices available here • AA route planner (for car journey planning) • Cyclestreets (for cycle journey planning) • National Rail enquiries (for train journey planning) • RAC route planner (for car journey planning) • Royal Mail (find a postcode or address) • TfL plan a journey (for public transport in London) • Traveline (for public transport) • Traveline south east (for public transport) • walkit.com (for planning walks) To plan any journey using public transport or on foot www.thetrainline.com UK train times, book tickets http://maps.google.co.uk/ UK road map, main routes and city centres, with directions www.highways.gov.uk/traffic-information/ Real time traffic information for UK motorways and A roads www.highways.gov.uk/mobile-services Free iPhone App available here https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/public-health-england Latest information on a Public Health Issues (e.g. Pandemics)

https://www.nhs.uk/

http://www.theaa.com/route-planner/index.jsp

http://www.cyclestreets.net/

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

http://www.rac.co.uk/route-planner/

http://www.royalmail.com/find-a-postcode

http://tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey/

http://traveline.info/

http://www.travelinesoutheast.org.uk/se/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2?language=en&timeOffset=15

http://walkit.com/

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/public-health-england

Freelance Interpreter Guidance Booklet

Documents

Transcript of Freelance Interpreter Guidance Booklet