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How Much Does an Interpreter Cost in 2026?
An interpreter from eVerbary costs $80 an hour by video or phone (one-hour minimum) and $110 an hour in person (two-hour minimum), plus $0.70 a mile of travel; languages with few interpreters in the US add 25–30%, and rare languages 75%. A two-hour meeting in person with a 20-mile round trip comes to $234. Below: every rate, worked examples, and two official yardsticks — what the federal courts pay their contract interpreters and what interpreters earn, city by city.
Video, phone or in person
Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams or a phone call, or an interpreter at the venue.
From $80 an hour
Virtual $80 an hour with a one-hour minimum; in person $110 with a two-hour minimum.
Quote within minutes
We reply within minutes, four business hours at most, with the interpreter, the exact price and any travel, before you book. Asking costs nothing.
Every rate, in one table
Per interpreter, per hour, billed from the scheduled start time. Which languages are standard, limited-availability or rare is listed on each language page.
| Language availability | By video or phone | In person |
|---|---|---|
| Standard (Spanish, Portuguese, French, Mandarin, Arabic and 26 more) | $80 an hour, one-hour minimum | $110 an hour, two-hour minimum |
| Limited availability (most other languages) | $100–$104 an hour | $137.50–$143 an hour |
| Rare (Mam, K’iche’, Fuzhounese, Hakha Chin and others) | $140 an hour | $192.50 an hour |
| Travel, in person only | — | $0.70 a mile from the interpreter's location |
What an interpreter costs, worked out
These are the published rates multiplied out: $80 an hour by video or phone, $110 an hour in person, $0.70 a mile of travel.
| Booking | How it is worked out | Total |
|---|---|---|
| One-hour video or phone call | 1 hour × $80 | $80 |
| Two-hour video interview | 2 hours × $80 | $160 |
| Two-hour meeting in person, 20-mile round trip | 2 hours × $110 + 20 miles × $0.70 | $234 |
| Three-hour deposition or closing in person, 40-mile round trip | 3 hours × $110 + 40 miles × $0.70 | $358 |
| Full day in person (six hours), two interpreters in relay | 2 interpreters × 6 hours × $110 | $1,320 plus travel |
The quote confirms the interpreter, the exact travel figure and the total before you book; nothing is charged until you confirm.
What moves the price up or down
- Video instead of in person. The hourly rate drops from $110 to $80, the minimum from two hours to one, and travel disappears. For an appointment of an hour or less, video costs well under half.
- The language. The limited-availability rate adds 25–30% and the rare-language rate 75%, because few qualified interpreters work in the United States in those languages.
- Length. Billing runs from the scheduled start time. A full day of continuous interpreting may need two interpreters working in relay, and then both are billed.
- Distance. $0.70 a mile from the interpreter's location: a 20-mile round trip adds $14, a 150-mile round trip $105. The exact figure is in the quote before you book.
- Who should be paying. Courts, immigration court, public schools and hospitals that receive federal funds generally must provide interpreters themselves; then the right price for you is nothing.
What the federal courts pay their contract interpreters
The Administrative Office of the US Courts publishes the fees it pays contract interpreters in federal court. They are a day rate, not an hourly one, and the page gives no effective date (US Courts, Federal Court Interpreters, read October 29, 2026).
| Interpreter category | Full day | Half day | Overtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federally certified | $617 | $349 | $87 an hour |
| Professionally qualified | $540 | $305 | $76 an hour |
| Language skilled (non-certified) | $382 | $207 | $48 an hour |
What interpreters earn, city by city
The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the national median wage of interpreters and translators at $28.93 an hour ($60,170 a year) and the mean at $31.90, in May 2025, the latest survey (Occupational Outlook Handbook; OEWS 27-3091). That is what an employed interpreter is paid, not what a booking costs: minimums, travel, scheduling and the hours around the assignment sit on top. Metropolitan medians differ by more than two to one:
| Metropolitan area | Median hourly wage (May 2025) |
|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | $45.44 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | $42.11 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $40.23 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton | $36.12 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial | $35.99 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $35.43 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $33.39 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | $31.63 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford | $30.90 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach | $29.77 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell | $29.05 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $28.68 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | $27.86 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $27.36 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler | $24.07 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | $21.39 |
Metro areas link to the page on booking an interpreter there.
How the travel charge works out
Travel is charged at $0.70 per mile from the interpreter's location, which means you can work it out rather than wait for a quote: a 20-mile round trip is $14, a 60-mile round trip is $42, a 150-mile round trip is $105. There is no separate call-out fee on top.
We will not pretend to know in advance where the interpreter will be coming from — that depends on the language, the date and the venue. What we do is confirm the interpreter and the exact travel figure before you book, so it is never a surprise on the invoice. Virtual assignments carry no travel charge at all, which is one reason most of what we do is virtual.
How booking an interpreter works
- You send the request with the form below: the language, the setting, the format, the date and how long it should last.
- We confirm before you commit: the interpreter, the exact price and the travel figure if there is one. We reply within minutes, four business hours at most, and no payment is taken at this stage.
- You confirm and pay, and the interpreter is booked for your date. The interpreter's name and credentials are sent to you once the booking is paid.
Request an interpreter
Tell us the date, the language and the setting and we will come back with the interpreter, the exact price and the travel figure if there is one — before you commit to anything.
Thank you — we have your request
We will reply within minutes, four business hours at most, with the interpreter, the exact price and the travel figure if there is one, before you commit to anything.
Sources
Read on October 29, 2026.
- Administrative Office of the US Courts — Federal Court Interpreters, current fees
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Outlook Handbook, Interpreters and Translators
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics — OEWS May 2025, 27-3091 Interpreters and Translators (national and metropolitan, via the BLS Public Data API)
Frequently asked questions
How much does an interpreter cost per hour?
At eVerbary, $80 an hour by video or phone with a one-hour minimum and $110 an hour in person with a two-hour minimum, plus $0.70 a mile of travel. Languages with few interpreters in the US add 25–30%, and rare languages 75% ($140 and $192.50).
Is a phone or video interpreter cheaper than in person?
Yes: $80 an hour against $110, the minimum is one hour rather than two, and there is no travel. A one-hour appointment by video is $80; the same hour in person is billed as two hours, $220, plus travel.
How much does a court interpreter cost?
For a party in a court case, usually nothing: courts provide interpreters for the proceedings (see court hearings). The federal courts pay their contract interpreters $617 for a full day and $349 for a half day when federally certified (US Courts). What you pay for privately is the work around the hearing — depositions, attorney meetings, witness preparation — at the rates above.
Why do some languages cost more?
Because there are few qualified interpreters for them in the United States and they are booked first by courts and hospitals. Each language page says which rate applies and why.
Is the price per person or per interpreter?
Per interpreter, per hour, billed from the scheduled start time. One interpreter covers a meeting; a full-day hearing may need two working in relay.
How is travel charged?
$0.70 per mile from the interpreter's location — a 20-mile round trip is $14. We confirm the exact figure before you book, and virtual assignments carry none.
Want the exact price?
Tell us the language, the date, the venue and how long it runs, and we will reply within minutes with the interpreter and the total, before you pay.