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Interpreters for Rare Languages
eVerbary books interpreters for rare languages such as Mam, K’iche’, Q’anjob’al, Hakha Chin, Bambara and Chaldean Neo-Aramaic: $140 an hour by video or phone and $192.50 an hour in person. We reply within minutes, four business hours at most, and tell you whether we can staff your date before you pay anything.
Video, phone or in person
Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams or a phone call, or an interpreter at the venue.
From $140 an hour
Virtual $140 an hour with a one-hour minimum; in person $192.50 with a two-hour minimum. That is the base $80 and $110 plus 75%, because this is a rare language.
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.
The rare languages we book
These carry the rare-language rate. Each has its own page on what to watch for: the varieties, who the speakers usually are, and the mistakes that lose a booking.
- Mam · K’iche’ · Q’anjob’al · Tzotzil · Mixtec · Fuzhounese · Hakka · Hakha Chin · Kachin · Balochi · Bambara · Soninke · Tigre · Chaldean Neo-Aramaic · Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
Tigrinya and many other languages that are hard to staff, but less so than these, are priced as limited availability: 25–30% over the base rate rather than 75%. Every language we offer is listed under interpreters by language. If yours is not there, ask anyway.
Name the language, not the country
The most expensive mistake with these languages is booking the wrong one. A family from Guatemala's western highlands may be recorded as Spanish speakers and speak Mam. The person who needs the interpreter is the best source, so ask them which language they speak at home and which town they come from, and put both in the request.
For the Mayan languages the town matters as much as the language, because speakers from different areas may not understand each other easily. Where no direct interpreter can be found, say whether the person also speaks another language, since a relay through it may be possible. The Mam page explains both with examples.
What we will not promise
Only a handful of qualified interpreters work in each of these languages in the United States, and courts and hospitals book them first. So we do not promise a rare language on a date, or in person in a given city, until we have confirmed it. If your date is fixed and close, say so in the first message and you will get a straight answer rather than an acceptance followed by a cancellation.
Video widens the search to the whole country and carries no travel charge, so it is usually the first thing to try. In person is priced the same way as any other booking, and the mileage is confirmed before you book.
If a court, an immigration court, a hospital or a public school is the venue, it may have to provide the interpreter itself, in rare languages too. The setting pages say who is responsible and link the rule.
What an interpreter costs, worked out
These are the published rates multiplied out, at the rare-language rate: $140 an hour by video or phone, $192.50 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 × $140 | $140 |
| Two-hour video interview | 2 hours × $140 | $280 |
| Two-hour meeting in person, 20-mile round trip | 2 hours × $192.50 + 20 miles × $0.70 | $399 |
| Three-hour deposition or closing in person, 40-mile round trip | 3 hours × $192.50 + 40 miles × $0.70 | $605.50 |
| Full day in person (six hours), two interpreters in relay | 2 interpreters × 6 hours × $192.50 | $2,310 plus travel |
The quote confirms the interpreter, the exact travel figure and the total before you book; nothing is charged until you confirm.
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.
By video, by phone or in person
Virtual interpreting runs on Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams, or over the telephone. It is quicker to arrange, costs less and carries no travel charge, and it suits appointments, calls and most meetings.
In person is what venues with their own rules tend to expect, and the right choice when documents are being signed or several people are speaking at once. Tell us the platform, or the city and the venue, when you send the request.
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.
What to have ready
The more of this comes in the first message, the fewer exchanges before you have a price:
- The language, the date, the start time and how long it should run.
- Virtual or in person: the platform, or the city and the venue.
- The setting and the subject matter.
- How many people need interpreting for.
- Any credential the venue requires of the interpreter. We confirm before you book whether we can staff it; the interpreter's name and credentials follow 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.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I find an interpreter for a rare language?
Send eVerbary the language, the date and the setting. We reply within minutes, four business hours at most, saying whether we can staff it, with the interpreter and the exact price, before you pay anything. If we cannot, we say so.
How much does a rare-language interpreter cost?
$140 an hour by video or phone with a one-hour minimum, and $192.50 an hour in person with a two-hour minimum, plus $0.70 per mile of travel. A two-hour video interview is $280.
Is Tigrinya a rare language?
We price Tigrinya as limited availability rather than rare: $100–104 an hour by video and $137.50–143 in person. Mam is on the rare list at $140 and $192.50.
Can a Spanish interpreter cover a Mam or K’iche’ speaker?
Usually not. These are Mayan languages unrelated to Spanish, and many speakers have limited Spanish or none. Tell us which language the person actually speaks and, if you know it, the town they come from.
Can you send a rare-language interpreter in person?
Sometimes, and we do not promise it in advance. Video is the more realistic option for most of these languages, because so few interpreters work in any one city. We confirm the format before you book.
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.
What if the venue provides its own interpreter?
Then you should not be paying us. Immigration court provides one, and hospitals and school districts frequently must. Ask them first.
Can I see the interpreter's credentials before I pay?
Tell us the credential the venue or the other side requires when you request, and we confirm before you book whether we can staff it. The interpreter's name and credentials are sent once the booking is paid.
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.
Need a rare-language interpreter?
Tell us the language, the town if you know it, the date and the setting, and we will tell you whether we can staff it and what it costs.