HOW TO HIRE · BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL · CHECKED OCTOBER 2026
How to hire an interpreter in Ireland
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.
An interpreter in Ireland costs €40–€120 per hour, typically around €70. Here is how to check that in a minute, what to ask before you book, and what you must be handed when the job is done.
- Search and compare — no account needed
- Nearest to you first
- One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews
THE 60-SECOND VERSION
Hiring an interpreter in five steps
- Are you a trader, and can I see that in writing?No register covers interpreter work, so trader status is what your consumer rights hang on — specialised Knowledge — some interpreters have specialised knowledge in areas like medical, legal, or technical fields.
- How does interpreter's experience change the price?A specialist charges above a generalist for the same hours. — ask before the quote rather than after.
- How does type of interpretation required change the price?Each level up adds both material and labour. — ask before the quote rather than after.
- How does complexity of the assignment change the price?Complexity usually means a more experienced person on the job. — ask before the quote rather than after.
- What is not included?Cultural Context Understanding — interpreters provide not only language translation but also cultural context, which is crucial in sensitive discussions — get the exclusions named in the quote, because a interpreter job is priced on what was agreed and not on what was assumed.
BEFORE YOU BOOK
Check before you book
No register applies
NO REGISTER APPLIES to chefs, stylists, organisers, errand runners or concierges. You are buying somebody's time, taste and access to your home, so the checks are about trust and what is written down rather than about law.
Look for the trader badge and the ID-checked badge on the Locufy profile — both are checked by us, not claimed by the provider.
What to check instead
Whether they are a trader — a business name and an invoice, not a favour with money attached; Public liability insurance, and who the insurer is; For anyone in your home unaccompanied, references you actually telephone; For food, whether they hold food-safety training and where the food is prepared; Exactly what the hours cover and what counts as extra; Keys and access in writing: who holds what, and how it comes back.
Ask for each of these before you agree a price, and get the answers in the same message as the quote.
Insurance
Expect public liability; for food work, ask about product liability too. From a company, ask for the insurer, the limit and the VAT number, and ask who actually attends: the team that turns up may be employed, subcontracted or both, and only one of those is supervised by the firm you are paying.
Ask to see the current certificate of insurance — the insurer's name, the limit and the date it runs to.
Trader or private seller
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 a trader must tell you they are a trader, and your consumer rights — work carried out with reasonable skill and care, and a cooling-off period on a contract agreed in your home or online — apply to traders and not to private sellers. On Locufy the trader status is shown on the profile.
Look for the trader badge on the Locufy profile, and ask anyone else for it in writing before you agree a price.
VAT
VAT at 23%, the standard rate Revenue publishes for this service. Ask whether the price you were given includes it. A trader under the €42,500 registration threshold does not charge it; one over it must, and must show it separately.
Ask whether the figure you were given includes it, and for the VAT number if they are registered — Revenue publishes the rate for this service. revenue.ie →
A good answer: No register covers interpreter work, so trader status is what your consumer rights hang on — specialised Knowledge — some interpreters have specialised knowledge in areas like medical, legal, or technical fields.
A good answer: A specialist charges above a generalist for the same hours. — ask before the quote rather than after.
A good answer: Each level up adds both material and labour. — ask before the quote rather than after.
A good answer: Complexity usually means a more experienced person on the job. — ask before the quote rather than after.
A good answer: Cultural Context Understanding — interpreters provide not only language translation but also cultural context, which is crucial in sensitive discussions — get the exclusions named in the quote, because a interpreter job is priced on what was agreed and not on what was assumed.
A good answer: Expect public liability; for food work, ask about product liability too — types of Interpretation — services can include simultaneous interpretation for conferences or consecutive interpretation for meetings.
A good answer: A written scope and a price before the interpreter starts, and an itemised invoice after — language Pair Expertise — interpreters often specialise in specific language pairs, such as Spanish to English or Mandarin to French.
Getting the quote right
- Interpreter's experience — a specialist charges above a generalist for the same hours.
- Type of interpretation required — each level up adds both material and labour.
- Complexity of the assignment — complexity usually means a more experienced person on the job.
- Languages involved — it is part of every quote for this kind of work.
- In writing before anyone starts — a message on Locufy counts
- What is NOT included, named
- Who actually attends, and whether they are employed or subcontracted
- The VAT number, and whether it checks out on the Revenue register
Walk away if
- They will not talk about it: interpreter's experience — a specialist charges above a generalist for the same hours
- They will not talk about it: type of interpretation required — each level up adds both material and labour
- They will not talk about it: complexity of the assignment — complexity usually means a more experienced person on the job
- A price for the interpreter before anyone has asked the size, the access or the condition of what they are working on
- Cash only, or a large deposit before anything at all has started
- No written quote, or one that moves once the interpreter has begun
What an interpreter costs: €40–€120 per hour
Most interpreters quote the job rather than the hour; the hourly rate is what the small jobs are priced from. Simultaneous interpreter and Consecutive interpreter each carry their own band. Interpreter price guide →
Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.
KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE
Interpreters near you, with the badges that matter shown
ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.
Or post the job free and let them come to you, or book by the hour.
- Look firstInterpreter's experience — a specialist charges above a generalist for the same hours — that is what the interpreter is judging on the first visit, and a price given without it is a guess.
- Agree what is being doneType of interpretation required — each level up adds both material and labour — put in writing before anyone starts, because it is the document you both read back at the end.
- The work itselfComplexity of the assignment — complexity usually means a more experienced person on the job — and anything found on the day that was not in that is priced before it is started.
- Check it togetherLanguages involved — it is part of every quote for this kind of work — walked against the written scope rather than against the feeling of it, while the interpreter is still there.
- What you are handedThe itemised invoice and any guarantee on the workmanship and the parts, duration of the service — an extra hour on the day is usually charged at the same rate.
- Language Pair Expertise
- Interpreters often specialise in specific language pairs, such as Spanish to English or Mandarin to French.
- Types of Interpretation
- Services can include simultaneous interpretation for conferences or consecutive interpretation for meetings.
- Cultural Context Understanding
- Interpreters provide not only language translation but also cultural context, which is crucial in sensitive discussions.
- Specialised Knowledge
- Some interpreters have specialised knowledge in areas like medical, legal, or technical fields.
- Simultaneous Interpreter
- This role involves interpreting spoken dialogue in real-time, often used in conferences or large meetings where immediate translation is necessary.
- Consecutive Interpreter
- In this setting, the interpreter waits for the speaker to pause before translating, commonly used in smaller meetings or interviews.
AFTER
When the job is done
Hiring an interpreter: questions people ask
The cost can be influenced by the language pair, the interpreter's experience, and the type of interpretation required. Additionally, travel expenses and preparation time for specialised topics may also affect the overall price.
Many interpreters offer emergency or same-day services, but availability may be limited. It's best to contact them as soon as possible to secure their services, especially for high-demand languages.
Interpreters usually do not provide translation of written documents or take on roles such as note-taking or summarising discussions. Their primary focus is on real-time verbal communication between parties.
NO REGISTER APPLIES to chefs, stylists, organisers, errand runners or concierges. You are buying somebody's time, taste and access to your home, so the checks are about trust and what is written down rather than about law.
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 the work must be carried out with reasonable skill and care, and put right if it is not. Say what is wrong in writing first.
Two or three, each for the same written scope. Quotes for different scopes are not comparable, which is how the cheapest one wins and then grows.
MORE GUIDES