Interpretation invoice
Invoice template for interpreters: meeting consecutive interpretation, briefing material review and interpreter travel. Download it as Excel or Word.
Templates by industry
- Meeting consecutive interpretation
- Briefing material review
- Interpreter travel
Preparation guide
Example workflow
Confirm scope and quantities
Example: reconcile the approval and work record for "Meeting consecutive interpretation" to establish the quantity for this invoice.
Record delivery and acceptance
Check completion for every line, including "Interpreter travel". Confirm actual operating hours and supplied quantities with the event contact and record approved extras.
Send the billing record
Send the final charges, delivery reference and due date to the customer, then reconcile payment against the invoice number.
Interpreters are booked for a date, not for a word count, so the invoice follows the booking: the hours or half-days of interpreting, the preparation the client’s material required and the cost of getting to the venue. This template fits consecutive interpreting at business meetings, negotiations and site visits, billed by a freelance interpreter or an agency after the assignment, usually against the booking confirmation the client signed.
Fields to prepare
- Deliverables and line items
- Meeting consecutive interpretation, Briefing material review, Interpreter travel: record the quantities actually supplied and the service period.
- Meeting consecutive interpretation
- Bill the booked half-days or hours with the date, venue and language pair, even if the meeting ended early, where your terms say so.
- Briefing material review
- Give the hours spent preparing from the client’s documents, such as agendas and glossaries, separately from interpreting time.
- Interpreter travel
- List travel time and costs, such as train fares or mileage, with the route, and attach receipts when costs are passed on.
- Event details and time
- Record the date, venue, attendance, and setup, rehearsal, operating and removal times.
- Staffing and supplies
- Specify staff counts and hours, supplied items and the responsibilities of external vendors.
- Scope to agree
- Separate language pairs, consecutive interpretation hours, briefing review time and interpreter travel expenses.
Before sending
- Does “Meeting consecutive interpretation” show the quantity actually supplied, not the quantity first quoted?
- Is “Briefing material review” charged at the rate the customer agreed to, with any change approved?
- Is “Interpreter travel” finished and accepted, or does it belong on a later invoice?
Show 3 more
- Agree when attendance and schedules are finalized and how later changes are charged.
- Check whether overtime, transport, setup and removal are included.
- Match completed work to the order or approval record, and confirm the payment due date and amounts already received.
Worked example with sample figures
The figures below are invented to show how the template adds up: 3 lines in USD, with an example tax rate of 8%.
| Item | Quantity × unit price | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Meeting consecutive interpretation | 6 × $95.00 | $570.00 |
| Briefing material review | 6 × $1,500.00 | $9,000.00 |
| Interpreter travel | 4 × $95.00 | $380.00 |
| Subtotal | $9,950.00 | |
| Sales tax (8%) | $796.00 | |
| Total | $10,746.00 | |
Net amount $9,950.00, sales tax $796.00, total payable $10,746.00.
What the document must show
The details an invoice has to show, and why each one matters, are set out in the guide below.
The sales tax depends on where the work is supplied, so set the rate that applies to your customer before sending.
Official rate reference: US government: state and local taxes
Full requirements: How to write an invoice: a step-by-step example
Frequently asked questions
The meeting ran over the booked time. How do I bill it?
Add the overtime as its own line in the unit your terms use, for example per started hour, with the actual end time. Clients accept it more readily when the overtime rate was already in the booking confirmation.
Do I bill the lunch break during an all-day meeting?
If you were booked for a full day, the day rate covers the breaks. For hourly bookings, bill the time you were required to be present, which the booking confirmation should state.
Is simultaneous interpreting billed the same way?
It is usually booked for a team of two or more interpreters and may involve equipment hire, so add a line per interpreter and a separate line for booths or receivers if you arrange them.
How is the sales tax worked out on this invoice?
The worked example above uses an example rate of 8%: $796.00 on a net amount of $9,950.00, for a total of $10,746.00. The editor recalculates all three when you change a quantity, a price or the country.
Can I change the layout and colour?
Yes. The editor offers other layouts and a document colour for the printed page. Changing them moves no figure: the lines and totals stay as they are, and the PDF, Word and Excel files follow the layout you pick.
Read next
Reading for the Interpretation invoice: How to write an invoice: a step-by-step example and Invoice numbering: sequences and corrections. The VAT and GST calculator works out the tax line for you.