Interpretation & Translation (LanguageLine)
Interpretation and Translation Services for Research
LanguageLine Solutions is an external company that offers interpretation and translation services. UNC has executed a business associate agreement (BAA) that covers research activities for the university. Study teams may choose to pursue other external interpretation or translation services, but may need to pursue a BAA in order to utilize those services.
Interpretation Services
- LanguageLine offers interpretation services in more than 200 languages
- Interpretation services are offered over the phone, via video or in-person
- Interpretation support may be utilized during any type of discussion or meeting with research participants
- Training to utilize services will be provided by LanguageLine
Interpretation Rates
Over the Phone Rate
| Language | Per Minute Rate |
| All Languages | $0.88 |
Onsite Rates
| Hourly Rate Types | Spanish | American Sign Language | Other Spoken Languages |
| Standard Hourly Rate | $55.00 | $60.00 | $65.00 |
| Non-Standard Hourly Rate | $82.50 | $90.00 | $97.50 |
| Emergency/Holiday Hourly Rate | $110.00 | $120.00 | $130.00 |
Standard Hourly Rate
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. local time Monday through Friday with more than one full business days’ notice.
Non-Standard Hourly Rate: Before 8:00 a.m. or after 5:00 p.m. local time Monday through Friday, Saturday/Sunday or assignments with less than one full business days’ notice.
Emergency/Holiday Rate
Assignments with less than one hour’s notice or assignments on federally recognized holidays. Emergency service not available in all areas.
Cancellation
Assignments canceled with less than one full business days’ notice will be charged at the applicable rate for the greater of the Minimum Appointment Time or reserved time for the assignment.
Minimum Appointment Time
Two Hours. Time beyond Minimum Appointment Time will be billed in 15 minute increments.
Billing
Billing will be for the greater of time reserved or actual time, subject to the minimum.
Mileage Reimbursement: Mileage reimbursement charged at prevailing IRS rate, currently $0.58 per mile. If the one way travel exceeds 60 miles, travel time may be charged at the applicable hourly rate
Translation Services
- LanguageLine can translate any documents for research into more than 200 languages
- Pre-translated informed consent form templates in some languages may be available and utilized to minimize costs; be sure to inquire when requesting a quote
- Translation may be used for printed materials or electronic content (e.g. websites)
- A cost estimate for the translation of documents will be provided in advance, including the estimated completion time
Translation Rates:
| Tier | Languages | Translation fee (per word) |
| 1 | Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Spanish (US/Latin America) | $0.18/word |
| 2 | Arabic, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian | $0.24/word |
| 3 | Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Greek, Haitian Creole, Hungarian, Romanian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Turkish, Ukrainian | $0.26/word |
| 4 | Burmese, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Nepali, Somali, Tagalog, Thai, Vietnamese | $0.28/word |
| 5 | All Other Languages* | $0.35/word |
* LanguagLine supports 240+ languages
Turn-around time guidelines for translation services:
The following outlines LanguageLine Solutions standard turn-around commitment for document translation based on the size of the source document being translated.
| Less than 1000 words | 1 – 3 business days |
| 1001 to 2500 words | 4 – 6 business days |
| 2501 to 7500 words | 6 – 8 business days |
| Greater than 7501 words | 8 + business days |
Standard rush charges applied to above quoted pricing for advanced or shorter Delivery Option will be billed at 50% of project cost.
- Business hours are Monday – Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Pacific Time)
- Requests received on weekends and holidays will be processed on the next business day.
- Holidays are New Year’s Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, day
| Additional Pricing Components | Standard Turnaround |
| Minimum charge per document translation order | $99.00 |
| Proofreading / Review (if requested) | $65.00/hour |
| Basic layout/formatting | $55.00/hour |
| In-Language Recordings (includes 100 words or translated text) | Individual Quote |
Establishing an Account
- Send an email to Hayden King (HKing2@languageline.com) including:
- Department Name
- Primary Contact
- Billing Contact
- If you anticipate generating charges exceeding $5,000 per year on a single account, work with your business accounting team to submit a requisition in advance of accruing any charges
Note: You may choose to create multiple billing codes to uniquely identify specific projects or teams.