The Social Impact of Timely Pay

By: Sheekha Sanghvi

Imagine working 20 to 30 hours per week at a job, which is your primary source of income, but then not getting paid for months. Unfortunately, this is a reality for some freelancers. But MCIS is committed to ensuring that this is never the case for the language professionals we work with. And here’s why:

We’re proud of our interpreters:

Interpreters are invaluable to the proper functioning of communities: ensuring that everyone has equal access to important services including healthcare and the justice system. After all: life is hard enough to navigate without having to understand medical and legal jargon in a non-native language.

Interpreters take pride in their work. After all, not just anyone who speaks 2 languages is qualified to be an interpreter. It is a skill which requires training, certification, and practice. For some, interpretation is a career which supports their entire household, and for other interpretation provides them with the financial security to pursue other goals. But whether they are new Canadians or native to Canada, students or retirees, single or raising a family: they are each providing an important public service for which they deserve to be paid on time and in full.

Delays in pay have rippling consequences:

Consider the emotional and mental impact of having to wonder when you’ll be paid, if at all. This kind of anxiety impacts the individual, their family, and even their community. But further still, if an industry develops a reputation for inconsistent payment, it makes it harder to recruit talented and reliable people. This has serious consequences for those who rely on interpreters, both individuals and service providers. Ensuring that interpreters can rely on their pay cheque ensures that they can pay their rent, but also that criminal trials and medical procedures can proceed as scheduled.

Our Commitment to our interpreters:

MCIS appreciates that interpreters are taking a leap of faith when they partner with us or any language service agency. Likewise, we understand that the service providers we work with expect us to provide competent and well-trained language professionals to assist them in their important work. We take these responsibilities seriously, and a fundamental aspect of living up to these commitments is ensuring that our interpreters are paid what they have earned in a timely manner.