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Budget the interpreting fee, agreed extensions and travel expenses separately, then approve the written quote for your actual itinerary.
A half-day supplier meeting and a day spent travelling between factories are different assignments, even when both begin in Xiamen. To budget properly, separate the interpreting fee from time extensions, travel charges and expenses. Then ask for a written quote against your itinerary.
The figures below reflect TalkEast's published prices checked for this guide. They are quoted in Chinese yuan (CNY). Your written quotation is the authority for the booking; confirm current rates and terms before committing.
Published interpreting rates
| Assignment | Published fee | Time allowance |
|---|---|---|
| Xiamen half day | CNY 900 | Up to 4 hours |
| Xiamen full day | CNY 1,600 | Up to 8 hours, including a short briefing |
| Trade fair booking of at least 3 days | CNY 1,400 per day | Up to 8 hours per day |
| Additional hour | CNY 220 | Confirm application in the quote |
| Business dinner | CNY 600 | Up to 3 hours |
For an outside-Xiamen travel day, or travel of more than one hour each way, the published surcharge is CNY 400 per day. Transport, tickets, meals and hotel costs are additional at cost. Written translation is quoted separately.
Do not use the reduced trade fair rate as the assumed price for a single exhibition day or an ordinary factory itinerary. Give the provider the actual dates and assignment so the right category appears in the quotation.
Three budget examples
A local supplier meeting
You have one Xiamen meeting that fits within a confirmed four-hour assignment. The published half-day interpreting fee is CNY 900. Any agreed transport or other expenses sit alongside that fee. Check when the clock starts and whether getting to the meeting affects the booked window.
A full day that needs two additional hours
At the published rate, an eight-hour Xiamen day is CNY 1,600. If two additional hours are agreed and charged at CNY 220 each, the interpreting total becomes CNY 2,040. Expenses remain separate. This example assumes the extra hours are available and approved; overtime should not be treated as an automatic extension.
A qualifying visit outside Xiamen
For a full-day assignment to which the CNY 400 travel surcharge applies, the fee example is CNY 1,600 plus CNY 400, or CNY 2,000, before expenses. Confirm how travel time fits within the daily allowance. The surcharge alone does not tell you how many meeting hours remain available.
What changes the total
The biggest uncertainty is often the itinerary. Two suppliers described as “near Xiamen” may require a very different day from two meetings in the same building. Send full addresses, expected meeting lengths and your starting point. If accommodation is needed, agree a practical budget and who will book it.
Preparation can also vary. A short briefing and a substantial technical document review are different tasks. Say how much material you want reviewed and whether you require translated documents. Keep oral interpreting, written translation and specialist technical work visible as separate requirements.
Finally, identify optional items. A possible dinner, second supplier or extra day should appear as an option instead of being quietly assumed by either party.
Questions to settle in the quotation
- What are the booked start and finish times, and where does the assignment begin?
- How are travel, waiting, breaks and delayed meetings treated?
- Which preparation is included, and what would be separately priced?
- Which expenses need advance approval, and how will they be recorded?
- How are additional hours, schedule changes and cancellations handled?
- What payment arrangements and invoicing details apply?
For internal approval, keep a separate allowance for unconfirmed expenses rather than presenting an estimate as a fixed total. If your company budgets in another currency, use its current conversion policy when approving payment; a CNY quotation should stay visible beside the converted figure.
Choose the booking around the work
A lower initial price is useful only if the booking covers the conversation you need. List your decisions, allow time for both languages and leave room for the closing recap. A tightly booked half day can become expensive in practical terms if everyone leaves with different interpretations of the sample changes.
Send TalkEast your dates, addresses and draft agenda for a written quote showing the applicable fee and expenses.
