Step1
Tell us the work
Subject, setting, who you are meeting and how technical the vocabulary will be. Livestock genetics, mining law and Buddhist iconography need different people.
Interpreter and fixer
Someone who can actually ask.
An interpreter for meetings, research, filming or a household visit — booked by the day, in the city or in the countryside.
A guide explains a place. An interpreter lets you have a conversation in it. They are different jobs, and travellers doing research, business or documentary work usually need the second one.
We provide interpreters for meetings, archive and institutional visits, filming, academic fieldwork and household interviews, in Ulaanbaatar or travelling with you into the countryside. Where the work needs more than language — permissions, introductions, local logistics — that is fixing rather than interpreting, and we can staff it accordingly.
What you get.
Set out clearly, so you know exactly what is arranged.
Included
- Mongolian–English interpreter for the agreed period
- A pre-briefing so they arrive knowing your subject and your terminology
- Consecutive interpreting for meetings, interviews and site visits
- Assistance with introductions and local arrangements where needed
- Confidentiality as standard, and a written agreement where your work requires one
Not included
- Travel and accommodation outside Ulaanbaatar, charged at cost
- Simultaneous or conference interpreting, which is a specialist booking
- Sworn or certified document translation
- Filming permits and location fees
Pricing.
Quoted for your dates and party size, and confirmed in writing before anything is booked.
Technical, legal and academic subjects are quoted individually, as they need a specialist rather than a generalist. Travel days outside Ulaanbaatar are charged at the countryside rate.
Prices are confirmed in writing before anything is booked. Payment by bank transfer or on invoice; we do not take cash in the vehicle.
How it works.
The better the brief, the better the interpreter.
Step2
We propose someone
With their background and relevant experience. For specialist subjects we will say plainly if we think you need an academic rather than a generalist.
Step3
They prepare
Given your terminology and materials in advance, so the first hour is not spent learning your vocabulary at your expense.
Step4
The work happens
In the city, or travelling with you. For countryside work, expect to cover travel time as well as working time.
Worth knowing.
The details that decide whether this goes smoothly.
Different training
A tour guide interpreting a technical meeting is a common and costly mistake. Ask for what you actually need.
Consent comes first
Where you are interviewing or filming in a herding household, permission, purpose and payment are agreed before you arrive, not negotiated on the doorstep.
We understand the paperwork
Academic fieldwork often needs institutional affiliation, permits and ethics documentation. We can advise on what is normally required and who to approach.
Day rates, not hourly
Half day and full day, with travel days charged where the work is outside the city. Overtime is agreed rather than assumed.
Questions.
Asked often enough to answer here.
Can you provide Russian, Chinese, Korean or Kazakh?
Often, with notice. Kazakh matters in Bayan-Ölgii, where it is widely spoken alongside Mongolian, and we will supply a Kazakh speaker for work in the far west.
Do you do document translation?
We can arrange it, but it is a separate service from interpreting and certified translation needs a qualified translator.
Can an interpreter travel with us on a journey?
Yes, and on research-oriented trips it is often the single most valuable addition.
Is confidentiality assured?
Yes, and we will sign a non-disclosure agreement where your work requires one. Say so at the enquiry stage.
Tell us what you need to say.
Send the subject and the setting, and we will find the right person rather than the nearest one.
Request this serviceOther services.
Most travellers book two or three together, which is simpler for everyone.