How to check an interpreting agency, platform or booking service is a legitimate service

By NUBSLI | Published on 20 July 2026

The organisation should be registered with Companies House, the Government’s register for all UK limited companies – you can check here.

There should be transparency over who owns and operates the organisation. It might be a large, multinational company or a small grass roots charity – both have to follow the same guidance.

The organisation should be UK GDPR Compliant. The UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) controls how your personal information is used by organisations. There are strict rules they must follow to protect your information. There is more information here.

The organisation will have a privacy policy to ensure they are transparent about their processes. They will also have a data protection officer who is responsible for how the organisation stores, processes and uses your personal information.

If you are concerned an organisation is not handling your personal information in the right way, you can:

  • issue a Subject Access Request (SAR) – contact the organisation’s data protection officer asking for copies of all the personal data they hold on you and their reasons for holding that data.
  • complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
  • or if an organisation is presenting your data without consent, you can complain here

Due to the sensitive nature of the work interpreters and translators carry out, a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check can be done.

This check allows an organisation to see the criminal record of a language professional. Different checks look for different levels of convictions and cautions, and if someone is on the barred list for working with adults and/or children.

Organisations can ask for a DBS Update service number to carry out this check. Interpreters and translators who are self-employed can apply for their own DBS here.

Other areas to watch out for

  • Do they have a social media presence and how are interactions conducted?
  • Does the organisation use a professional tone in all communications, both in email and in the public domain?
  • Are there errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar in their online presence?
  • What does your instinct tell you? Is the offer ‘too good to be true’?
  • Does the information they send out look like they use AI?

As interpreting and translating professionals, we should also be checking

  • Fees
    • Are they in line with your region?
    • Does the organisation mention NUBSLI Fee Guidance?
    • Do they require additional information via a portal?
    • Is travel included?
    • Does the fee reflect your expertise in a specialist domain?
  • Cancellation Ts and Cs
    • What is the organisation’s cancellation policy?
    • Does it follow the industry standard?

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