Hiring an English–Turkish interpreter in Istanbul: type, cost and booking
Published 24 October 2026 · Uğur Arı — sworn translator, Kartal 12th and Gebze 19th Notary Offices
For meetings, supplier visits and appointments in Istanbul you need a consecutive interpreter, not a conference booth. Interpreters are typically priced per hour or per day with a minimum booking; at İngilizce Yeminli Çeviri the tariff of 24 October 2026 is 2,000 TRY per hour, 8,000 TRY for a half day and 12,000 TRY for a full day, with a 1-hour minimum in Tuzla and 2–3 hours plus travel elsewhere on the Asian side. Below: the type decision, worked cost examples, the booking rule, the notary requirement and what to send for a quote; the service itself is on the interpreter in Istanbul page.
Send the date, area and duration; you receive the hours, the fee and any travel cost in writing. No meeting content is requested.
Send the date and area, get a quote ↗Which type of interpreter do you need: consecutive or simultaneous?
For a business meeting, a supplier negotiation, a factory tour or an appointment at a bank or notary, you need a consecutive interpreter. In consecutive interpreting the speaker pauses every few sentences and the interpreter renders that segment; no booth or headsets are needed, and the meeting takes roughly twice as long as a single-language meeting (definition: Interpreting — Consecutive, Wikipedia).
Simultaneous interpreting is for conferences and large multilingual events: the interpreter speaks at the same time as the speaker from a soundproof booth, and two interpreters alternate every 20–30 minutes. Decision variables: number of listeners (more than about 15, or more than two languages, points to simultaneous), tolerance for a slower meeting, and equipment budget. İngilizce Yeminli Çeviri offers consecutive interpreting only.
How much does an English–Turkish interpreter cost in Istanbul?
Interpreters in Istanbul are often priced per hour or per day, usually with a minimum booking. The tariff of İngilizce Yeminli Çeviri dated 24 October 2026 is 2,000 TRY per hour; a half day of 4–5 consecutive hours is a fixed 8,000 TRY and a full day of 6–8 consecutive hours a fixed 12,000 TRY; projects longer than one day are quoted individually. Minimum bookings: 1 hour in Tuzla; 2 hours plus travel in Pendik, Gebze, Darıca, Kartal and Maltepe; 3 hours plus travel in Kadıköy, Ataşehir and Üsküdar; 1 hour online (source: interpreter in Istanbul, rates table).
Worked examples: a 3-hour supplier negotiation in Pendik is 3 × 2,000 = 6,000 TRY plus the travel cost stated in the written quote; a 1-hour notary appointment in Tuzla is 2,000 TRY with no travel; a 09:00–17:00 factory audit in Gebze OSB is a full day at 12,000 TRY plus travel and meals. Travel and meals are never a flat fee: they are stated in the written quote in advance and apply only with your approval. Prices are set in Turkish lira; at the site's reference rates 2,000 TRY is roughly $42, €38 or £33.
Other interpreters and agencies in Istanbul may price differently; this page explains one provider's tariff and makes no claim about market averages.
How is a booking counted?
A booking is one continuous time slot. Waiting time between meetings counts as booked time. Work split across the day, for example one hour in the morning and one in the afternoon, is priced as separate bookings, not as one two-hour booking. The booking is confirmed once the interpreter accepts the date. If agreed before the service, the organisation can be arranged to suit your needs; urgent requests are assessed case by case and priced accordingly.
Do you need an interpreter at a Turkish notary?
Turkish notary offices generally require an interpreter with an oath record at that specific office when a party does not speak Turkish, for example when signing a power of attorney, a sales contract or company documents. Uğur Arı's oath is registered with the Kartal 12th Notary Office (Tuzla) and the Gebze 19th Notary Office (Çayırova), where he can interpret directly. For any other notary office, the requirement is confirmed with that office before the appointment; acceptance elsewhere is not guaranteed by this page.
Where on the Asian side does a short booking make sense?
Short bookings make sense close to the interpreter's base. Working from Tuzla, at the eastern end of Istanbul's Asian side, the nearby industrial and business areas are Tuzla Organised Industrial Zone, the Tuzla shipyards, Pendik Kurtköy and Sabiha Gökçen Airport, Gebze OSB and Dilovası. Kartal and Maltepe are the next ring; Kadıköy, Ataşehir and Üsküdar need a 3-hour minimum because of travel across the city. Areas not in the list, the European side and trips outside Istanbul are quoted in writing.
What to send for a quote
Four details are enough: the date, the area (district or site), the expected duration and the type of meeting (business meeting, supplier negotiation, factory visit or audit, bank or notary appointment). Adding the sector or topic allows preparation; meeting content, participant names and documents are not needed. The written quote states the hours, the area, the fee and any travel or meal cost. Request it through the quote form on the interpreter page or by WhatsApp. Sworn translation of the documents produced around the visit is priced separately (a single-page official document is 850 TRY).
How much does an interpreter charge per hour in Istanbul?
At İngilizce Yeminli Çeviri the hourly rate is 2,000 TRY (tariff of 24 October 2026) with a regional minimum of 1, 2 or 3 hours. Other providers charge differently.
What is an interpreter's day rate in Istanbul?
In the same tariff a half day (4–5 consecutive hours) is 8,000 TRY and a full day (6–8 consecutive hours) is 12,000 TRY, fixed; travel and meals are stated separately in the written quote.
Do I need a translator or an interpreter?
For spoken meetings you need an interpreter; for written documents such as contracts or company records you need a sworn translator. The same person provides both here, priced separately.
Can the interpreter join an online meeting?
Yes, on Zoom, Teams or Meet, with a one-hour minimum and no travel cost.
Is simultaneous (booth) interpreting available?
No. Only consecutive interpreting is offered; conference-style simultaneous interpreting with a booth and two interpreters is not.
This page is the website of İngilizce Yeminli Çeviri (Uğur Arı) and describes its own consecutive interpreting tariff only; simultaneous interpreting, tour guiding, legal or real-estate advice, medical and court interpreting are not offered. Practices of other notary offices and institutions vary; general information, not legal advice. Reviewed 24 October 2026.