Japanese interpreting and translation

Japanese business, technical and conference interpreting

A hesitant Japanese reply in a negotiation may be a polite no. Our interpreters understand indirect refusal and consensus building, and convey them without distortion. Consecutive interpreting is common in Japanese corporate meetings, factory visits and site inspections, and our escort interpreters accompany delegations on travel. Because Japanese verbs come at the end of the sentence, simultaneous interpreting is demanding; we ask for slides, agendas and glossaries in advance for conferences and remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI).

For legal, medical, engineering, pharmaceutical and financial assignments, we match interpreters with genuine subject knowledge. Face-to-face, video and telephone Japanese interpreting are all available; the telephone service runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and video sessions can use the SILA Linguists® app or your own platform.

Japanese translation, patents and certified documents

Japanese mixes kanji, hiragana and katakana, uses Latin letters for some loanwords, has no spaces between words and can be set vertically. Our translators work with Japanese-aware tools so line breaks and typography are correct, and we use proper Japanese fonts, since a Chinese font can render some characters in a non-Japanese form. Japanese text is usually far shorter in characters than English, which we allow for in layouts and subtitles.

We translate contracts, patents, technical specifications, engineering manuals, research papers and financial reports. Personal documents such as koseki family register extracts and residence certificates receive certified Japanese translation with a signed statement of accuracy, accepted by UK authorities, universities and employers. For American filings we add a signed certificate of accuracy, and for Australian authorities we arrange NAATI-certified translation where they require it.

Localisation, transcription and subtitling

Our localisation team adapts software, games, apps, websites and marketing for Japanese users, with in-context review. We also transcribe Japanese meetings, interviews and research recordings with time stamps, and subtitle corporate and media content in either direction.

Sectors we support in Japanese

Our vetted, trained and qualified Japanese linguists can support automotive, engineering and energy companies, technology and gaming studios, financial institutions, patent attorneys and law firms, universities and research groups, immigration advisers and healthcare providers. One project team coordinates every element, our linguists are vetted and work under confidentiality agreements, and data is handled in line with UK GDPR. Japanese interpreting is available for business negotiations, courts and hospitals in the United States and Australia, as well as across the UK.