Deposition Interpreters in Asia

Litigation involving Asian witnesses can be a challenging experience. No doubt you will require the services of deposition interpreters, also known as legal interpreters, who are up to the task.

There are many interpreters in Asia who are excellent for local meetings, document translation or acting as tour guides. But make no mistake, these are not deposition interpreters. Oftentimes hiring a local interpreter with little or no deposition experience at a lesser cost will actually cost more due to the deposition being prolonged for hours, constant disruptions and corrections from a check interpreter and less time for actual witness testimony. The use of even the best interpreter will approximately double the time it takes to conduct a non-interpreted deposition. So if you want to get the most out of your deposition in the shortest amount of time, ask the following questions of the interpreter you are considering hiring:

• Are they familiar with the protocol for taking American depositions?
• How much experience do they have specifically interpreting depositions involving the subject matter that your case is about, i.e., intellectual property, semiconductors, etc.
• Have they interpreted in that specific city/country previously to the extent that they are familiar with nuances in local dialect?
• What are their qualifications? (Many interpreters in Asia label themselves PRC certified, Taiwan certified, etc., though there is no such thing.)
• Do they understand their role is as an officer of the court, and they have to be neutral and accurate without addition, embellishment or omission?
• Do they understand they should interpret in the first-person? (If the witness says, “My name is John Smith,” the interpreter should say, “My name is John Smith,” not “He says his name is John Smith.”)
• Have they worked with check interpreters before and understand their interpretation may be challenged and to conduct themselves in a professional manner without arguing and wasting the time of the attorney examining the witness?
• Are they familiar with local customs, restaurants, hotels and support services to be able to assist you with such matters?
• Are they the interpreter covering the deposition or are they an agency who will send a subcontracted interpreter that they barely know? (Ask to speak to the actual interpreter!)

There are only a small handful of outstanding deposition interpreters in Asia that we work with frequently, can vouch for personally and highly recommend. Their excellence and knowledge of IP terminology makes your depositions run smoothly and makes our job easier, enabling us to produce a superior transcript for you. Please contact us if you would like the contact information of the deposition interpreters we recommend in Asia.