Japanese in the U.S. Court : Japanese Interpreter, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.    日本語/英語通訳、ビジネス談合、技術交換、法廷経験豊富、ミネアポリス在住。

When Japanese businessmen meet and discuss issues, they exchange opinions, unlike in the court trial, not questions. They do not interrogate their counterparts, but rather ask for their opinions politely. Most conversations among Japanese people are conducted in this way. If a man asks a question with a "Yes" or "No" response through an interpreter, he is considered extremely rude. The person to whom the question is directed handles the situation by ignoring a person of such a character.

With such social customs and acculturation, it is an extremely difficult situation for the interpreter at translation when a Japanese person is on the witness stand in a U.S. court trial. In addition to his inability to speak and understand English adequately, the Japanese witness naturally reacts to this unfamiliar court trial surroundings and nit-picking cross examinations by responding in a way that doesn't make sense by the translation. Many questions to the Japanese with a "Yes" or "No" answer are answered through an interpreter with an opinion in the translation.

The interrogating attorney at the court is the first to get frustrated with the Japanese and the interpreter. Then the judge and jury begin to show some impatience to the translation by the interpreter. As an interpreter for a Japanese witness at the court trial, it is not enough to simply do literal translation although the interpreter has no other choice but to translate what the witness said. The Japanese witness and the interpreter must have the mettle to shoot back answers to sharp questioning from the opposing attorney and get the point across to the judge and jury, while cleverly explaining the differences between Japanese and American social customs at the court trial in the translation.

Ordinary business negotiations offer a somewhat more easygoing environment to an interpreter compared to a court trial translation. Firstly, the parties involved have come together to work toward some mutual agreement. It is often a very good idea to exchange opinions with the Japanese before trying to get a "Yes" or "No" answer. As long as all participants on both sides understand well enough by translation how to respond through an experienced Japanese interpreter, there shouldn't be any problem.

One caution for Americans is not to misinterpret a nod by a Japanese counterpart. Wait for the translation from the interpreter, since a nod by a Japanese means, "I hear you", and hardly "Yes". Even if a Japanese person speaks fluent English, he may have difficulty in conveying what he really thinks in translation unless he has lived in U.S. and worked among Americans only, not among Japanese, for some years.

Another aspect of the difficulties for a Japanese interpreter who lives in Japan is the difference of Japanese English and the American English. There are many interpreters living in Japan to translate, but they maynot understand American English sufficiently or quick enough when the trial or argument gets to the real critical point. It does make a difference at the court trial and at a crutial meeting when the translation by the Japanese interpreter miss the point or the timing. The interpreter can also be a good candidate to figure out the strategy how to deal with Japanese. Knowing and understanding the subtle body languages of Japanese, the experienced interpreter often can tell where Japanese side are coming from.

Japan Connections

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Phone: (952) 884-1485
Fax: (952) 884-5887
e-mail: TonytaniguchiK@yahoo.com