We provide the following Mandarin court interpretation services for court proceedings and administrative proceedings.
- Trials
- Hearings
- Mediation
- Arbitration
- Attorney-client meetings
- Interviews (immigration court)
- Document reviews
Our credentials: Mandarin court interpretation services
Our Mandarin interpreters are court certified interpreters with years of experience in court interpreting for a wide variety of cases (civil, criminal, family, etc.) in state and federal jurisdictions. We also have rich experience in administrative hearings (DOJ, SEC, ITC, EEOC, OAH, etc.), including complex commercial cases, international trade disputes, IP infringement litigation, Section 337 and FCPA investigations.
For court proceedings, when interpreters are retained for parties (defendant or plaintiff), interpretation is provided throughout the proceedings and is mostly simultaneous; when interpreters are retained for witnesses, on the other hand, interpretation is provided for witnesses’ testimony only and is usually consecutive.
For the comparison of simultaneous interpretation and consecutive interpretation, please read our blog:
Interpretation: Consecutive or Simultaneous?
Skill Comparison: Consecutive vs. Simultaneous Interpretation
How to achieve the best outcome of court interpretation
1. Hire interpreters early
The earlier you schedule interpreters, the more likely you can retain certified court interpreters of your choice, because interpreters’ availability varies day to day. This is particularly true if you need to hire more than one interpreter.
2. Consider budgeting for two or three interpreters
Hiring two or three interpreters significantly increases the accuracy of interpretation. For high-stake cases, such as patent litigation and commercial disputes, the benefit of increased accuracy outweighs the extra cost. Some clients hire three interpreters – two alternating as the active interpreter, and a third as a check interpreter. (The check interpreter verifies the interpretation accuracy in the proceedings.) This significantly improves accuracy.
When interpreters are retained for the parties, the majority of the interpretation is simultaneous interpretation. It is only switched to consecutive when the non-English speaking party testifies. The interpreters alternate about every 15 minutes to reduce fatigue.
When interpreters are retained for a witness, the interpretation is consecutive interpretation, and is only for the witness’s testimony. If the testimony is expected to last for one hour or less, you can get by with just one interpreter. For testimony longer than one hour, we usually schedule two interpreters to alternate in order to alleviate interpreter fatigue.
For simultaneous interpretation, we always require at least two interpreters. For consecutive interpretation, and the client elects to hire only one interpreter, we request a 10-minute break for every 45-50 minute session to relieve interpreter fatigue.
For more on the accuracy of court interpretation, please read our posts:
What You Don’t Know about Interpretation: How Good Are Court Certified Interpreters?
3. Perform a conflict-of-interest check on interpreters
When inquiring about Mandarin court interpretation services, check with the prospective interpreters for any conflict of interest. Ask them whether they know any party, witnesses (if the interpreters are retained for witnesses), or attorneys of the case. If an interpreter is related to or well-acquainted with any of the persons above, the interpreter should recuse themselves.
If an interpreter has worked on the case previously in ex parte settings (for example, at attorney-client meetings), then the interpreter may need to recuse themselves from court interpreting.
That being said, each jurisdiction may have different rules regarding the exclusion of interpreters. For example, some jurisdictions provide that if the interpreters have previously interpreted at a grand jury hearing, they cannot interpret at the trial of the same case. This is to avoid any “bleed-through” effect (interpreters may subconsciously draw on knowledge retained from the previous encounter).
However, certain languages have a significant shortage of court certified interpreters. It may be deferred to the court to decide whether or not to preempt certain interpreters.
If you are having difficulty securing court certified interpreters, check with the court and the opposing party to see whether they are comfortable with using your proposed interpreters who have had prior contact with the case.
4. Verify interpreter qualifications for Mandarin court interpretation services
This is important when only one interpreter is used. It is also critical when two or three interpreters are retained.
Interpreting can be counter-effective when any one of the interpreters is incompetent. It can produce a messy record or even bring drama into the proceedings.
There are several credentials available for Chinese-English interpretation. Understand the differences and select the one that suits your need.
If each party hires their interpreter independently, make sure that both parties verify the interpreters’ credentials. Both interpreters should be qualified for Mandarin court interpretation services. Interview the interpreters if additional domain knowledge is required.
5. Provide materials to interpreters early
Materials should be made available to interpreters early. A copy of the complaint is the minimum. If you have motions, counterclaims or other documents filed with court, provide them to the interpreters, too.
6. Brief non-English speakers in advance
Have a pre-session with non-English speaking parties or witnesses before the proceeding begins. Make them understand the following:
- Interpreters are impartial and cannot befriend any party. Do not seek interpreters’ advice or engage interpreters in side conversations during court proceedings.
- Interpreters are obliged to interpret everything, good or bad. Do not make offhand remarks in front of the interpreters; do not divulge information to or confide in the interpreters.
- Do not talk too fast or for too long without pauses.
- Do not talk over each other.
- Speak in first person as if interpreters were not present.
The pre-sessions can help prevent interpreters’ perceived bias, and help avoid awkward or conflictual situations due to non-English speakers not understanding the interpreters’ role.
For a case appealed on the ground of interpreters’ alleged partiality, see Kim Long KO, Appellant, v. UNITED STATES, Appellee.
For attorneys perspectives on court interpretation, read this article “Lost in Translation”: Dealing with Interpretation Issues in International Litigation by Peter J. Stern and Lucia E. Ballard.