Requests from interpreters

Please read this section to help us provide better interpreting services

Point 1：The cooperation of users is essential to improve the quality of interpretation services

Interpreters registered on Yoyaq will do their utmost to convey what conference participants say as accurately as possible and to achieve smooth communication. In order to provide the best interpretation service, interpreters need information on participants, past conferences, terminology, etc. in addition to the agenda. Your cooperation is essential in the preparation phase.

Please provide us with the following:

The topic of the conference.
• The meeting URL or meeting ID to be used on the day of the conference
• Meeting agenda and detailed schedule of the conference
• Details about the conference participants and speakers (all participants or at least those who plan to speak)
•  Company department and names of participants (if any)
•  Title or position of participants (if any)
•  Name (tips on how to read, if applicable)
•  Script used to introduce conference speakers (if the moderator has a script)
*N.B. For both parties (i.e. English- and Japanese-speaking participants)
• Purpose of the meeting (business negotiations, exchange of opinions, location tours, lectures, conference, entertainment, etc.)
• Materials to be used during the conference, such as PowerPoint, materials to be read by the speaker, notes for remarks, etc.
(Interpretation quality will be improved if you can provide them some time in advance.)
(If information-sharing with the interpreter is insufficient, certain sections of the interpretation may be incomplete.)
• If the content of the meeting is highly specialized, a glossary, bilingual glossary, etc. will be greatly appreciated./li>
• Company profile, product profile, pamphlet, etc.
• If there was a similar meeting before, an account of the meeting and attendee list from that time
(If there is a possibility that names or proper nouns from the previous meetings will be used)
• Treatises, books, websites, etc. (if any) that you would like the interpreter to read in advance

*The interpreter may request that the preparation time and pre-conference meeting be included in the total reservation time. If the interpreter makes the above request and if you do not wish to include the preparation time in the total reservation time, please bear in mind the the quality of interpretation may decline.

*N.B. Please provide materials as early as possible (from a few days to a week in advance)
If you provide appropriate materials, the interpreter can properly prepare for the conference and take responsibility for the outcome. Please note that even professional interpreters cannot guarantee their best performance if proper information is not provided.

*In principle, video introductions of companies and facilities are not eligible for interpreting. If necessary, please consult an interpreter beforehand.

*Interpreters do not take meeting minutes.

*Please check with the interpreter in advance regarding the possibility of videoing or recording a meeting and if there will be additional fees (additional reservation sessions).

Point 2：You can further improve the accuracy of the interpretation by meeting with the interpreter beforehand

A preparatory meeting joined by conference participants and moderators will further improve the quality of interpretation.

• We highly recommend booking an extra 25 minutes before the actual conference for a preparatory meeting.
• This will give interpreters the opportunity to ask questions of participants about the provided conference materials. If it is difficult for all the participants to participate, please have the person in charge explain the materials.
• Please let us know if you have certain talking points that you would like to emphasize or have the interpreter pay particular attention to.
• If you have any questions about culture, customs, taboos, etc. in your audience’s country or region, please feel free to consult the interpreter.

Exchanging information with interpreters

• Each interpreter sets their own rate by selecting the number of tickets necessary for one reservation session (25 minutes). You can check the rates on the interpreter profiles page.
• Please use the message function on this website to manage the schedule for the preparatory meeting with the interpreter.
• If you have any file-based materials, please share them with the interpreter a few days in advance.
• The language of the conference material should be in a language supported by the interpreter.
• When using Zoom in your initial meeting, you can transfer files such as PDF, Word and PowerPoint. (Please check the Zoom website for more details.)

Points about the preparatory meeting

Depending on the interpreter, the preparatory meeting may require a paid-for reservation. Please check the interpreter’s profile at the time of booking and, if necessary, contact them individually. Please keep the duration of the preparatory meeting to under 25 minutes (equivalent to 1 reservation session) even if the interpreter does not require that the preparatory meeting be a paid-for reservation session.
Interpreters will strive to provide the best possible interpretation by thoroughly preparing for it; therefore, we request your understanding of the significance of this for maximizing quality.

Point 3： Effectively communicate your intentions to the interpreter by speaking in a clear and easy-to-understand manner

Only after the interpreter understands the content of the speech is it possible to have a precise and smooth interpretation.

• Unlike Japanese, some languages have the following characteristics:
• They never omit the subject of the sentence
• They have singular and plural forms
• They have gendered pronouns
• You can communicate with the interpreter more effectively by speaking concisely. We recommend keeping your remarks together in a document. If you plan to use such a document, please provide the interpreter with a copy.
• In the case of consecutive interpreting, please keep the length of your talking segments to roughly 1 or 2 minutes. If your talking segments are too short, the interpreter may not understand the full context of what you are saying; on the other hand, if your talking segments are too long, listeners who require interpreting may lose track of what you are saying.
• In the case of consecutive interpretating, the interpreter may ask you questions during your talking segment. Please explain in an easy-to-understand manner so the interpreter can accurately convey the content to the audience.
• In the case of simultaneous interpretation, please do not speak too fast, but keep your talking speed equivalent to about 5 minutes per A4 sheet of transcript. Pausing now and then ensures that the content you convey to the interpreter will be more complete.
• We recommend that you do some quick research prior to the meeting about the country or region to which the audience belongs. You will be able to communicate more effectively with your audience by better understanding the relationship between your country and theirs and avoiding historically sensitive matters. The interpreter can answer questions relating to countries or regions they have lived in or have knowledge of.
• When interpreters are listening or interpreting, they are very focused, so do not interrupt them. If you interrupt a consecutive interpretation by speaking or asking questions, it will affect the subsequent interpretation; so, if you have any questions or something you would like to confirm, please do so after the interpreting of that section is completed.

Point 4：Please read and understand the working conditions of the interpreters

You can use our interpreting service without a hitch by understanding the general working conditions of interpreters.

• For simultaneous interpretation of more than 1 frame, please be sure to reserve 2 interpreters.
• There is no maximum limit on time and number of reservation sessions you can make; however, interpreting requires concentration; therefore, in reality it is difficult for a single interpreter to provide more than 8 hours of interpretation in a day. Please reserve multiple interpreters.
• 1 session is set to 25 minutes, but if you reserve multiple interpreters the interpretation service will continue without breaks. Providing interpretation requires concentration; therefore, interpreters require a 5-minute break every half hour and a 15- 20 minute break for interpretation that exceeds one and a half hours. The sessions available for reservation are set to 25 minutes to ensure that the interpreters get their breaks. Thank you for your understanding.
• The interpreter will strictly observe ending times and extensions. Ending times must be strictly observed. If you wish to extend the reservation session, please purchase additional tickets (the interpreter will advise on how to do this). If you wish to pay by bank transfer, the amount for the extended reservation session will be charged at the time of billing.

Point 5：Please observe good manners when communicating with the interpreters

Interpreters are serious about their work and will operate in a professional manner. Enjoy a pleasant discussion with each other maintaining good manners.

• Please refrain from directly sending job offers to interpreters you exchanged contact details with through Yoyaq. If you are considering hiring an individual as a full-time or part-time employee, please contact the Yoyaq office.
• Sexual harassment of interpreters is strictly prohibited. Please respect the interpreter as a professional. Please refrain from asking about private matters that are irrelevant to interpreting work. There have been cases of remote harassment that falls under the category of sexual harassment; so, please refrain from making requests such as to show the interior of their room or their whole body. We appreciate your understanding.
• Elegant jokes with a narrative quality can enhance communication, so interpreters will welcome them. However, certain puns and jokes can be difficult to translate and will not be conveyed properly. In addition, crude jokes are not only difficult to translate, but may lead others to question the speaker’s taste. Please refrain from jokes that include puns or fall under the category of sexual harassment.

Point 6： Interpreters and confidentiality

Confidentiality is an absolute prioirity for interpreters.

• Registered interpreters have a confidentiality agreement with the Yoyaq office regarding user information, so will never disclose any secrets they have learned through their work. However, if you want to be doubly sure that confidentiality is observed, please ask the Yoyaq office to prepare a confidentiality agreement between you and the interpreter. Also, please let us know if you want materials or certain documents returned. In addition, If you are concerned about security, you can request that interpreters submit their notes at the end of the session.