Japanese Court Translators, Court Interpreters and Evolving Court Interpreting System in Japan
Legal translators and court interpreters play an important role in the judicial process. A new lay judge system debuted in Japan in May, 2009. However, this new court system raises a number of concerns about how court interpreters will function within the new trial procedures. Under the new Japanese system, six lay judges and three professional judges will preside over a trial. If the trial case involves foreign defendants with limited Japanese language, knowledge and comprehension - which is often the case in business-related matters - there will be at least one court interpreter present along with a clerk working on a translation of what is being said by all the parties involved in the case.