Legal Interpreting Service

Legal interpreting is highly specialized and requires not only excellent general knowledge of languages, but also in-depth knowledge of legal concepts in both languages, and often, the ability to withstand the pressure of a formal legal adversarial setting. Legal interpreting is used, for example, in the context of court settings, pre-dismissal meetings required under the labor laws of France, and in discovery depositions in connection with US-based commercial litigation and ICC binding arbitration. Mr. Fields has over a decade of extensive and successful experience interpreting bilingually in all of these situations and has a team of highly trained and experienced interpreters with whom he regularly works.

If you would like a quote, please contact us with detailed information regarding the nature of the assignment, i.e., a description of the situation, the date(s), venue, and expected hours. On the basis of this information, we can also suggest whether we believe consecutive or simultaneous interpreting is best suited to the situation.

Consecutive interpreting involves the interpreter being present at the meeting room table with the parties, taking notes while one person speaks. Just after the speaker finishes, the interpreter then interprets in full what was said. Simultaneous or real-time interpreting requires the use of an interpreters' booth or mobile interpreting equipment, and the interpreters speak at the same time as the speaker with participants listening through headsets.

In either case, it is critical for the interpreter(s) to receive documents in advance of the assignment date. The sole purpose of communicating documents is to allow the interpreter(s) to become familiar with the parties involved and the specifics of the case by preparing vocabulary and arriving on the day of the assignment with a full understanding of the facts and any special vocabulary likely to be used. This allows them to provide a more professional-quality interpreting service.

We maintain the confidentiality of all materials conveyed, which are destroyed after completion of the assignment. Whenever necessary, we are willing to sign confidentiality agreements prior to the communication of materials.