Why do Japanese business persons who speak English uses interpreters?

Abstract

Following the previous study (Takahashi & Kimura 2017), this paper deals with how and whybusiness people use interpreting services in international business settings in Japan. In the previous study, professional interpreters who work mostly in business were interviewed and the results were analyzed on the basis of the language management theory, which allowed to classify the business situations into distinct categories. This analysis clarified the elements that cause business people (i.e., clients) to use interpreting services rather than conducting meetings in English. In the present study, the same structured interviews were conducted with business clients who were more or less proficient in English but worked with interpreters. The interview transcripts were analyzed in the same way as the previous study. It was found that the viewpoints of interpreters and clients were slightly different. The result will help future studies to define the role of business interpreters.