27.02.2024
News

Notice regarding pro bono translation services (Pro Bono T&I Team)

February 27, 2024
 
At Atsumi & Sakai, we offer translation services as part of our pro bono activities.
 

1. Purpose of pro bono translation services

Pro bono translation services (Pro bono T&I (Translation and Interpretation) Team) are activities lawyers and staff members at Atsumi & Sakai participate in voluntarily, aiming to offer a bridge between those who provide legal services and those who need such services beyond language barriers by providing interpreters at legal consultations as well as translating and disseminating PR information for legal consultations in multiple languages.
 
Although Bar associations and other organizations provide a variety of opportunities for legal consultations, due to language barriers, foreigners living in Japan who do not speak or read Japanese often don't even know that there are legal consultation services available, let alone opportunities to seek legal advice. Therefore, we aim to support such foreigners to access legal services not only at the legal consultation stage, but also by cooperating from the PR stage.
 

2. Principles of pro bono translation services

Our translation pro bono services include assisting Bar associations and other organizations in conducting free consultations and other services. It is not always easy to provide and respond to information in multiple languages at each stage of the PR and consultation process, but in order to ensure that legal services are available to all people, it is necessary for information to reach foreign residents who need assistance in their required language. We aim to provide assistance with translation in PR activities and assistance with interpretation at consultation meetings in such situations.
 
Translation of critical information at the time of disasters is also one of our pro bono translation services. Consultation services for affected foreign nationals need to provide highly specialized information on disaster-related and legal topics in the language required. On the other hand, situations can arise where it is difficult to disseminate information with the assistance of an interpretation specialist. Therefore, A&S, which has been providing legal services in multiple languages for many years, aims to support the communication of information needed in the affected areas by disseminating multilingual information about legal consultation services, etc. and providing translation services for legal consultations to the affected areas.
 

3. Examples of pro bono translation services

In the wake of the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake, we summarized and provided information transmitted by the press and public organizations, as well as information on how to obtain information in foreign languages, on our website as part of our pro bono translation service.
 

2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake – Lifeline and Support Information Links (Japanese) -令和6年能登半島地震ライフライン・支援情報リンク集

2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake – Lifeline and Support Information Links (English)

2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake – Lifeline and Support Information Links (Chinese) -2024年能登半岛地震生命线、支援信息链接合集

2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake – Lifeline and Support Information Links (Korean) -2024년 노토반도 지진 라이프라인·지원정보 링크집

 

4. Main participating members

Senior Partner

Hiroo Atsumi

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Partner

Hayato Kimura

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Partner

Erika Yamada

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Partner

Nicholas J. Casson

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Advisor/Consultant

Taro Morinaga

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Of Counsel

Eva Izsak-Niimura

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Of Counsel

Chihiro Saito

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Of Counsel

Kyoko Nakamura

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Associate

Yuka Daimon

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Associate

Sho Tsuzuki

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Associate

Yuka Nakanishi

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Associate

Yoichi Suzuki

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Associate

Shintaro Hoshino

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Associate

Shiori Takaba

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Associate

Marina Fu

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Associate

Koichi Kaneda

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Foreign Lawyer

Fei Zhao

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