Kyushu, without the language barrier.
Interpreters based in Kumamoto, working across all of Kyushu. Negotiations, factory visits, filming, hospital appointments, property viewings, conferences — and the local groundwork around them.
Converting words into another language is not the same as making the meeting work.
A factory audit, a land purchase, a broadcast shoot, a hospital consultation, a supplier negotiation — every one of them demands different vocabulary, different pacing and a different read of the room.
Our interpreters work as a member of your team for the duration of the job, not as a meter running beside it. They arrive briefed, they handle what comes up, and they tell you what was meant as well as what was said.
People who came to Kyushu to get something done.
Most of our clients are not tourists and not fluent in Japanese. They have a specific reason to be here and a narrow window to do it in.
Where we work.
Each situation gets an interpreter chosen for it, not the next name on a roster.
Six things a Tokyo agency cannot do from Tokyo.
We live here. That changes the cost, the speed and the local knowledge you get.
No travel from Tokyo on your invoice
Booking an interpreter from Tokyo or Osaka adds flights, hotels and standby hours. Our network sits inside Kyushu, so those lines disappear.
One interpreter, or sixty-eight
Our largest single deployment was 68 interpreters at one business matching event. Large group requests are routine, not exceptional.
Short-notice requests get a real answer
Two weeks' notice is our preference, not a rule. If you need someone tomorrow, ask — we will tell you quickly whether we can cover it.
Matched to the job, from our own database
We select from interpreters we have personally worked with, on subject knowledge and how they perform in the room.
Travel with you, in Japan or abroad
Trade fairs, buyer missions, plant visits. Paperwork before departure, phone calls on the road, hotels and meals arranged so the trip runs.
Local knowledge you can act on
Which office issues which document, who to call at the prefecture, which restaurant suits the dinner. That comes with living in Kumamoto.
Covered by our registered interpreters, with English, Korean and Chinese the deepest benches.
Registered with us. We staff Kumamoto residents wherever possible, on working patterns that fit family life.
Projects in 27 municipalities in Kumamoto Prefecture, plus work in every prefecture of Kyushu.
Who we have worked for.
Broadcasters & media
Government & public bodies
Manufacturers & industry
And many more, across broadcasting, public-sector and industrial work in every prefecture of Kyushu.
Sixteen languages.
Need something not listed? Ask. We can often source it through our network.
On-site interpreting.
One interpreter, before tax. Japanese to and from English, Chinese or Korean, consecutive interpreting. USD figures are an approximate guide only, converted at ¥150 = $1 — yen amounts are authoritative.
| Class | Spot up to 2 hours |
Half day up to 4 hours |
Full day up to 8 hours |
Overtime per hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Economy Guiding, accompaniment, casual settings |
¥27,000〜 ~$180 |
¥35,000〜 ~$235 |
¥52,500〜 ~$350 |
¥8,000〜 ~$55 |
Business Negotiations, site and factory visits |
¥32,000〜 ~$215 |
¥42,500〜 ~$285 |
¥63,750〜 ~$425 |
¥9,000〜 ~$60 |
First class Conferences, seminars, presentations |
¥39,000〜 ~$260 |
¥50,000〜 ~$335 |
¥75,000〜 ~$500 |
¥13,000〜 ~$90 |
Other languages are available and quoted separately. Travel outside Japan with your team carries an additional daily allowance.
Online interpreting.
| Class | Per hour |
|---|---|
Economy Little advance preparation required |
¥9,000〜 ~$60 |
Business Presentations needing preparation |
¥12,000〜 ~$80 |
First class Specialist discussion, heavy research |
¥16,000〜 ~$107 |
On-site, please note
- Night rate: interpreting between 20:00 and 9:00 is base rate × 1.5
- Travel and standby time: overtime rate × 0.5
- Pre-briefing: overtime rate × 0.5
- Transport, mileage and accommodation: billed to the client
- Interpreting over meals: the interpreter's meal is billed to the client. Please allow the interpreter at least 20 minutes' break inside working hours
Online, please note
- Night rate: interpreting between 20:00 and 9:00 is base rate × 1.5
- Pre-briefing: base rate × 0.5
- Meeting setup: normally hosted by the client. We can host on Teams in some cases — just ask
Lead time & cancellation
We ask for roughly two weeks' notice. Urgent requests are worth asking about.
Four steps.
Send your dates and purpose
Dates, city, language, what the meeting or trip is for, and how many people. English is fine.
Quote and interpreter proposed
We confirm availability, tell you the class the job falls into, and quote in yen with all costs itemised.
Briefing before the day
Send agendas, slides, drawings, names, product terms. The interpreter studies them in advance.
On the day, and afterwards
The interpreter works with you as part of the team. Follow-up correspondence can be arranged if the conversation continues.
Sometimes what you need is a fixer.
An interpreter solves the conversation. Plenty of visitors also need the things around it: the appointment nobody will grant by email, the document only one municipal office issues, the drive to a farm with no address a foreign map app can parse. We do that work too, either alongside interpreting or on its own. Tell us what the trip has to achieve and we will tell you what we can take off your hands.
Questions we get from overseas.
How far in advance should we book?
Two weeks is comfortable, and more is better for technical or multi-day work. We still take short-notice enquiries and answer them quickly rather than leaving you waiting.
Do you cover cities outside Kumamoto?
Yes. We work across all of Kyushu — Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Saga, Oita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima — and travel elsewhere in Japan or overseas with clients on request.
Can you handle technical subject matter?
Semiconductor, manufacturing, automotive and engineering work is a regular part of what we do. Send terminology and reference material in advance and the interpreter prepares from it.
Simultaneous or consecutive?
The published rates are for consecutive interpreting, which suits most meetings and visits. Simultaneous interpreting requires two interpreters and equipment; we quote it case by case.
How do we pay from overseas?
We accept payments via Wise and Paypal.
Is confidentiality covered?
Yes. Our interpreters work under confidentiality obligations, and we will sign your NDA before receiving material.
We need more than one interpreter. How many can you supply?
Our record is 68 at a single business matching event. For large deployments, contact us early so we can hold the right people.
Tell us the dates and what has to happen.
Write in English or Japanese. We will come back with availability, the class your job falls into and a quote in yen.