Deposition Interpreters in International Litigation
We’re blogged about what litigators and trial lawyers should expect from deposition interpreters, and what mode of interpreting (consecutive or simultaneous) deposition translators and court interpreters should manifest during a cross-cultural deposition.
When seeking to conduct a deposition either in a foreign country or with a witness residing in a foreign country, a rule of thumb is to start the process by contacting the local U.S. Consular Affairs office. The role of the Consular Office is to assist in contacting witness(es) and acting as, or retaining, a foreign language interpreter or foreign language translator and serving as a resource. Although 22 CFR 92.56 states that consular officers may act as foreign language interpreters, as a general rule, most offices do not allow officers to serve in any foreign language translating capacity. This is generally because few officers are qualified to do so. For this reason, the general role of the Consular Office is to assist one in:
- Obtaining a qualified foreign language interpreter
- Acting as a middle-man between attorney and witness when written depositions are used
- Making arrangements for both on-site and telephone deposition interpreting services
- Working with attorney to understand whether or not video depositions are allowed in the foreign jurisdiction and, if so, what limitations are in place.