Interpretation services

Sapporo Community Interpreters

To help eliminate the language barrier  at schools, childcare facilities, ward offices, etc., we dispatch volunteer interpreters who have been given a certain amount of training. In principle, these interpreters are sent out to city-related facilities.

Available date and time

Monday to Friday 9: 00-17: 30

Available languages

English/Chinese/Thai/Russian/Vietnamese/Myanmar (Burmese)/Nepali/Cambodian/Korean/Indonesian/Mongolian ⇔ Japanese

* Interpreters are not currently available for other languages, but we are working to find volunteers for more languages.

Contact/Apply

Sapporo International Communication Plaza Foundation(SICPF), International Community Bureau

TEL 011-211-2105

FAX 011-211-3673

E-mail by mail, please use this form

How to use the service:

1. Please contact the SICPF first to consult.
   SICPF will consider the time schedule(s) and type of interpretation and decide whether it is possible to dispatch an interpreter.
   *With the increase in foreign residents, the number of requests for this services is also increasing. Please understand that there may be cases that we are unable to accommodate requests.
2. Typical users of this service include administrative agencies, schools, and the like. If there is a request from a foreign resident, the SICPF will contact each relevant institution and ask them to submit the "Dispatch Request Form (Form 1)".
   ※When the purpose of using the service is to visit daycare centers to enroll a child, the foreign resident will be required to submit a request form.
3. Please confirm the terms of use and provide necessary information for the interpreter (materials to be used on the day etc).If you need to contact the interpreter in advance, please do so through SICPF.
4. ★On the day ★ As a general rule, interpretation should be no longer than two hours.
   A SICPF staff may accompany the interpreter to help facilitate the interpretation service.
5. Users are required to submit "Post-Use Questionnaire (Form 2)" to the SICPF within 14 days after using the service.

This program is funded by the Sapporo City, and SICPF will provide transportation expenses for the interpreters.
There is no expense for the users.

This service is available for:

• Parent-teacher meetings at schools, childcare facilities, etc.
• Orientation and procedures before admission to schools or daycare centers
• Public nurse home visits (infant check-ups)
• Infant health examinations
• Application for entering nursery school, preliminary visits to childcare centers before applying
• Procedures for pregnancy and childbirth etc. at ward offices

This service is not available for:

• Events, seminars, briefing sessions, etc.
• Medical interpretation at hospitals and other institutions
• Judicial interpretation at police stations, courts, and lawyers' offices
• Exams at school, learning support, use as a chaperone, non-interpretation related requests

Flyer/Forms

• Flyer for administrative organizations such as schools ·Terms of Use
• Form 1: Dispatch Request Form（Excel、PDF）
• Form 2: Post-Use Questionnaire(Excel、PDF）
• Flyers for foreigners(Japanese / English)
• Flyers for foreigners(Japanese / Chinese)
• Flyers for foreigners(Japanese / Vietnamese)
• Flyers for foreigners(Japanese / Mongolian)
• Form 3:Request form for accompanyment to childcare facilities (for foreigners)（Word、PDF）

Medical interpretation

Sapporo Medical Communication Hotline  011-211-2121

What services does it provide?

・A telephone operator will interpret on your behalf when making appointments or inquiries with hospitals within the City of Sapporo. 

・Phone interpretation can be provided when talking to doctors or other medical staff at the hospital. 

・Volunteer interpreters (only for English and Chinese) can accompany you to the hospital. 

・These services are free of charge (standard phone rates apply).

     *This service is available only for hospitals in Sapporo. You may use this service to pick up prescribed medicine but not for other shopping at pharmacies.

     *This service is to support people receiving medical care only. It can’t be used for other purposes such as beauty care and health check-ups. 

    *Your personal information is strictly protected and used only for this service.   

Languages

For making appointments, hospital inquiries, or for phone interpretation services while you are at a hospital: 32 languages offered *Contact us for details. Interpreters for some languages may not be immediately available.

On-site interpretation by a volunteer interpreter is available for the following languages:  English and Chinese., but only if you fall into one of the followings.
　①Those who live in Sapporo  (excluding short-term stays)
　②When students and their family members living outside of Sapporo need to go to a hospital in Sapporo

When making an appointment or inquiry with a hospital

     1. Open the “Application Form.”

The form is available in easy Japanese, English, and Chinese. Choose one out of the following three choices and input the required information.  

- For those who haven’t decided which hospital to go to

- For those who have decided on the hospital and would like to make an appointment or inquiry

- For those who have decided on the hospital and need an interpreter at the hospital.

2. After filling in the form, call 011-211-2121. You will be connected with a telephone operator.  

*From the second time onward, you can call the number above without filling in the application form.

*Telephone operators are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

3. The operator will ask about your health concerns and which hospital you want to go to.

If you do not know which hospital to go to, they can also transfer you to the Emergency Medical Consultation Center of the Sapporo City Public Health Office for consultation.  

4. The operator will call the hospital while you remain on the phone. Your appointment date and other details will be discussed in this three-way call.

*Appointments and inquiries with a hospital can be made on weekdays from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M.  

5. Please inform the operator if you would like an accompanying interpreter.

They will contact you once a volunteer interpreter has been secured. To apply for this service, you must be one of the following: 1) a resident of Sapporo (excluding short-term visitors) 2) a foreign student living in Sapporo or a family member who wants to go to a hospital in Sapporo *You must apply for this service several days before going to the hospital. Accompanying interpreters may not be available depending on the days.

*Japanese-English interpretation is provided by volunteers from NPO SEMI Sapporo, and JapaneseChinese interpretation is provided by volunteers from SCI (Sapporo Chinese Medical Interpretation Group).

*Volunteer interpreters are trained to interpret in medical settings; however, they shall not be liable for any interpretation inaccuracies.  

At the hospital

a) Phone interpretation  

1. If you require an interpreter at a hospital, you or the hospital can call 011-211-2121. Application through the form is not required.

2. When the operator answers, tell them the name of the hospital you are visiting, the language you speak, and your current situation.  

3. This will be the start of the phone interpretation. Hand over the telephone or put it on speakerphone as instructed by the operator.  

*Phone interpretation is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Feel free to call whenever you need assistance at the hospital. 

b) On-site interpretation by a volunteer interpreter 

1. Before going to the hospital, the volunteer interpreter will contact you to confirm where to meet and other details.

2. Go to the discussed location at the appointed time.

3. The volunteer interpreter will accompany you and interpret your conversations with the doctor and other medical staff. 

For more, details, please check the link below.

Medical interpreter’s volunteer groups in Sapporo, dispatching volunteer interpreters to hospitals or clinics

• List of medical interpreters’ group（National Association for Medical Interpreters）Japanese

If you need an interpretation service other than “Sapporo Community Interpreters” or “Medical interpretation, please directly contact professional companies.