Interpretation services

Sapporo Community Interpreters

Sapporo Community Interpreters are available for interpretation for consultations at schools, nurseries, ward offices, etc. Interpreters will be sent out when using services or facilities in Sapporo.

Available date and time

Monday to Friday 9: 00-17: 30

Available languages

English/Chinese/Thai/Russian/Vietnamese/Korean/Indonesian/Mongolian ⇔ Japanese

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 schedule(s) and type of interpretation and decide whether it is possible to dispatch an interpreter. (Contact us at least 5 days before you use the service. We may not be able to help with sudden requests.)
   *With the increase in foreign residents, the number of requests for these services is also increasing. Please understand that there may be cases in which we are unable to accommodate requests. Sometimes we will request online interpretation.
2. Typical users of this service include administrative agencies and schools. 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 the 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. We will send you the interpreter determination notice as soon as the arrangement is confirmed.
5. ★On the day ★ As a general rule, interpretation should be no longer than two hours.
   In some cases SICPF staff member may accompany the interpreter to help facilitate the interpretation service.
6. 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 Sapporo City, and SICPF will provide transportation expenses for the interpreters. There is no expense for the users.

This service is available for:

• When speaking with school or nursery teachers
• Enrollment procedures for elementary/junior high schools
• Receiving explanations/enrollment procedures at nurseries (childcare facilities)
• Baby’s health checkups or consultation about development at municipal health centers.
• When a public health nurse comes to your home about your baby, etc.

This service is not available for:

・Events, seminars, gatherings, information sessions, etc.
・Medical interpreting at hospitals and for vaccinations.
・Legal interpretation at police stations, courts, lawyers’ offices, etc.
・Non-interpretation related services such as testing and learning support at schools,
or merely for use as an escort
・Procedures that can be completed using phone interpretation or machine translation, etc.

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)
• Form 3:Request form for accompaniment 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. 

・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.

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 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

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.  

At the hospital

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. 

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.