OneLaw Chambers
Interpreter
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Job Title: Chinese Interpreter and Translator (Mandarin)
SOC 2020 Code: 3412 — Authors, writers and translators
Salary: £42,000 per annum
Hours of Work: 37.5 hours per week, 9:00am to 5:30pm, Monday to Friday, with a one-hour unpaid lunch break
Work Location: OneLaw Chambers, Hamilton House, 1 Temple Avenue, Temple, London EC4Y 0HA, with regular travel to courts, tribunals, counsel’s chambers and client meetings in England and Wales
Reports to: Director
About Us
Onelaw Limited, trading as OneLaw Chambers, is a London-based law firm authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA No. 652491), operating from Hamilton House, 1 Temple Avenue, in the Temple. The firm operates as a hybrid practice of solicitors and barristers and provides legal advice, litigation and court representation across immigration, civil litigation, employment tribunal claims, property and landlord-and-tenant disputes, family and financial remedy proceedings, and commercial disputes, including cross-border matters.
A large and growing proportion of the firm’s clients are Chinese-speaking individuals and businesses for whom English is not a first language. Their matters regularly proceed to courts and tribunals, and effective communication between client, solicitor and counsel is essential at every stage: taking instructions, preparing evidence, attending conferences and hearings, and explaining advice, orders and settlement terms.
The post is a specialist language services position requiring professional interpreting between Mandarin and English, and the accurate written translation of legal, evidential and official documents. It is not a paralegal, fee-earning, secretarial, reception or administrative post, and the postholder will not give legal advice or conduct legal work. Interpreting of a party’s or witness’s sworn evidence in the courtroom, where the court requires an independent interpreter, will continue to be arranged through the court or an independent interpreter; the postholder’s role is to support communication between the firm, counsel and its clients.
Job Summary
The Chinese Interpreter and Translator is responsible for providing the firm’s in-house interpreting and translation service for its Chinese-speaking clients, principally in Mandarin. The postholder will interpret at client meetings, case conferences and conferences with counsel, and at court and tribunal attendances before, during breaks in and after hearings; will translate witness statements, exhibits, correspondence and official documents between Chinese and English to a standard suitable for filing with courts, tribunals and the Home Office; and will maintain the firm’s legal terminology resources, working closely with the solicitors and barristers conducting each matter to ensure that clients understand, and are accurately understood in, their proceedings.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Interpreting at meetings, conferences and hearings (approx. 40%)
- Provide consecutive, simultaneous (whispered) and sight interpreting between Mandarin and English at client meetings, instruction-taking sessions, case conferences and conferences with counsel, in person, by telephone and by video link
- Attend courts and tribunals with clients and the legal team, interpreting communications between client, solicitor and counsel before hearings, during adjournments and breaks, and after hearings, including the explanation of orders, directions and outcomes
- Interpret at settlement meetings, mediations, negotiations and without prejudice discussions, conveying offers, counter-offers and legal advice accurately and impartially
- Interpret in client-care, onboarding and anti-money laundering (client due diligence) meetings, ensuring clients understand the terms of their engagement, costs information and identity requirements
- Accurately convey register, tone and meaning, seek clarification of ambiguous terms rather than paraphrase, and alert the supervising lawyer to any cultural or linguistic issue that may affect the client’s understanding or the evidence
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Legal and evidential translation (approx. 35%)
- Translate client documents from Chinese (Simplified and Traditional script) into English for use as evidence, including identity and civil status documents, household registration records, contracts, bank and financial records, business records, messaging and social media communications, and Chinese court and administrative documents
- Translate English documents into Chinese for client understanding, including advice letters, client care letters, witness statements, court orders, judgments, settlement agreements and Home Office decisions
- Prepare witness statements in the witness’s own language and the accompanying English translation, together with the translator’s statement or certificate of accuracy required by the Civil Procedure Rules and practice directions, the Tribunal Procedure Rules and Home Office guidance
- Provide certified translations meeting Home Office requirements for immigration applications and appeals, including the translator’s confirmation of accuracy, credentials, date and contact details
- Proofread and quality-check translations against the source text, and maintain a clear record of each translation, its source and its certification
Case conference and litigation support (approx. 15%)
- Work with fee earners and counsel to prepare for conferences and hearings, identifying the documents and issues on which the client will need interpreting support
- Assist fee earners in reviewing Chinese-language disclosure and evidence by providing gist and sight translations, flagging documents that require full certified translation
- Liaise with court and tribunal interpreter services, and with external interpreters where independence is required, to ensure appropriate language arrangements are requested and in place for each hearing
- Support clients in understanding procedural timetables, deadlines and what is expected of them at each stage, under the direction of the supervising lawyer
Terminology, quality and professional standards (approx. 10%)
- Develop and maintain a bilingual glossary of English and Chinese legal terminology covering immigration, civil procedure, employment, property, family and commercial law
- Develop Chinese-language versions of the firm’s standard client-facing documents and information sheets, for approval by the Director
- Maintain strict confidentiality and legal professional privilege, and comply with the firm’s obligations under the SRA Standards and Regulations, UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018
- Act at all times with accuracy, impartiality and integrity, in accordance with recognised professional codes of conduct for interpreters and translators, and declare any conflict of interest
- Where the postholder has the relevant language, provide interpreting and translation in Japanese for the firm’s Japanese-speaking clients
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Person Specification
Essential
- A degree (or equivalent professional qualification or experience) in translation, interpreting, languages, linguistics, law or a related discipline
- Native or near-native fluency in Mandarin, and professional-level fluency in spoken and written English
- The ability to read and write Chinese accurately in both Simplified and Traditional script
- Demonstrable experience of professional interpreting (consecutive and sight) and written translation between Chinese and English
- Sound knowledge of legal, procedural and official terminology in both English and Chinese, or the demonstrable ability to acquire it quickly
- A clear understanding of the principles of accuracy, impartiality and confidentiality that govern interpreting and translation in legal settings
- Excellent attention to detail, with the ability to produce accurate translations to deadline
- Confident use of Microsoft Office and of Chinese-language input methods, and the ability to work with electronic bundles and case management systems
- Professional and composed manner, with the ability to work sensitively with clients who may be under stress, and the flexibility to travel to courts and tribunals
Desirable
- Professional working proficiency in Japanese, spoken and written
- A recognised interpreting or translation qualification, such as the CIOL Level 6 Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (English Law option), the Diploma in Translation, or a master’s degree in translation or interpreting
- Registration with the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI), or membership of the Chartered Institute of Linguists or the Institute of Translation and Interpreting
- Experience of interpreting or translating in UK legal, immigration, tribunal or court settings
- Familiarity with the Chinese, Hong Kong or Taiwanese legal and administrative documents commonly relied on in UK proceedings
- Experience using computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools and terminology management software
Purpose of the Role
This role exists to bring that service in-house: to provide consistent, accurate and confidential interpreting between the firm, counsel and its Chinese-speaking clients at every stage of their matters; to produce translations of evidence and documents to the standard required by courts, tribunals and the Home Office; and to build and maintain the firm’s legal terminology resources. The postholder’s work will directly improve client understanding and participation in their own cases, the quality and timeliness of the firm’s evidence, and the efficiency with which the firm conducts litigation for its Chinese-speaking clients.
How to Apply:
If you are interested in the role, please email your CV and a covering letter, stating your working languages and any interpreting or translation qualifications, to: aejaz@onelawchambers.com to discuss further.
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