Hawaii
Interpreters in Hawaii
Interpreting for law firms, hospitals and companies on Oahu and the neighbor islands. Depositions, medical evaluations and business visits, with the language matched to where the speaker comes from and the mode confirmed before you book.
How do I hire an interpreter in Hawaii?
Call Kaplan at (833) 547-7770 or send a quote request with the island and address, the date and start time in Hawaii time, the language, and the setting. We match an interpreter whose credential fits that setting and confirm in writing whether the assignment runs in person or by video. For a state court venue we also confirm the interpreter's Judiciary tier before the date.
By setting
What clients in the islands book us for
Courts and law firms
Depositions, mediations, arbitrations and attorney-client meetings for firms handling matters in the four state circuits and the federal District of Hawaii. For a state proceeding we tell you the interpreter's Judiciary tier before the date, so nobody has to raise it on the record.
Hospitals and clinics
Specialist visits, independent medical examinations and workers' compensation evaluations in Honolulu and on the neighbor islands. Clinical vocabulary is briefed in advance, and a patient who speaks a Micronesian language is matched by language, never handed a Tagalog or Japanese interpreter by default.
Business, hospitality and conventions
Executive visits, negotiations, training and incentive programmes for companies hosting partners from Japan, Korea and across the Pacific. A multi-room event at a convention venue or resort is planned as a conference job, with equipment and two interpreters per language for simultaneous work.
Matching the language to the island it came from
Requests here often name a country when they should name a language. A patient from the Philippines may speak Ilokano rather than Tagalog, and a witness from the Federated States of Micronesia may speak Chuukese, Pohnpeian or Kosraean, which are separate languages. We ask which language the person uses at home before we assign anyone. An interpreter in the wrong language can sit through a whole deposition while the witness follows only part of it.
We have a small number of Hawaii-based interpreters on our roster, so on-island work is arranged per assignment and the rest runs by video or phone from the same team. You hear which applies before you confirm. Mainland metros are listed on our interpreters hub. The same intake question decides mainland cases too, where a client from Guatemala may testify in Mam rather than Spanish, as we set out in our post on Indigenous-language speakers in court.
Hawaii Interpreting Questions
Do you provide court interpreters in Hawaii?
We provide interpreters for the legal work firms book themselves: depositions, mediations, arbitrations, client meetings and witness preparation. The Hawaii State Judiciary runs its own program for interpreters appearing in the state courts. Its Office on Equality and Access to the Courts "recruits, registers, educates, and tests interpreters", and designations run from Tier 1 Registered up to Tier 6 Certified Master. When the venue is a state court, tell us so and we will confirm the tier before you book. See court-certified interpreters for how we handle credentials elsewhere.
Can you provide a medical interpreter in Honolulu?
Yes. Tell us the facility, the specialty and the patient's language, including the island or country they come from. A cardiology follow-up and a psychiatric evaluation call for different preparation, and we brief the interpreter on which one it is. More on the medical side is on our medical interpreters page.
Which languages do Hawaii requests involve?
The Judiciary publishes its own language-access pages in Ilokano, Tagalog, Japanese, Korean, Chuukese, Marshallese, Samoan, Tongan, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish, Hawaiian, Kosraean and Pohnpeian, which is a fair map of what clients here ask for. We place Japanese interpreters, Korean interpreters and Tagalog interpreters regularly. For Chuukese, Marshallese and the other Micronesian languages we source per request and say up front whether we can staff it.
Do you cover Maui, Kauai and the Big Island?
Yes, by video for most assignments and in person when the setting calls for it. An interpreter on another island means an inter-island flight, so for a short meeting video is usually the better use of your budget. For a deposition or an evaluation where presence matters, we price the travel in writing before you confirm.
How do you schedule remote work from the mainland?
Hawaii keeps Hawaii Standard Time all year and does not move its clocks, so the gap to the West Coast is two hours in winter and three in summer. Give us the start time with its time zone written out, and we confirm it back in both zones. That one habit prevents most missed remote starts. See remote interpretation for the platforms we work on.
Can you translate documents for a Hawaii matter?
Yes, as written work kept separate from interpreting. Exhibits, contracts, medical records and corporate documents are translated and certified for accuracy. Legal material goes through certified legal translation.
How is a Hawaii assignment quoted?
Per assignment, based on the setting, the island, the length, the language and any travel, and confirmed in writing before the date. Request a quote or call (833) 547-7770.
Check Interpreter Coverage in Hawaii
Send the island, the date and the language, and we will confirm the mode and a written quote.