Hiring in Japan: Using an Interpreter for Job Interviews with Japanese Candidates
If you are hiring in Japan and you don’t speak Japanese, an interpreter in the interview lets you assess candidates on their skills and experience rather than their English. This matters because many strong Japanese candidates, especially in sales, operations, engineering and customer roles, are far more capable in Japanese than their English suggests. Most first-round and hiring-manager interviews now happen on video, so an online interpreter joining the call is usually the simplest setup. This guide explains when to use one, how to run the interview, and what cultural differences to expect.
When an interpreter helps
- The role doesn’t require English, but the hiring manager doesn’t speak Japanese. Without an interpreter, you are effectively testing a skill the job doesn’t need.
- You are building your first team in Japan and the founders or regional managers speak only English. See entering the Japanese market.
- You want to compare candidates fairly when some speak strong English and others don’t.
- Senior hires, where you need to understand nuance, judgement and how they would represent you to Japanese customers.
If the role does require English, interview partly in English to test it, and use the interpreter for the parts where depth matters more than language.
Setting up the interview
- Brief the interpreter with the job description, the candidate’s CV and your list of questions. Technical roles need the key terms in advance.
- Tell the candidate in advance that an interpreter will join. It puts them at ease and lets them answer in Japanese with confidence.
- Allow more time. Consecutive interpreting roughly doubles speaking time, so a 45-minute interview becomes about 75–90 minutes, or you cut the number of questions.
- Speak in short sections and ask one question at a time.
- Talk to the candidate, not the interpreter. Look at the candidate and say “you”, not “ask them…”. See working with a Japanese interpreter.
Cultural differences to expect
| What you might see | What it often means |
|---|---|
| Modest descriptions of achievements, “we” rather than “I” | Normal humility, not a lack of contribution. Ask specific follow-up questions about their own role. |
| Careful, formal answers | Respect for the situation. Japanese interviews are usually formal. |
| Few questions about salary | Raising pay directly can feel impolite. Recruiters often handle this. |
| Long tenure at one company | Still common and valued in Japan, not a sign of low ambition. |
| Pauses before answering | Thinking before speaking, not uncertainty. |
For how the process looks from the candidate’s side, see job interviews in Japan and the shokumu keirekisho, the work history CV many candidates will send you.
Documents around the interview
CVs, rirekisho and work history documents may arrive in Japanese. Having them translated before the interview lets you prepare better questions. Afterwards, job offers and onboarding materials in Japanese help new hires start well. Note that employment contracts and other legal documents should be checked by a Japanese labour law specialist; a translation for your understanding is not legal advice.
After you hire
An interpreter helps you hire; it also helps in the first months, for onboarding sessions, one-to-ones and team meetings, until working routines settle. Over time, many managers start learning some Japanese themselves to build rapport with their team. See Japanese training for employees and how to hire a Japanese–English interpreter.