公益財団法人横浜市国際交流協会

What the Center can do

1.Daily life consultation	We can provide daily life consultations and provision of general information, etc. We cover a broad range of topics, from local Japanese language classes to introductions to specialist organizations.
2.Phone interpreting	We will translate, over the telephone, things like simple inquiries and reservations at ward offices and the like. We will translate the contents of the Japanese answer/explanation for you.
3.Interpreter dispatch	We can dispatch, or introduce, volunteer interpreters to government offices and the like (Free, but some paid).
4.Consultation by Specialists	We can provide legal consultation, consultation on immigration and naturalization, consultation on education, and so on (Free, reservation required). ＜Legal Consultation＞By coordinating with specialist organizations, we provide consultation bookings and dispatch of interpreters. We will also be hosting consultation sessions by specialists.(Irregularly) ＜Consultation on Immigration and Naturalization＞We will provide consultation on things like visas, residence statuses, international marriage and divorce, bringing in family members, etc. ＜Consultation on Education＞We will provide consultation on educational issues in general, issues relating to advancing to higher-level education, school life, etc.
5.Coordination with International Lounges	We are also coordinating with 13 international lounges in Yokohama. Please consult your local international lounge if there is difficulty in coming to the Center.

On-site consultation at the Center

The Japanese-, English-, Chinese-, or Spanish-speaking consultation staff can meet with you directly.

For consultation in other languages, we will arrange an audio and video connection to our contracted interpreting company. We may use machine translation software for some functions

We can also provide simple interpreting service with a specialist organization, ward office, or the like, for the consultation.

You can feel reassured as you talk with us, checking the documents (etc.) you have on hand as we go.

Telephone consultation

The Japanese-, English-, Chinese-, or Spanish-speaking consultation staff can talk with you on the phone. For other languages, we can go through a phone interpreting service.

At the YOKOHAMA Foreign Residents Information Center, we employ a conference telephone service.

One simultaneous phone call can connect all three parties: “the person seeking a consultation”, “the organization providing answers or explanation to consultation contents”, and “the Center”.

If you have difficulty in consulting in Japanese, the Center’s staff can translate the contents for the officer on the other end, and so provide the contents of the Japanese answers/explanation in multiple languages. (One consultation should take maximum 30 minutes.)

However, telephone interpreting is limited only to simple contents such as reservations, simple questions, etc.

We cannot provide medical interpreting or interpreting for professional consultation or counselling services.

For example

Where can I study Japanese?
I don’t know what this document I received from the ward office means.
What should I do if I want to apply for permanent residency?
I’m worried about my child’s studies.
I’ve got problems with people at my work.
I have something I want to tell the teacher at my child’s nursery school.
I can’t go to the hospital because I’m worried about medical fees.
I’m thinking about getting a divorce, and I’d like to know what kind of preparations are required.
I’m going back to my home country, and would like to throw out my furniture and household appliances.
I’m looking for employment information.（We can’t directly provide you with employment information, but we can direct you to organizations for finding work.）
I want to use my native language for volunteer work.

01 / We will provide support for you to resolve the problem yourself.
We will provide you with the information that will support your finding a solution yourself, while respecting your way of thinking.
02 / We provide this service in collaboration with specialist organizations and our connected organizations.
If you need a specialized or technical consultation, we will coordinate with a trained specialist, or introduce an appropriate consultation organization. We will also introduce interpreting services for that purpose.
03 / Information will be kept confidential.
As long as it does not violate public order or morals to do so, we will provide consultations from a humanitarian standpoint. Your secrets will be kept in the strictest confidence, so please feel comfortable to talk to us freely.
04 / Because we handle a large number of consultations, we ask that each consultation take no more than about 30 minutes.
Each consultation, whether by telephone or in person, should be kept to about 30 minutes. Reservations are not accepted.
05 / In principle, we will not provide accompaniment support or act as your proxy.
If you need to be accompanied by an interpreter, we will be able to introduce a volunteer interpreter, phone interpreter, or similar service. We will not be able to act as your agent in any transactions.
06 / Consultation will be handled by multiple consultation staff.
Consultation contents are recorded and managed in a database, shared among consultation staff, and referred to during consultations. Consultation contents will be used in the form of statistical data or anonymous consultation case studies, with personally identifiable information removed. This information is extremely helpful in improving the quality of our consultation service and addressing a variety of issues, and so we humbly request your understanding in this matter.

Address & Contact information

5F Yokohama International Organization Center, Pacifico Yokohama, 1-1-1 Minatomirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama

TEL	045-222-1209
FAX	045-222-1187
E-mail	This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
URL	https://www.yokoinfo.jp