Japanese-English Onsite Interpreter / Technical Communication Coordinator

Location: Phoenix, Arizona, United States

Work Style: Onsite at customer semiconductor manufacturing facilities

Reports To: Site Manager / Regional Manager

Pay Range: $35-40/hour

Work Schedule: M-F 8 hours/day- Occasional OT may be involved

Benefits: Health, Dental, Vision, 401K and more

Position Overview

Seeking a Japanese-English Onsite Interpreter / Technical Communication Coordinator to support communication between Japanese-speaking engineers/technicitans and English-speaking customers at semiconductor manufacturing facilities in Arizona. This position is responsible for providing accurate interpretation, facilitating smooth onsite communication, and supporting coordination in a technical manufacturing environment. This is not an engineering position; however, prior experience in semiconductor, manufacturing, equipment maintenance, cleanroom operations, or another technical environment is highly preferred. The ideal candidate is a professional bilingual communicator who can accurately interpret technical conversations, maintain confidentiality, and support effective collaboration between Japanese and U.S. teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide consecutive Japanese-to-English and English-to-Japanese interpretation during onsite meetings, equipment maintenance activities, troubleshooting discussions, safety briefings, and customer communications.
• Facilitate communication between Japanese-speaking field service engineers, customer engineers, facility personnel, management, and other onsite stakeholders.
• Interpret technical instructions, customer requests, work procedures, equipment status updates, escalation discussions, and issue-resolution conversations accurately and professionally.
• Translate and review written materials, including emails, service notes, meeting summaries, work instructions, checklists, technical documents, and customer communications.
• Ensure that all parties clearly understand project status, customer expectations, safety requirements, responsibilities, and next steps.
• Support cross-cultural communication between Japanese and U.S. teams and help prevent misunderstandings caused by language or cultural differences.
• Coordinate meeting schedules, onsite access, communication flow, and other operational logistics as needed.
• Prepare communication summaries, meeting notes, and follow-up documentation when required.
• Escalate communication gaps, urgent customer concerns, misunderstandings, and safety-related issues to the appropriate manager or technical lead.
• Maintain strict confidentiality regarding customer information, technical data, operational details, and internal company communications.
• Follow all customer site rules, cleanroom procedures, safety requirements, and company policies.

Required Qualifications

• Professional fluency in both Japanese and English, including strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Previous experience as an interpreter, translator, bilingual coordinator, technical support coordinator, or in a similar bilingual position.
• Ability to provide accurate real-time interpretation in business, technical, and onsite operational settings.
• Strong listening skills, attention to detail, and the ability to communicate clearly in time-sensitive situations.
• Ability to work onsite at customer semiconductor manufacturing facilities in Arizona.
• Comfortable working in cleanroom, manufacturing, sub-fab, or other controlled environments.
• Ability to follow strict customer safety, security, and site-access protocols.
• Strong professionalism, discretion, and the ability to handle confidential customer and technical information.
• Basic proficiency with Microsoft Office, email, and standard business communication tools.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Preferred Qualifications

• Interpretation or bilingual coordination experience within semiconductor, manufacturing, automotive, electronics, machinery, or industrial environments.
• Familiarity with semiconductor manufacturing equipment, field service operations, equipment maintenance, troubleshooting, or customer support processes.
• Experience supporting Japanese companies, Japanese expatriate employees, or communication between Japanese headquarters and U.S. operations.
• Experience translating technical documents, service reports, meeting minutes, work procedures, and customer-facing communications.
• Basic understanding of terminology related to equipment, maintenance, troubleshooting, safety, cleanroom operations, and manufacturing processes.

Key Skills and Competencies

• Japanese-English interpretation and translation
• Technical communication and terminology management
• Cross-cultural communication
• Customer-facing professionalism
• Accuracy and attention to detail
• Confidentiality and discretion
• Ability to remain calm during urgent or complex discussions
• Coordination and organizational skills
• Documentation and follow-up
• Problem identification and escalation

Working Conditions

• This position is primarily onsite at customer semiconductor manufacturing facilities in Arizona.
• The employee may be required to enter cleanrooms, sub-fabs, or other controlled manufacturing areas.
• Use of personal protective equipment may be required.
• Completion of customer-specific safety, security, and site-access training may be required.
• Standard business hours are expected; however, occasional overtime or schedule flexibility may be necessary depending on customer needs and field service activities.
• On-call support is not currently expected as a primary responsibility, although limited availability for urgent communication support may be required in the future.

Performance Expectations

Success in this position will be evaluated based on:

• Accuracy, clarity, and professionalism of interpretation.
• Ability to support effective communication between customers and Japanese-speaking technical personnel.
• Timely completion of translations, meeting summaries, and follow-up documentation.
• Positive feedback from customer stakeholders and internal teams.
• Responsiveness to communication issues and urgent onsite concerns.
• Compliance with customer site rules, safety procedures, and confidentiality requirements.