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Interpretation Services in Singapore
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Interpretation Services in Singapore

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Interpretation for summits, conferences and arbitration hearings in Singapore

Maven provides interpretation services in Singapore for government summits and dialogues, international conferences and trade shows, arbitration hearings, product launches, board meetings and delegation visits. Interpreters can work on-site, remotely or in hybrid format. The equipment with relevant technical support can be provided for interpretation in simultaneous format.

Maven has offices in the USA, Ireland, the UAE and Malaysia and has delivered interpretation in more than 20 countries. Assignments in Singapore are run by our Malaysia office, about an hour and a half away by air. We know the interpreters who work in Singapore and across the region, and for some assignments interpreters travel from Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok.

Languages spoken and required in Singapore

Singapore has four official languages: Malay, Mandarin, Tamil and English, with Malay as the national language. In the 2020 census, English was the language most often spoken at home for 48.3 percent of residents, Mandarin for 29.9 percent, Malay for 9.2 percent and Tamil for 2.5 percent. Members of Parliament may speak in any of the four, with simultaneous interpretation provided in the chamber.

Official and business languages
  • Malay
  • Mandarin
  • Tamil
  • English
Often requested for meetings
  • Indonesian
  • Vietnamese
  • Thai
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Arabic

Mandarin interpreters in Singapore

Mandarin interpreters in Singapore are required for trade, investment and dispute work: mainland China was the largest visitor market in 2025, with 3.1 million of 16.9 million arrivals, and the largest foreign user of Singapore arbitration.

Malay interpreters in Singapore

Malay interpreters in Singapore are required for official and community events held in the national language and for meetings with Malaysian and Bruneian delegations.

Indonesian is required separately from Malay, and frequently so: Indonesia was the second-largest visitor market in 2025, with 2.4 million arrivals. Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Korean and Arabic are required for conferences and hearings. Tell us the languages your delegates speak and we will put together the team of interpreters in Singapore.

Interpretation formats offered

Interpreter wearing a headset, seen from behind, in a booth overlooking a conference room

Clients we can support in Singapore

Governments, international bodies, UN agencies, arbitration institutions and private companies arrange events and meetings in Singapore that may require interpretation support.

Events in Singapore that require interpreters

Many of the events that require interpreters in Singapore recur every year or two, so language support can be planned well ahead.

Event
Type
IISS Shangri-La Dialogue
Government and defense dialogue
Singapore International Water Week
Water and urban policy
World Cities Summit
Water and urban policy
Singapore FinTech Festival
Trade event
Singapore Airshow
Trade event
Singapore International Energy Week
Trade event

Singapore is also a seat of international arbitration, with the Singapore International Arbitration Centre registering cases with parties from 79 jurisdictions in 2025. International bodies based here include the APEC Secretariat, the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation and UNDP's Global Centre for Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development. Past events have brought together delegates from more than 140 countries and regions.

Our interpreters can work in the following venues

We can work in venues across the island, including the following:

  • Sands Expo and Convention Centre

    At Marina Bay Sands. Has 250 meeting rooms and is about 20 minutes from Changi Airport.

  • Suntec Singapore

    Offers 42,000 sqm of event space in the Marina Centre district.

  • Singapore EXPO

    Beside the airport, with 10 halls and 123,000 sqm.

  • Changi Exhibition Centre

    The home of the Singapore Airshow.

  • Maxwell Chambers

    For dispute resolution. Has 39 hearing and meeting rooms and offers interpretation booths for hearings.

Hotel and resort venues include the Shangri-La Singapore, the Raffles City Convention Centre and the Resorts World Convention Centre on Sentosa.

Simultaneous interpretation equipment and technical support

For interpretation equipment rent in Singapore we supply:

  • Soundproof booths
  • Interpreter consoles and headsets
  • Infrared or FM systems
  • Wireless receivers for delegates
  • Portable systems for small rooms and tours
  • Technicians on site

The full range is described on our interpretation equipment page.

Maven does not keep its own equipment inventory in every location. We focus on the language side of conference interpretation: sourcing and coordinating qualified simultaneous interpreters and selecting the right team for your event.

For interpretation equipment, we partner with reliable technical providers who handle the technical delivery of the systems. We closely coordinate both the equipment and the interpreting team to ensure the setup perfectly suits your event, and that interpreters and technicians work seamlessly together from setup through the final session.

Equipment needs vary widely in scale and specification. Even agencies that own equipment can run short when a requirement exceeds their stock or several events fall on the same dates. We can match professional, market-standard equipment and technical support to each event. Where a room has no booth, as at the UN visit described above, portable equipment can be used.

Additional peripherals such as microphones, projectors, screens and voting devices can also be provided as part of a turnkey solution.

Interpreter working at a laptop inside a booth

Our work in Singapore

  • Row of national flags in front of the Vienna International Centre

    United Nations Office at Vienna

    In May 2023, Maven provided English and Arabic simultaneous interpretation for a country visit to Singapore by the United Nations Office at Vienna. The meetings ran for three days with up to 25 participants and six hours of interpretation a day, on anti-corruption policy. The venue had no interpretation booth, so we used portable equipment.

  • Rear of a silver sports car parked on a gravel road

    Porsche

    In 2024, Maven coordinated 32 interpreters in 12 language pairs for a 14-day Porsche event held across three venues in Singapore, including the interpreters' travel and accommodation.

Questions about interpreters in Singapore

Simultaneous interpretation for conferences and forums, consecutive interpretation for meetings and visits. Both formats can be delivered on-site, remote or in hybrid setups. For on-demand short interpretation needs we also offer phone interpreter services. Additionally AI interpretation is offered for clientele who prefer it.

Simultaneous interpretation: we cover Mandarin and Malay, two of the official languages of Singapore, and the most frequently required languages, with interpreters available locally in combination with English: Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Arabic and the main European languages. Interpretation into other languages may require interpreters to travel from Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok or further away. Remote delivery can accommodate simultaneous interpretation into any major official language.

Consecutive interpretation: on-site, we can cover the most frequently required languages, with some limitations for rare and endangered languages. More choice is available if interpretation is provided remotely.

On-demand phone interpretation: we cover 350+ languages including endangered and rare dialects. The full list is on our languages page.

Yes. For witness evidence an interpreter usually works consecutively, and for long hearings a simultaneous team with a booth keeps the timetable. To propose the team we’d need to know the languages of the witnesses, the subject of the dispute and the hearing schedule.
Yes. Booths, consoles, receivers, portable systems and technicians are arranged through local technical partners, with Maven as your single provider. Where a room has no booth, we use portable equipment. The equipment section above explains how this works and what can be supplied.
Most of Maven's clients are UN agencies, intergovernmental organizations, governments, NGOs and international sports federations, and we also work for corporate clients. In Singapore that means government bodies, international organizations, arbitration parties and companies. Published examples are the United Nations Office at Vienna and Porsche.
We’d need to know the required interpretation languages, the dates and the duration of interpretation on each day, the venue (for a physical event, the city or area is sufficient), the format (on-site, hybrid or remote) and the subject matter of your event. For an arbitration hearing, add the languages of the witnesses and the hearing schedule. If you require equipment as well, we need to know the total number of delegates who will require interpretation.
The format (simultaneous or consecutive), the required languages, the duration (number of days or hours), the delivery mode (on-site, remote or hybrid) and the subject matter. Travel, accommodation and per diem charges may apply if interpreters travel to Singapore from other cities or countries.
Interpreters in simultaneous format require advance booking notice of 20 to 40 or more days, although we understand this is not always possible. In peak seasons with many events, some interpreters are booked as early as six months in advance. Consecutive interpreters can be booked at much shorter notice.
We normally require advance payment to book interpreters, either full or partial. We can offer more flexible terms to selected and regular clients & UN.
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