WIT Life #246: Of employment and emoji
Translating/Interpreting, WIT Life, Writers 
Comments Off on WIT Life #246: Of employment and emoji
WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.
There were two interesting Japan-related articles in the NYT recently, about divergent topics that both reflect the country’s modernization. The first discusses Japan’s historical lifetime employment system, and how this is no longer sustainable in today’s economy, even at a traditional company like Sony. So in typical Japanese style, instead of addressing the problem it is being worked around. These unneeded workers are being placed in 追い出し部屋 (oidashibeya) or “chasing-out rooms,” where there is no work to do and they must fight their boredom, making it a test of wills. When the economy was faltering in the 1990’s, a similar concept of 窓際族 (madogiwazoku) or “window seat tribe” emerged, as the unnecessary workers who couldn’t be downsized were left with nothing to do but stare out the window. As corporations that want to remain profitable are increasingly relying on temporary workers, this has the potential to bring about a sea change in Japanese business practices over time.
The first line of “Emoji Dick,” the story of Moby Dick told entirely in emoji.
The second article discusses how Japanese emoji have been adopted here in the States, though their interpretation is sometimes different than the original intended meaning. It starts with a humorous anecdote about an American couple in a long distance relationship, who initially have some misunderstandings due to emoji misuse. I was amused to find out about the existence of “Emoji Dick,” a recreation of the Herman Melville’s classic novel “Moby Dick” told entirely in emoji. Happy reading!
Comments are closed.