Hofstra Marketing and International Business Career Fair
Career, Events, Jobs, Networking, Uncategorized 
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I received the below information in an e-mail. I have no connection to Hofstra, so no idea how they got in touch with me. It looks rather JET-relevant, though, so take a look if you’re in the market.
Hofstra University Frank G. Zarb School of Business
MARKETING & INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CAREER FAIR
Sponsored by The Career Center at Hofstra University, Alpha Kappa Psi – The Professional Business Fraternity, The Hofstra American Marketing Association, The International Business Association, and The Advertising Club
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
11 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Student Center, Multipurpose Room
TO REGISTER FOR THE FAIR… Read More
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I recently learned of the existence of the Society for Writers, Editors and Translators (SWET) (www.swet.jp), a Tokyo-based group that seems to share a lot in common with JetWit and the Writers Interpreters Translators (WIT) Group–except that SWET has been in existence for 25 years! (Read the full history of the group here.)
In 1998 SWET members collaboratively published the Japan Style Sheet as a guide for professional translators
The other day I had the pleasure of meeting Ruth Stevens, one of the founders of SWET who now lives in the NY area. She introduced me (via email) to Lynne Riggs, the co-founder and current organizer of SWET, who in turn introduced me to SWET webmaster Sako Eaton.
Needless to say, we were all happy to learn of each others’ existence, and I wanted to make sure to let all the JET alumni and Friend of JET readers out there know about SWET (which, amusingly, has “SWET Shirts” for sale on their website).
In addition to a terrific website, SWET also has an e-mail list and RSS feed that are free. You can also sign up for SWET membership for 5,000 yen or $50/year which entitles you to receive their newsletter containing various info and articles that do not appear elsewhere.
I look forward to future collaboration with the SWET folks. (You’ll notice there’s already a sidebar widget for SWET with the RSS feed from their site.) And I encourage any readers to suggest and help implement additional ideas to help foster collaboration as well.
There’s an article in today’s NY Times on increased availability and usage of self-publishing/print-on-demand companies such as iUniverse, Blurb, Lulu Enterprises and CreateSpace. Something for all the writers out there to be aware of.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/books/28selfpub.html?th&emc=th
Growing Pains: A freelancer’s follow-up – by Devon Brown
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Devon Brown (Tokyo-to, 2002-04) is a freelance writer with a focus on food. You can read more of her writing at TravelingTastebuds.blogspot.com.
In a recent post titled “Growing Pains”, she sought some perspective on the business of freelance writing. In a subsequent JetWit post, we aggregated the responses of writers in the JET alum community in response to Devon’s question. Below she shares her new perspective:
Growing Pains: A follow up on an over edited piece by a newbie freelance writer
The jury is in and it seems I’ll just have to man up.
The freelance writing world can be a cold hard place and the fact that I’m getting paid and will have a byline in a national mag is going to have to be consolation for my hurt ego. The rational part of me knows that magazines have their own voice and until I’m so big and famous that they’re willing to pay me $5 for every single word I type, I’m gonna have to deal.
Thank you to everyone who offered up some insight. I heard of some horror stories that I hope to never experience myself.
On the upside, I did get a final PDF of my piece. Seeing it in print was awesome!
Good Translators Website: Honyakuhome.org
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I just learned about what I think is a great resource for Japanese -> English translators and posted it on the Translation Agencies & Relevant Websites page.
Honyaku Home – Website: http://honyakuhome.org/ and Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/honyaku/
It seems to be a well-established site for Japanese translators with very good information and resources. Then again, I’m not a translator myself so hard for me to judge. Anyone else out there want to confirm my sense?
Update: There’s now a widget in the sidebar on the right with links to the latest translation job listings from HonyakuHome.org. (If you can’t see anything in the sidebar, it’s probably b/c you’re using Internet Explorer rather than Safari or Mozilla Firefox. Try clicking on the title for any post on JetWit and I think the sidebar will suddenly be visible.)
More Translation Agencies
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Marc Carroll (Gifu-ken, 2001-03) emailed to remind me to include his company, Transperfect, following a recent post about translation agencies. I’d already listed Transperfect (though not translations.com) on the Translation Agencies page, but I thought it was worth listing them in a post as well.
FYI, Marc used to be a project manager for Transperfect. And now he works for Translations.com which is a division of Transperfect. And it’s also worth mentioning that their offices are in the same building as the new CLAIR-NY/Japan Local Government Center offices.
Translations.com (http://www.translations.com/)
Provides Website localization, software localization, GMS (Globalization Management System) software products, and enterprise-level, professional translation services.
Transperfect: (http://www.transperfect.com/)
Provides a full array of language and business services, including Translation, Interpretation, Linguistic Validation, Transcription, Typesetting & Graphics, Multicultural Marketing, Voiceovers & Dubbing, Subtitling, Staffing Solutions, Document Management, Court Reporting, Virtual Data Room Services
Japan Works Hard to Help Immigrants Find Jobs
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There’s a telling article in today’s Washington Post by frequent Japan writer Blaine Harden (not a JET alum) on efforts by the Tokyo government to help immigrant workers in Japan stay in Japan in the face of job losses and factory closures. There seems to be increasing acceptance by Japan’s policy makers that significantly increased immigration is the solution to the potential future economic crisis likely to result from Jaan’s diminshing youth population.
From a JET alumni perspective, it’s worth paying attention to this issue. How will this affect Japan in the future? What opportunities will be available? In some ways, the JET Program along with the laws in the early 1990s that allowed South Americans of Japanese descent to work in Japan are smaller version experiments with immigration. Perhaps JET alumni have some perspectives to offer and/or roles to play in the future of Japan.
Japanese Jobs in the U.S.
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I just stumbled upon a website called Top Language Jobs that has a section just for Japanese language jobs in the U.S. They seem to have a number of postings from Bloomberg among other places, so a little different than the normal offerings that I’ve found so far. (They also have a section for jobs in Japan, but it said there are currently no listings.) In addition to listing the link below, I’ve also listed it in the Useful Jobs Site Links page of the Professional Profiles/Job Resources section of JetWit as well.
They also have an RSS feed for the category, so I’ve set up a widget over on the sidebar on the right that shows the most recent job listings from the feed.
Feel free to take a look and share any comments on the usefulness of this site. I know virtually nothing about the company that’s running this site other than that they seem to cover a very wide range of languages and countries.
Smithsonian lists “Odd-Fish” as one of notable children’s books for 2008
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Kathleen Burke, who compiles an annual list of notable children’s books for the Smithsonian, included The Order of Odd-Fish, by JET alum James Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-06) in her 2008 list in the category for older readers.
And as a bonus, the cover of Odd-Fish is one of three covers shown, along with Dr. Seuss’ Yertle the Turtle and Aaron Blabey’s Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley.
Omedetou gozaimashita, James-san!
(Click here to see other critical praise for Odd-Fish.)
I just got an email from a nice guy at JobCube: Japan Jobs (http://jobcube.com) letting me know about their site. They had seen JetWit.com and asked if we could include a link to their site, which I’ve done on the Job Site Links page in the “Finding Jobs in Japan” section.
JobCube is run in conjunction with their Japan News site (theblackship.com) featuring up-to-date news on Japan as well as an active forum and classifieds service. (See the RSS feed for theblackship.com in the JetWit sidebar.)
JobCube/TheBlackShip is kindly going to post a link to JetWit.com on their site in exchange. Though regardless, JetWit is always happy to post information that’s helpful for JET alumni when it comes to finding jobs. :-)
Meanwhile, if anyone uses JobCube and gets a job or has any feedback, please feel free to share your experience or comments via an e-mail to jetwit /atto/ jetwit /dotto/ com.
I just finished reading Zorgamazoo, the rhyming novel by Robert P. Weston (Nara-ken, 2002-04) published by Penguin Books, and want to let the JET alum community know that I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters, the illustrations, the crazy fonts, the story and of course, the rhymes.
I know it’s not necessarily intended for people in my….um….age range. But that didn’t take anything away from it. It’s an extremely creative effort and I think JET alums (as well as non-JET alums) who read it will appreciate it.
(FYI, I’m not getting paid to say any of this. Honto ni, I really was just curious and found I enjoyed it a great deal.)
My name is Rick Ambrosio (Ibaraki-ken, 2006-08). And whether readjusting to post-JET life is something you’re facing now, will deal with in the future or if you just enjoy reconnecting with that awkwardly uncertain feeling you had when you got back from Japan, come along with me as I look for a new job, a new apartment, and yes, mow the lawn of my parent’s house. Tadaima!
Hello all. Yes, I’m back, still living at home, doing chores and looking for work! Apologies about the long black out and happy new year to all! I think Julie, who writes Editorial Pursuits, really did a great job summarizing how I feel right now, in terms of thanking people, looking for work, and dedicating myself to working harder. So thanks Julie, you saved me a good amount of space to write about…. (Drum Roll)
The Puppy! That’s right. As if I needed more distractions, this Christmas my sister wanted one thing, and she got it. A puppy. A deviously cute, usually well behaved puppy. Let me outline what that first week was like.
Day 1: Love Puppy. He’s so cute. Did you see that? He looked at me! Sooo cute!
Day 3: Puppy is cute. He pees where he shouldn’t, and Read More
QUESTION
In a recent post on her blog travelingtastebuds.blogspot.com (“Growing Pains“) Devon Brown (Tokyo-to, 2002-04) describes a situation where she submitted a travel writing piece to an editor (her first hit with a national publication) only to see a published version that looked rather different than what she submitted, in rhythm and voice.
She wonders: Is this normal or typical? Or is this just what she should expect?
JetWit.com put the question to JET alumni in the Writers Interpreters Translators (WIT) Group.
Click “Read More” to read their responses. Read More
Editorial Pursuits #6: JETs Rule! – By Julie Matysik
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Julie Matysik (Yamanashi-ken, 2006-07) is a freelance copy editor and aspiring in-house editor who recently moved to NYC with her husband (also a JET alum). She has just started an internship in editing/publishing/writing. Editorial Pursuits chronicles her job hunting efforts, experiences and lessons learned.
Happy New Year, Jetwit readers!
I apologize for my prolonged absence from the website but, seeing as how I’m still without a paying job, still unsuccessfully finding new job postings congruent with my entry-level publishing knowledge, and still without any interviews for jobs I’ve applied to weeks ago, I didn’t really know what to write about as we rang in 2009. I sort of feel as though I’ve hit that proverbial brick-in-the-wall and can’t seem to wedge myself out of this tacky substance known of my frustrating editorial pursuits.
So, while I am unable to relay any quirky anecdotes about my present internship situation or to go on a tirade about the publishing industry’s apparent doomsday, I do want to express my sincere gratitude to all of you former JETs out there who have been so open to helping people like me, who are struggling in this tough economic time, by offering advice and support in the continuing job search. I think sometimes living in such a big place like New York City, one can easily forget that there are really genuine, kind, and caring people out among the snotty, rude, and self-important citizens of The Big Apple.
Since beginning my job search in September of last year, I’ve been the recipient of multiple acts of kindness from former JETs and I believe this is a testament to the sort of people JET attracts. So many of you are more than willing to go out on a limb and help your cohorts and I dedicate this posting to all of you. Thank you for all you’ve done and continue to do in making not only me but others in this network feel a little more hopeful and a little less lonely.
That said, here is my obligatory New Year’s Resolution: to continue networking and persevering until I have a job at a publishing house and to say “thank you” more often to my fellow JETs for their constant and unwavering support.
Devon Brown (Tokyo-to, 2002-04) is a freelance writer with a focus on food. You can read more of her writing at TravelingTastebuds.blogspot.com.
Here’s her latest post in which she comments on, and asks for perspective on, freelance travel writing:
I’m feeling betrayed, so just for today I need to digress from my usual subject matter.
About a month ago, I landed my first article in a national magazine. I worked hard on my little 250 word piece. I was getting paid $1 a word after all and this piece was my national debut. Well I turned that piece in and it was full of rhythm and pep and I was really proud. When I was asked to revise I understood, but when I read the final edited piece it looked nothing like me. Sure it was my subject matter, but my voice was gone, and my rhythm was gone. I had been hacked. And now I’m wondering if I’m being too sensitive.
Is this normal? Is this what I should expect as new-bee in this industry?
