J-News Mini-Roundup: [The Timing of the Snap Election]
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J-News Mini-Roundup is a recurring feature written by Friend Of JET, Jon Hills, who maintains the blog for Hills Learning (www.hillslearning.com). Hills Learning is a NY-based language learning services company offering customized and personal Japanese language learning options.
The Japanese political system is parliamentary democracy. One of the main differences when compared to the American system is politicians can decide to call a “snap election,” in other words they can call to dissolve the parliament and try to realign political alliances to their advantage. The snap election is the general buzz term of the year in Japanese political news, and every Japanese newspaper reports political commentary to try to predict when the snap election will be held.
This weekend the focus was on commentary made by the Secretary General of the LDP’s coalition party, the Komeito party. The Komeito party’s important because both the LDP and the Komeito’s policies should be politically in sync. Here’s what the newspapers reported about Komeito’s Secretary General, Kitagawa-san.
Nikkei “The chance for a snap election is when the economy bottoms out” The Nikkei reported that Kitagawa-san said, “The bill for the 2009 budget needs to be passed before we try to do a snap election.” As to exactly when that timing would be, the Nikkei hinted at the commentary made by Kitagawa-san. “In August, we’ll get the numbers for the GDP for April to June. Once we have the feeling that the economy is bottoming out, that is our chance for a snap election.”
Yomiuri “The snap election will be either in August, or afterwards” The Yomiuri reported a slightly different take on the Secretary General’s words…for the rest of this article please visit http://hillslearning.com/blog2.aspx
This past Saturday we held the first-ever JET Alumni Blog Workshop where we invited JET alums to gather and learn how to set up, use and take advantage of blogs. This was my first activity in my new JETAA NY role as Professional Outreach & Development Chair and it turned out to be both productive and a lot of fun.
- The goal was to help JET alums develop skills that will be beneficial in furthering their careers, whether they want to be independent writers, promote their services and abilities or perhaps just be one of the few people in their company who knows how to use blogs effectively (or at all).
- Location: JETAA NY webmaster Lee-Sean Huang‘s apartment building in the Financial District in Lower Manhattan, which has wi-fi in its library. Two JET alums joined: Randall, who had never used a blog before, and Anton, who is familiar with blogs but was seeking structure for his writing energies and was interested in learning some of the techniques for effectively using a blog and increasing traffic. Rather than a formal class-style lecture, we just sat around with our laptops (3 laptops for 4 people), demonstrated the basics of blogs and then looked over Randall’s shoulder as he set up his first-ever blog. With Anton we discussed using RSS feeds to follow other blogs as well as possible writing topics
and ways to contribute to JetWit.com.
- Next JET Alumni Blog Workshop: Probably on a weeknight in the near future, most likely in midtown at a cafe or other space that has wi-fi. Stay tuned for more information. If you’re interested and you have not already been in touch, just send an e-mail to professional at jetaany dot org and I’ll add you to the list.
- Lastly, I encourage other JETAA chapters to try setting up blog workshops as well. In addition to helping JET alums learn new skills, it was also nice to get together, learn about what each of us was doing and exchange info in a constructive way. In the current economy it’s more important than ever for JET alums to help each other out, and this is just one small way among many to do that.
Job: United Nations University Internship (Tokyo)
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JetWit job poster Stephen Palanik (Fukushima Ken, 2004-08) learned of the following internship available at United Nations University through the JETAABC website and thought it might be of interest to former JETs still living in Japan. Stephen is a translator based in Hamamatsu city, Shizuoka Ken, and he periodically posts job listings and event information for JET alumni.
The United Nations University’s Media Studio builds interactive content and video documentaries that engage, entertain and educate, as part of the UNU OnLine Learning initiative. This includes a burgeoning web magazine called Our World 2.0 that explores the interactions between our daily lives and the complex and pressing issues of climate change, oil dependency, and food security. The Media Studio seeks interns who would like to contribute in a number of capacities, including helping to develop a contact network, a list of potential Our World 2.0 sponsors and partners, applying for grants from foundations, web marketing, etc. Those interested in research and writing would also have the opportunity to propose articles to the editorial team.
Job: Shiseido- International Marketing Manager (NY)
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Shiseido is looking for a international new marketing head. As one of the top brands in Asia, looks like a great job for those with experience. (Thanks to JET alum Kendall Murano for sending this one over.)
Contact: resumes [at] sac.shiseido [dot] com
Qualifications:
- Professional and effective communication skills, especially with Tokyo HQ and local subsidiaries.
- Ability to manage several projects at any given time
- Flexibility related to situations, high problem-solving skills
- Ability to create and evaluate English written materials
- Some domestic and international travel necessary
- Japanese(native level), English(business-native level)
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office including Excel, Word and PowerPoint
Job: English Teacher at the Seigakuin Atlanta International School (Atlanta)
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Via JETAA Southeast:
Seigakuin Atlanta International School (a school accredited by the Japanese Ministry of Education) is looking for English Language Arts teachers (Pre-K through 6th Grade). Position starts August 2009.
In their own words: “Our school offers a unique Japanese-English Two-Way Immersion program. Our students’ families are Japanese, Japanese-American, and American (plus other nationalities) .”
Qualifications Required: Teacher’s License and/or ESL-ESOL Certification.
Skills: Japanese language ability would be an asset, but not required.
Application: Please send resume and letter of interest to Maki Brown at employment [at] seigakuin [dot] us.
Job: Admin Assistant at the Japanese Mission to the United Nations (NY)
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Straight from our folks at JETAA NY:
Administrative Assistant at the Japanese Mission to the United Nations
http://jetaany.org/forum/jobs/topic-592/
J-News Mini-Roundup: Ichiro Breaks Record
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J-News Mini-Roundup is a recurring feature written by Friend Of JET, Jon Hills, who maintains the blog for Hills Learning (www.hillslearning.com). Hills Learning is a NY-based language learning services company offering customized and personal Japanese language learning options.
One of the inspirations of this blog entry is to translate directly Japanese news stories from Japanese to English. It is often interesting and enlightening to get the Japanese perspective. After reading an American paper’s account of Ichiro breaking the record and realizing there was no interviews with the man, it became necessary to write about what Ichiro himself said about his record breaking achievement.
Asahi (I was hitting “for dear life”) When Asahi asked Ichiro what it was like up at bat during the seventh inning, when the record could be broken, he exclaimed, “I had no time to think about what was actually going on, or that this was a special moment. It was like I was hitting for dear life.” Asahi then asked, “Can you explain what you mean by “dear life””? Ichiro replied, “Well basically I wanted to take advantage of the moment that my team was doing well. I wanted to add to the flow of the game.”
Asahi also asked if he felt good after playing the game. Ichiro replied “Well I actually had a bad feeling. It was that the current record holder would get upset, hearing cheers after the record was broken.”
Yomiuri (“Not bad at all.”) Ichiro’s feelings while he was at bat, according to Yomiuri, “I was thinking, not bad at all. I should take advantage of the flow of my team. Although I say take advantage, I don’t mean just the act of “taking”, but I think I was more wrapped up in the feeling of the moment.”
Nikkei (“I’ve surpassed the current record holder”) The Nikkei focused on the actual act of breaking the record. Ichiro in the seventh inning left a mark by getting the 3,085 hit of his career. It also went on to explain that Ichiro had stomach pains and was out for eight games last season, and he seems to have recovered well this season. Ichiro exclaimed “I’ve now passed the current record holder.”
The Release of the Mini Coop, in Japan
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J-News Mini-Roundup is a recurring feature written by Friend Of JET, Jon Hills, who maintains the blog for Hills Learning (www.hillslearning.com). Hills Learning is a NY-based language learning services company offering customized and personal Japanese language learning options.
BMW has just released a new version of their convertible in Japan, the Mini Coop Convertible S and the Mini Coop Convertible. Each newspaper focused on different features that its readers would enjoy.
Nikkei (New Functionality) The Nikkei focused on the new engine and catchy functionalities that come with the “newly improved mini coop.” The car “employs an effective new engine, with gas consumption performance increased by 40%.” The roof is now able to close mid drive, in reaction to unexpected rain storms. Its closing time has also been decreased to 15 seconds; quick enough so it can close in the time it takes for a stoplight to turn green. Although both newspapers list the car has come out in two models, the Nikkei lists the models as a selection process, with the faster type “more equipped with a 1600cc engine”.
Asahi (New Comfort) The Asahi describes the car as a “new release” in Japan, with different characteristics than previous models. The Asahi talks about the space available in the car, both when driving with the top down and top up. Not only is there luggage space which exceeds 170 liters when the top is up, but it then goes on to elaborate how 2 people can fit in the back comfortably. The space overall has increased by 55 liters as compared to the last model.
NHK and Yomiuri (Crane Accident) Both the NHK and Yomiuri this morning did not run articles on the mini coop but instead focused on the tragic crane accident in Tokyo. 6 people were injured when a large crane suddenly collapsed on its work site and nearby sidewalk. The cause of the accident is currently being investigated.
J-News Mini-Roundup: The Rise of the LDP and Prime Minister Aso?
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J-News Mini-Roundup is a recurring feature written by Friend Of JET, Jon Hills, who maintains the blog for Hills Learning (www.hillslearning.com). Hills Learning is a NY-based language learning services company offering customized and personal Japanese language learning options.
Various news articles released over the weekend show the differing views of the popularity of the DPJ (Democratic Party of Japan) vs. the LDP (Liberal Democratic Party).
Nikkei (Local Elections say “yes”) – The Nikkei’s article about Akita’s governor race stated “The DPJ’s support in the region was broken” by the election. They continued stating the main reason for the loss is the recent scandal involving the DPJ’s Ozawa and his secretary being charged with taking campaign funds from Nishimatsu Construction Company. The Nikkei also cited the domino-like-effects across regions, where Chiba also recently elected an LDP governor over a DPJ one.
NHK (Public Opinion says “yes”, well kind of) – The NHK ran the results of their public opinion poll today. The prime minister’s approval ratings jumped from around 17 to 30%. Also when asked in a survey who the Japanese would like to see as prime minster in the next election, Prime Minister Aso of the LDP was favored over Representative Ozawa of the DPJ (Democratic Party of Japan). How decisive an outcome was it? Well, 19% favored the Prime Minister, while 14% favored Ozawa. 60% of Japanese said neither of these candidates would be good choices.
Asahi (Neither party is popular) Asahi seemed to use the unpopularity of politicians to their advantage in an interview with Prime Minister Aso. They asked the Prime Minister “You’ve been saying in budgetary committee, “Create a budget! Reconcile differences!” But between your party and the opposition party, which side do you think the public supports?” Aso replied “As of right now, umm…currently, looking from…Wait, you have evidence that this budget is supported by the public? Well, do you?”
Job: Technical Japanese to English Translator in Seattle
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Just spotted this posting for a Japanese to English translator with a computer programming background needed for a few months in Seattle. For further info check out the original post on the Honyaku discussion group.
Moving on up
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Shannon Quinn, who has served as a JETAA USA Country Representative for the past 3 years, has stepped down from her position after moving to Tokyo this past fall to start her new job as an ALT Advisor at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).
O-tsukare-sama deshita, Shannon, and ganbatte kudasai!
Job: Alumni Coordinator and English Tutor – American University (D.C.)
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Via JETAA DC:
Alumni Coordinator and English Tutor
Description: American University Washington College of Law International Legal Studies Program (ILSP) is seeking an Alumni Coordinator and English Tutor who will report directly to the ILSP Director. The incumbent will provide English tutorial help, including research paper review, pronunciation workshops, and help with clear and accurate expression to the ILSP LLM students. In addition, the incumbent will be responsible for writing and publishing a bi-annual alumni magazine and will edit and oversee the publication of the ILSP Law Journal, a student-run law magazine. Finally, the incumbent will maintain contact with ILSP alumni through the Alumni listserv, social websites such as Facebook and InCircle, and alumni reunions. Read More
Anyone who works with language enough will start to develop serious relationships with their dictionaries. A few years back in my now defunct blog bout living in Japan, I wrote about my idiosyncratic relationship with three great print reference guides. For the most part I’ve stopped using them, and like pretty much everyone else am relying on the wealth of free language resources available online. What they lack in the personality, color and accumulated dirt of my paper dictionaries they make up by being flexible, constantly up-to-date, and practically limitless.
Still though, they all have their own quirks and strong points. Even aside from their Translate tool, (I still prefer Babelfish) Google is gradually becoming the standard way to check evolving word usages and meanings, but it doesn’t have the strong points of a dictionary: a comprehensive organization system, and specific meanings. Typing in “define:” and then a word, abbreviation or phrase will produce a page with definitions (i.e. “define:japanese“) but as far as I can tell this is currently only available in English. There are currently a wide, (and growing!) array of online Japanese-English dictionaries out there, almost all of them available for free. I’ll list a few here with their relative merits, but please add any others you know about in the comments!
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Straight from the web-nerd humor of their byline “ALC, Creating an Earthling Network” (地球人のネットワークを創るアルク), ALC announces itself as a dictionary for the internet. ALC is not simply in the business of dictionaries and translation, it has a bewildering array of sites, all vaguely based Read More
Job: Large J>E Translation Project
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Here’s a big translation assignment, courtesy of WIT member and NY JET alum Marc Carroll. If you apply to work on the project and you heard about it through JetWit, please make sure to let them know, as indicated in the text below.
Yoroshiku and ganbatte.
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*Please do not repost this message on any other websites.*
SUBJECT: Large Japanese into English Translation Project
Transperfect Translations is recruiting translators to work on a large-volume, Japanese-into-English translation project for a multinational electronics firm.
Subject matter includes technical translation, general company literature, legal documentation and internal correspondence.
This project is scheduled to run from mid-April through the end of June, but may possibly run longer.
All translators are required to sign confidentiality and independent contractor agreements. Once signed, sample files can be sent for preview and the scope of work will be explained.
Interested parties send should a response with CV and rate information to cv@transperfect.com.
Please also be sure to include in the subject line, “JetWIT Translator“.
*Please do not repost this message on any other websites.*
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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03). Recently she’s been watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese and sharing some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Following up on the recent J-News Mini-Roundup posted on jetwit, the unemployment craze is also having an effect on the kinds of jobs new Japanese graduates want to apply for. According to a survey by Recruit of 5810 college students and 2099 grad
uate students from the class of 2010, travel industries come out ahead while manufacturing jobs were left in the dust. The financial and insurance industries also came out strong, occupying five of the top ten spots. Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) took the top spot after being 4th last year, and in 2nd was East Japan Railway Company (JR East). All Nippon Airways (ANA), which had claimed the top spot last year, trailed at 3rd and Mizuho Financial Group came in 4th.
The largest descents were those of Read More
