Oct 26

WIT LIfe #54: Samurai Umpires

Anecdote Article, Article/Journalism, Japan Trends, Translating/Interpreting, WIT Life Add Comment (1)

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.

Last night I was able to attend a private screening of the intriguing documentary Samurai Umpires in the U.S.A.  Executive producer/director Takayuki Tanaka is a Japanese native who conceptualized the idea for his film while studying at the New York Film Academy.  His work focuses on six Japanese baseball umpires working in the minor leagues with dreams of making it to the Majors.

This all-male group ranges in age and umpiring experience, and the movie delves into their respective motivations, hopes, challenges and successes.  Each character is profiled in detail, allowing viewers to be drawn into their life stories. It also compares and contrasts American and Japanese umpiring rules, such as how Japanese umpires tend to have less authority than their American counterparts, particularly in regard to ejections.  In Japan, connections are essential to advancing as an umpire, but here in the States anyone has the opportunity to become a Major League umpire by working his/her way up from the bottom.

In a related note, there was a recent editorial in the New York Times written by former baseball commissioner Fay Vincent that discusses the various levels of umpiring you must complete before working your way up to the Majors, low pay and other issues touched on in Samurai Umpires.  Thanks to this film, as we cheer on the Yankees in the World Series we might find ourselves with a new awareness of the men behind the masks.

For those interested, there will be an additional screening of Samurai Umpires next month on Tuesday, the 10th, but please be aware that it will be in Japanese without subtitles.  Attendance is free, but a donation is being requested to cover the cost of programs.  See www.samuraiumpires.jp for details.