NYTimes: I.B.M. working on n.Fluent translation project
Translating/Interpreting 
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Apparently I.B.M. is making progress on a fairly revolutionary translation project called n.Fluent. They’re taking advantage of their international employee base to “teach” a system that has the capacity to learn. See the article in the New York Times:
A Translator Tool with a Human Touch: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/23/technology/23link.html?th&emc=th
Any translators out there have an opinion or perspective to share? How does this compare to Google’s Rosy Etta (see previous JetWit post on Rosy Etta)?
Job: Project Coordinator – Mobility International USA
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The following job opportunity is via the JETAA Jobs yahoogroup:
PROJECT COORDINATOR – NATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE ON DISABILITY AND EXCHANGE
Position description
Writing/Editing Skills
* Research, write and update new informational resources such as disability-specific tip sheets or online journals
* Solicit, interview, write or edit exchange alumni stories, blogs, featured person pieces, and podcasts for publications, websites, journals, newsletters and other resources
* Write sections of the NCDE quarterly report and monthly E-News
* Content and copy editing for peer review, including articles, conference proposals, resources, alumni stories, newsletters and correspondence Read More
Roland Kelts Daily Yomiuri column: Soft power evolution from Perry’s day to Obama’s
Article/Journalism, Celebrity, Japan Trends, Roland Kelts, Writers Comments Off on Roland Kelts Daily Yomiuri column: Soft power evolution from Perry’s day to Obama’s
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http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/20091120TDY13001.htm
FYI, images below are 1) Commodore Perry’s bow, 2) Obama’s bow and 3) Political commentary from Perry’s day.
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Japan America Society Roundup 11.21.09
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Current Hiroshima-ken JET Gail Meadows, Editor of Hiroshima JET webzine the Wide Island View, shines a light on some of the upcoming events of Japan America Societies…
JAS of Greater Detroit and Windsor
Holiday Celebration and Wishlist Auction — Spend an evening toasting the season with society members at the elegant Meadow Brook Hall, the “Dodge” family mansion. Meadow Brook is one of America’s castles. It is the fourth largest historic house museum in the U.S., and is renowned for its superb craftsmanship, architectural detailing and grand scale.
- Date: Wednesday, Dec. 16
- Time: 6:30 to 10 p.m.
- Place: Meadow Brook Hall, Adams Road Entrance – Oakland University, 2200 N. Squirrel Road, Rochester, Michigan
- For more information: http://us-japan-canada.org/en/events/default.aspx?eventid=11
Hokusai’s Summit: Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji — Take a special tour of Katsushika Hokusai’s famed series the Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji, on exhibition for a limited time at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. Hokusai is best known for his work in ukiyo-e (pictures of the floating world), known as woodblock prints in the West. His most famous and influential print is The Great Wave off Kanagawa, one of the prints included in this series.
- Date: Friday, Dec. 18
- Time: 10:30 a.m. to noon
- Place: Honolulu Academy of Arts, 900 S. Beretania St., Honolulu
- For more information: http://www.jashawaii.org/pdfdocs/Events20091117_3.pdf
The Aftermath corporate program — Sir Deryck Maughan, head of KKR’s Global Financial Institutions Group and Chairman of KKR Japan, will discuss economic and geo-political implications of the global financial crisis.
- Date: Wednesday, Dec. 2
- Time: 8 to 9:30 a.m.
- Place: Japan Society, 333 E. 47th St., New York, New York 10017
- For more information: http://www.japansociety.org/event_detail?eid=4edef7fa
Does your Japan America Society have an upcoming event that you’d like to share with JetWit readers? Email Gail Meadows the info.
WIT Life #57: Teleworking in Japan
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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Translator/Interpreter/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.
My only time traveling one-on-one as an interpreter for the Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program was a year ago with a female entrepreneur from Hokkaido named Yuri Tazawa. No one epitomizes the “Yes We Can” spirit more than Yuri, so it was appropriate that we were able to celebrate Obama’s victory together while in DC. She began a company in a town called Kitami 11 years ago after being raised in Nara, going to university in Tokyo, and starting a family. You might wonder what kind of business one could have being located so far away from a metropolis, but Yuri heads a company called Y’s Staff (taking the Y from her name as well as being a homonym with “wise”).
Y’s has offices in both Hokkaido and Nara, but its actual structure is virtual. Through her company, Yuri is a promoter of teleworking. This concept is often confused with telemarketing, but is essentially the idea of doing work in a place other than a fixed office. This could be your home, the local Starbucks or any other location. Yuri also advocates Read More
JETAA Chapter Beat 11.20.09
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Freelance writer/editor Jonathan Trace (Fukuoka-ken, 2005-08) takes us on a walk around the JET Alumni community for another edition of JETAA Chapter Beat.
- O-Shaberikai – Wednesday, December 2nd, 5:30 at the Holy Grail in Civic. Join in and meet Japanese people living in Canberra and other locals interested in Japan.
- Cherry Picking Trip – Sunday, December 6th in Young, New South Wales. Spend the day in the country, stopping in the small town of Young for lunch and cherry picking. Cost is free except for any cherries you want to take home.
- Western Michigan Subchapter Get Together – Friday, November 20th, 7:00 at Harper’s Bar & Grill. Calling all folks in Western Michigan for this JETAA Great Lakes Subchapter event tonight! Meet the new officers and get together with friends old and new.
- San Diego Subchapter Yokohama Sister City Holiday Party – Sunday, December 13th, 11:30 at the Bahia Resort Hotel. The San Diego Yokohama Sister City Society is putting on a holiday party, so join JET San Diego and share in the upcoming festivities.
- Nihongo Dake Dinner – Saturday, November 21st, 6:00 in Cerritos. Eat, drink and brush up on your Japanese with the return of the JETAASC Nihongo Dake Dinner.
- Thanksgiving Sunday Hike – Sunday, November 29th, 10:00 on the “Rain Forest Trail.” Work off those holiday pounds with some time outdoors with JETAASC, weather permitting.
- JETAA SC Bounenkai – Saturday, December 12th. Details coming soon, stay tuned.
- 2009 Bounenkai – Friday, December 4th, 6:30 at Kaname. Buffet style dining, Wii karaoke, and good friends–what better way to send off 2009 and welcome in 2010.
- 2009 Bounenkai and Quarterly Meeting – Thursday, December 3rd, 6:30 at the Cha-an Tea House. Join JETAA New York in marking the close of 2009. A small welcoming for the newly elected members to the Board of directors and farewells for the outgoing members will also take place.
- Book Club Meeting – Tuesday, December 8th, 7:00. This month’s discussion centers around Yoko Ogawa’s “The Diving Pool.” Don’t forget to bring some discussion questions for the group.
- 2009 Bounenkai – Saturday, December 5th, 6:00 at Bush Garden. Get together with old friends and bid farewell to 2009. Karaoke to follow the event, so don’t miss out.
- “Japan Through Our Eyes,” JETAA DC Photo Exhibit – Thursday, December 3rd, 6:30 at the Embassy of Japan’s Japan Information & Culture Center. Experience Japan and the JET Programme again through pictures taken and submitted by former JET participants. Stop by Thursday for an opening lecture and reception.
- JBook Meeting – Monday, December 14th, 6:30. This month’s book club meeting will focus on Jake Adelstein’s book “Tokyo Vice: An American Reported on the Police Beat in Japan,” an interesting look at organized crime in Tokyo in the 1990s. Start reading now.
- JETAA Chicago Social – December 5th, 6:30 at Tokyo Marina. Come out and join the Chicago JETs for some sushi, nabe and other Japanese cuisine followed by a night of karaoke.
What happened at your chapter’s event? If you attend(ed) any of these exciting events, JetWit would love to hear about them. Just email Jonathan Trace with any info, stories or comments.
WITvid #2: “ALT in Japan”
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WITvid is a periodic series by Peter Weber (Saitama-ken 2004-07), the JET Program Coordinator in San Francisco.
This video was brought to my attention by Rhea Young, JET Program Coordinator at the Consulate General of Japan in Detroit.
This piece (posted by draginboll) was featured on Japanese television about the treatment of some Assistant Language Teachers in Japan. Although I feel some of the views are biased and extreme (especially the references to the JET Program) it is very interesting. It just goes to show, ” Every Situation Is Different (ESID)” does not only apply to the JET Program.
Job: Junior Patent Editor/Coordinator at MultiLing
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Via MultiLing Japan:
Position: Junior Patent Editor/Coordinator
Type: Fulltime
Start Date: Negotiable
Salary: From 3.6m JPY/year (experience and performance based)
Benefits: Social Health Care, Pension, Unemployment Insurance, Paid Leave
Holidays: Sat., Sun., National Holidays, End of year holiday
Description of position:
MultiLing Japan is looking for a hardworking detail-oriented linguist to coordinate our growing JA-EN patent translation work. The selected candidate would also be responsible for editing translations done by other members of the team, and, after proving competence, translating as well. Organizational and computer skills are an absolute must for this position as well as superior English writing ability.
Those interested should send the following documentation to the email address provided above:
1. Resume/CV
2. Cover letter
3. Sample of translation
Candidates must already live in Japan. Relocation costs are to be born by the candidate. Company will sponsor visa.
Company Name: MultiLing Japan Y.K
Address: 4-17 Kaigan Dori, Naka-ku, Yokohama 231-0002
Tel: 045-315-3135
Email: info-japan[at]multiling[dot]com
Fellowship: 2010 Charles Rangel International Affairs Program
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Via JETAADC:
The Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program is now seeking applicants for its 2010 Graduate Fellowships and undergraduate International Affairs Summer Enrichment Program. These are excellent opportunities for outstanding students interested in international affairs careers.
The Rangel International Affairs Graduate Fellowship is designed for individuals interested in careers in diplomacy in the U.S. Foreign Service.
The fellowship includes:
1) up to $34,000 per year for two years toward a graduate degree in international affairs or a related discipline at a U.S. university
2) paid internships working for a Member of Congress on international affairs issues and at a U.S. Embassy overseas
3) entry into the U.S. Foreign Service for those who successfully complete the program. **** Read More
JET alum and technical writer David Kowalsky has a nice book review on the book Twitterville: How Businesses Can Thrive in the New Global Neighborhoods in the latest edition of Sound Views, the newsletter for the Puget Sound Chapter of the Society for Technical Writers.
Here’s the link: http://bit.ly/3hix5A.
Have a look and feel free to share your thoughts on Twitter as well. Also, you can follow JetWit via Twitter at http://twitter.com/jetwit.
Jetwit Society – Nihongo Dake Dinner – 11/11
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The Nihongo Dake Dinner is one of the few regular events in New York City designed to bring both Japanese and non-native Japanese speakers together. Currently run by Jon Hills for JETTANY (http://jetaany.org/), he’s also the founder of Hills Learning (http://hillslearning.com/default.aspx), a language school based in Grand Central, New York City.
The Nihongo Dake Dinners have always been a part of JETAANY, at least for JET’s who have been in New York City for the past few years. However since last year the dinners had stopped, with no one willing to take the reigns of organization. Then from June of this year the dinners began to take off again, with a dinner happening on average per month. They usually have regular attendance of about 20 people, which consists of half native Japanese and half non-native Japanese speakers.
The most recent Nihongo Dake Dinner took place at an Izakaya called Onya. There after speaking with the very knowledgeable and capable management staff they agreed to create a set menu of typical Japanese Izakaya dishes: deep fried tempura style food, along with edamame, oden, kara-age, etc. We also each were served a complimentary drink for “kanpai,” a very fun way to celebrate the end of 2009.
The best part of the night, as with most nights, is the intimacy felt by having a small group with a common goal: cultural exchange. Onya added to this by reserving an entire floor just for this event, which included our own bar, two waiters, and plenty of space to stand up and mingle. All in all a memorable night, but after 4 hours of speaking Japanese the organizer (myself) found it better to retire for the night than proceed to a nijikai of Karaoke. There’s always next year.
New JET alum book: “People of the 21st Century: A Portrait of Japanese Society” by Taylor Chapman
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Thanks to a post on the JETAA Texoma (Chapter 9) yahoogroup, just found out about JET alum Taylor Chapman, a professional photographer who has a new book out titled People of the 21st Century: A Portrait of Japanese Society. Additionally, Taylor has a book signing coming up in Houston, TX. (Details below.) Meanwhile, if you know of any other JET alums out there with published books, by all means let JetWit know and we’ll post about it here to let everyone know.
Here’s the info from JETAA Texoma:
Hi All,
I am excited to let you know about a book signing by photographer and JET alumnus Taylor Chapman that will take place at the River Oaks Bookstore on Friday, November 27 from 5pm-7pm. Taylor would love to have folks stop by to say hello, even if you haven’t bought his book.
Taylor Chapman spent the last two years living in Kumamoto, Japan with the JET Program, teaching English at a local high school. As his Japanese proficiency grew, he became increasingly fascinated by Japan’s distinctive culture, and decided to embark on a unique photographic project to document Japanese society.
Having pursued photography for ten years now, including extensive study at Yale University, Chapman developed a specific methodology, adapted from a 1930’s German photographer’ s approach. He classified all members of Japanese society by their occupations and societal roles, and set out to create a portrait of Japanese society as a whole by photographing as many of its component parts–in other words, these individuals- – as possible in their natural environments.
In his last six months in Japan, Chapman went out shooting almost every single day, ending up with an archive of thousands of pictures spanning hundreds of individuals and social roles. Included are bakers and butchers, salarymen and snack bar girls, farmers and fishermen, teachers and students.
In July, he held an exhibition of his work in Japan; this Thanksgiving, he’ll be having a book release/signing party at the River Oaks Bookstore in Houston (across the street from Lamar High School, next to Baskin Robbins). Please come! There will be wine and hors d’oeuvres from 5 to 7.
The book (there are mini and deluxe editions available in-store and online: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/950612 makes a great Christmas present. But please feel free to just drop by, say hi, and have a glass of wine– the author is happy just to share his work and his love of Japan, and there’s no need to buy anything.
If you’d like to get a feel for the work in the book, here are some of the images posted online: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31959446@N07/sets/72157622321556815/
Finally, for any comments or questions, feel free to contact the author at taylor.c.chapman [/at/] gmail [/dot/] com.
JETAA New York Board Election Results
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Omedetou gozaimashita to JETAA New York on electing its new Board members!
A little bit of context: JETAA NY became a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit entity not too long ago and as a result is required to have a Board of Directors. The first Board was appointed, so this year was the first year that JETAA NY held elections for some positions on the Board. And here are the results:
Each of the newly elected members will serve a two year term.
New Board Members
- Randall David Cook
- Clara Solomon
- Steven Horowitz
- Kia Cheleen
Reelected Board Members
- Shannan Spisak
- Katrina Barnas
Current Board Members
- Evan Hyman
- Sara Beinert
- Josh Saifer
- Megan Miller
Photos: JET alum Aaron Woolfolk’s 5-week Japan promotional tour for “The Harimaya Bridge”
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JET alum Aaron Woolfolk‘s film The Harimaya Bridge, starring starring Ben Guillory, Saki Takaoka, Misa Shimizu, and Danny Glover, is making its New York debut on Sunday December 6 (with Q&A and cocktail reception to follow) and Sunday December 13 as part of the African Diaspora Film Festival. (See the JetWit post about the upcoming event here for details and ticket info.)
The film had a nationwide theatrical release in Japan beginning in June, and Aaron was involved in a five-week promotional tour in Japan for the film. What is it like for a former JET to go on a five-week promotional tour in Japan? Well, Aaron captured much of it in photographs available on Facebook along with informative and entertaining captions. (FYI, you don’t need to have an account to view the pictures.)
Here’s the link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=124235&id=833564815&l=9d23bf0eb9
And here’s Aaron’s intro commentary on the photos along with a couple samples of what you’ll see:
Five weeks in Japan in May and June of 2009, traveling all around the country doing promotion in the run-up to the June 13th nationwide opening of “The Harimaya Bridge.” Most days were spent doing loads of media interviews and promotional appearances. This here is just a small sampling, as I wasn’t able to come anywhere close to capturing everything with a camera. It was hectic and exhausting…but talking to the media and connecting with audiences only reaffirmed my desire to live my life telling stories via film, television and theater. :-)
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Job: Fashion Institute of Technology – Assistant Director International Programs (NYC)
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Thanks to JET alum Clara Solomon of the JETAA Student Services Group for sharing this listing:
FIT – ASSISTANT DIRECTOR INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS
The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), a college of the State University of New York (SUNY), is the premier educational institution for fashion, design, and related professions. FIT provides an unmatched combination of specialized curricula, an in-depth liberal arts education, and an extraordinary location in the center of New York City.
The Office of International Programs is currently searching for an Assistant Director. The incumbent will be responsible for a broadspectrum of responsibilities, in furtherance of the college’s strategic plan to enhance and strengthen international relationships. You will have the opportunity to plan, organize and coordinate the operations of all study abroad programs, including FIT’s residential programs in Italy, summer and winter study abroad courses as well as reciprocal and non-reciprocal exchange programs working with international partners and institutional stakeholders. In addition, you will be responsible for recruitment and program delivery, operational and administrative support relating to all the department’s programs, including orientation and pre-departure workshops for outgoing students and orientation and program support for incoming students.
To qualify, we desire you will have an earned Master’s Degree and five years of appropriate experience, preferably in higher education study abroad programs. You must possess working knowledge of program development with a demonstrated understanding of verbal, print and digital communications strategies. Experience in student support services and institutional electronic systems; working directly with faculty, staff and students; high organizational and interpersonal skills, with the ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines. Ability to compile and generate detailed academic and financial reports. Must be able to take responsible independent action, compose complex correspondence and conduct research for concurrent projects. Experience with creating and maintaining electronic communication systems, databases and spreadsheet reports. Excellent student and faculty relations skills are essential. Substantial international travel a plus.
If this sounds like the job for you, please access the full job
description and application at http://fitnyc.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdetails.jsp?JOBID=15939
