Job: English to Japanese Translator (Toronto, ON)
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JetWit job poster Stephen Palanik (Fukushima Ken, 2004-08) learned of the following employment opportunity being offered through Pasona Canada and thought it might be of interest to former JETs in the Toronto area. Stephen is a translator based in Hamamatsu city, Shizuoka Ken, and he will be periodically posting job listings and event information for JET alumni.
Pasona Canada is currently accepting resumes for the following professional opportunity on behalf of their client in downtown Toronto.
Job Title: ENGLISH TO JAPANESE TRANSLATOR
SUMMARY: Reporting to the Head of the Japan Desk in Toronto, the successful candidate must be knowledgeable about world financial markets, industries and macro economy. He or she must work quickly and accurately, and write Japanese in a clear style. The successful candidate will also be committed to producing news more quickly than the competitors. The desk forms an important part of the organization’s 24-hour news translation service for Japanese-language clients. Read More
Job: Document Review – Houston, Texas
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JetWit job poster Stephen Palanik (Fukushima Ken, 2004-08) found the following employment opportunity on the Honyaku E <> J Translation List and thought it might be useful to former JETs in the Houston area. Stephen is a translator based in Hamamatsu city, Shizuoka ken, and he will be periodically posting job listings and event information for JET alumni.
Note: The following opportunity is an update to an earlier post on JetWit. The original document review job has been filled in Austin, TX, but the same company is now looking to fill the same job in Houston.
The client is a law firm that has an intellectual property matter that has generated a million documents which are stuffed into 500 boxes in their Houston office. Rather than having someone review the documents page by page at this time, they would like someone fluent in Japanese to thumb through each box and just identify the type of documents. One box may just be invoices, another might be reports, etc.
They have estimated that if it took approximately 30 minutes per box, the project would take about 2 months to complete. Ideally, they would like someone to devote a full time schedule to the project, but they may be open.
They are in a hurry, and would like to hear back from anyone who’s interested as soon as possible.
Interested parties should send an e-mail to Holly Coe.
Donald Keene Center presents: Royall Tyler – The Honor of Translating the Tale of Genji
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Via Kia Cheleen (CIR, Aichi-ken 1996-98, ALT 1998-1999), Associate Director at the Donald Keene Center on Japanese Culture at Columbia University. To get on their e-mail list for future events, send an e-mail to donald-keene-center at columbia dot edu.
2009 Annual Soshitsu Sen XV Distinguished Lecture on Japanese Culture
“The Honor of Translating the Tale of Genji”
Royall Tyler
6:00 PM, Wednesday, April 22nd
The 2008-2009 academic year marks the one-thousandth anniversary of that remarkable classic of Japanese literature, Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji. In order to commemorate the occasion, the Keene Center has invited the renowned Genji scholar and most recent translator of that work into English, Dr. Royall Tyler, to deliver this year’s Soshitsu Sen XV Distinguished Lecture on Japanese Culture.
Miller Theater, Columbia University (116th Street and Broadway)
Please go to http://www.columbia.edu/about_columbia/map/miller_theater.html for a campus map
Reservations are required by April 15th. To RSVP for a reservation-only event,
please email dcc2119 at columbia dot edu or send a fax to 212-854-4019. Read More
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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.
Having recently returned from a trip to Japan, during my time there I was reminded of the cultural differences large and s
mall that exist between our two nations. Some were simple things I forgot, such as the sometimes lack of paper towels and dryers in the restrooms and the need to carry around a small towel to dry your hands. Other issues were more deeply integrated into the cultural psyche, such as the surprise that friends expressed when I told them about pregnancy/motherhood here in the States. I happened to visit many pregnant friends and new mothers, and they get to enjoy a long stay in the hospital after giving birth. Also, for working mothers the amount of time you can take off in Japan before returning to the workplace is quite generous (for some cases such as civil servants a year compared to the typical three months here), although I think the tendency for women not to return to work after having a baby is more common than here in the States.
Anyway, the news this morning profiled a story that fits into the larger cultural difference category. According to the report, actor Shunta Nakamura (31), the son of actor Masatoshi Nakamura (58) and actress Junko Igarashi (56), was arrested this weekend for Read More
Co-working links
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The following links are from the article on co-working by freelance translator Joel Dechant (CIR Fukuoka-ken, 2001-04).
- Coworking Google Group http://groups.google.com/group/coworking
- I’m Outta Here E-Book http://www.imouttaherethebook.com/
- Coworking Wiki http://coworking.pbwiki.com/
- Web Worker Daily –http://webworkerdaily.com/
- Independents Hall, Philly –http://www.indyhall.org
- CoLab Tokyo –http://co-lab.jp/about/index.html
- Jelly –http://www.workatjelly.com
Joel Dechant (CIR Fukuoka-ken, 2001-04), freelance translator based in Fukuoka, has been exploring the “co-working” trend. If interested in discussing with him, click on his name to contact him via LinkedIn or post a comment below to share your thoughts or perspectives.
After 3 years on JET I worked at a private Japanese university as a translator for 3 years. It was essentially a JET-type job: translate, interpret, assist foreign students and/or plan programs for 3 years and then you’re out. After their stints were up, some of my other colleagues went home or elsewhere in Japan to work in universities, government agencies or in the private sector, but I-on the other hand-decided to stay.
“What about my contract?” you ask. Well, my employer and I struck a deal. They needed someone who knew the university and who could translate and interpret well, and I wanted to stay in the area. By virtue of being placed in the position that bore the biggest share of translation and interpreting work, I was able to hone my skills well enough to confidently say, “Hey, I can do this!” So we wrote a new contract in which they would outsource their work to me. With the stroke of a pen, I was self-employed.
It was like a dream come true. How many times had I Read More
A JET alum translator e-mailed with the below questions. Feel free to share your response in the comments section of this post, or e-mail to jetwit at jetwit dot com if you’d prefer your comment to remain anonymous.
1) At the moment, the Japanese economy is doing just terribly. Has anyone seen declines or reductions in the amount of work they are receiving?
2) In the longer term, as well, the economy doesn’t look like it is going to improve much, either. How do they feel about the prospects for making a business out of translating, are they feeling pessimistic for the future?
WIT Life #32: Hisashiburi Hello
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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.
I have been on a bit of a hiatus as I was traveling around Japan for the last 2 weeks! It’s always great to go back and experience what a wonderful, crazy, beautiful, amazing country it is. This trip was particularly special as I had the chance to visit my JET hometown of Kumamoto where the sakura were in full bloom!
The ones in Tokyo were just starting to bud, but I unfortunately wasn’t able to see them in all their grandeur. I was, however, able to Read More
J-News Mini-Roundup: The Economic Downturn
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J-News Mini-Roundup is a recurring feature written by Friend Of JET, Jon Hills, founder of Hills Learning (www.hillslearning.com). Hills Learning is a NY-based language learning services company offering customized and personal Japanese language learning options.
The Economic Downturn and its Effects: Most Pessimistic to Most Optimistic
4 – NHK: The biggest news on economic glum came from the NHK news station today. Within the financial community the highly anticipated “Tankan Survey” done by the Bank of Japan stated record pessimism amongst company executives. 61% stated their companies were doing poorly, while only 3% stated they were doing well. This measure is the worst it’s been since the survey’s inception, about 30 years ago.
3 – Nikkei: Not to be outdone, the Nikkei then reported that bankruptcies from listed companies in 2008 had reached 45. This is the highest rate of bankruptcies since WWII. To underscore this point, the second worst year of bankruptcies in Japan was 2002, with only 22 bankruptcies.
2 – Asahi: The Asahi ran a headliner this morning about how lay offs and the economic downturn are good for some companies. Reporting from within the headquarters of a recruiting agency that hires part time workers ( a company called あず) executives were rejoicing on how this is their chance to get more recruits for part time work than ever before. They referred to the “フリーター魂” the furi-ta- or “seasonal worker” spirit!
1 – Yomiuri: The headlines at Yomiuri this morning topped the optimism radar. They made no mention of an economic downturn, but instead decided to focus on North Korea. So you’re probably expecting some kind of article regarding missile launches accidently dropping missiles on Japan? Nope, the headliner read: Kim Jong Ill’s thinness is due to dieting, he’s getting thin due to health reasons.”
Job: Call for resumes of experienced translators of literary works and financial translators (Tokyo)
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Via the Honyaku Google Group:
Modis Design, a company that specializes in bilingual Japanese/English marketing, is seeking experienced translators of literary works as well as financial translators. Read below for more information. Read More
SWET: Wordsmithing in Japan seminar (Tokyo)
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SOCIETY FOR WRITERS EDITORS & TRANSLATORS (SWET) OPEN FORUM: Wordsmithing in Japan
April 21 (Tues), 2009; 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Fee: 1,000 yen for SWET members; 2,000 yen for non-members
Place: 5th Floor, Shoko Kaikan/Shohisha Senta, Shibuya
1-12-5 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku
Miyamae-zaka area; map at www.city.shibuya.tokyo.jp/est/shoko.html
Are you hoping to launch a career in writing, translating, copyediting, editing, English-language publishing or other work based in Japan? Where should you start? What qualifications do you need? Who can you collaborate with? How can SWET help you? What can you do for SWET?
Open to members and non-members alike, the SWET Open Forum offers an opportunity to address questions to established professionals in a variety of wordsmithing professions, as well as present requests and suggestions for SWET activities throughout the year. Take this opportunity to tap SWET resource persons on hand, sound off on questions and concerns, and enjoy a chance for informal networking and information-sharing.
The SWET members present will share their expertise in the following fields: J-E translation, editing, copyediting, proofreading, editing translations, writing, rewriting, technical writing, copywriting, design and layout.
For further information, contact SWET by email at events at swet dot jp.
Job: Freelance news gathering – Korean/English (and Japanese) – Tokyo Broadcasting System (NY)
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JET alum John Ellis-Guardiola, a news producer for Tokyo Broadcasting System’s New York Bureau, is looking for a freelance news gatherer. He says there’s potential for a long term working relationship as well.
I wanted to reach out to the JETAANY Community for help on a search regarding Korean language help. Tokyo Broadcasting System’s New York Bureau is looking to establish a relationship with a Korean/English or Korean/English/Japanese speaker who could help us with our newsgathering for Korean issues on a freelance basis. If the person is interested in media, that’s also a plus, but not necessarily a requirement. If you would like to contact me regarding this position, feel free contact John Ellis at jelgua at tbsi-us dot com.
Translator’s Corner: Keep Our English Out of Your Japanese Puns!
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By translator and writer Jamie Graves (Saitama-Ken 2002-2003)
The Japanese language is notorious for having a relatively small number of phonemes compared to other major world languages, which can be a hindrance when having to learn new sounds outside that structure (the infamous “L” and “R” distinction), but results in a tremendous number of homonyms. While there are slight changes in emphasis between the words for “hair”, “god” and “paper”, they are all kami. I think we can safely assume that the Japanese have been making linguistic tricks like this into bad puns for centuries, if not millennia.
When the Chinese writing system first crash landed onto the Japanese language around fifteen-hundred years ago no one could have predicted the historical fallout: an explosion of bad puns. As Chinese characters were gradually adapted to Japanese, all of the tones that had previously distinguished words like“mǎ” (“horse”, 馬) from “má” (“hemp” 麻) were flattened out. In a language already rife with nearly identical words, this produced a new explosion of homonyms, the building blocks of puns. (The Chinese also use these for puns. In an effort to mess with government censors the phrase 草泥马, “grass-mud-horse” has gone viral on the Chinese blogosphere because the same sounds with different tones mean… something not really printable here. ( This page explains the whole phenomenon.)
Case in point, the furious Japanese tongue twister “Uraniwa niwa niwa, niwa niwa niwa, niwatori ari”. (裏庭には二羽、庭には二羽、鶏あり). Niwa in Read More
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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.
A little while back I profiled the trend of men and bento making, and it appears to be going strong with advocates receiving the new moniker “Bento Boys.” I was recently doing some copy editing of a market research report which discussed this topic, and though it would be interesting to share as a follow-up. Previously I mentioned the “Oyaji Bento” blog, and this report highlights a blog of a similar nature called “Kyo no Bento.” Below is an excerpt from the report:
“Previously in Japan, frugality was a virtue but stinginess was not welcomed. Now the Japanese do not think someone is necessarily stingy when they are saving money in the process. There are increasing numbers of Read More
Job: J->E In-house translator – Daiwa Institute of Research (Tokyo)
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Posted by Daiwa Institute of Research on the Honyaku Google Group:
In-house J-E Translation Position at DIR
Daiwa Institute of Research is looking for a full-time, in-house J-E translator for analyst reports covering Japanese stocks for our Tokyo office. A successful candidate should have some knowledge of economic topics and a basic understanding of accounting. Securities industry experience is also welcome. In addition to strong Japanese reading ability (Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level 1 preferred), we seek candidates with strong writing skills and the ability to paraphrase difficult Japanese texts. Read More
