Job Listing: Assistant Director for Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture at Columbia University (NY)
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Position with the Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture at Columbia University. Seeking an organized, dynamic individual to fill the position of Assistant Director.
From Miho Walsh, Associate Director, Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture www.donaldkeenecenter.org
Center, founded in 1986, supports the study of diverse aspects of Japanese culture at Columbia University by organizing lectures, workshops, conferences, film screenings, exhibitions, performances, and other events throughout the year. It also hosts visiting scholars, administers fellowship competitions and prize programs, and collaborates with other academic departments and organizations across campus. At the same time, the Keene Center maintains an active presence on New York’s broader cultural scene, coordinating its activities with academic and non-academic institutions throughout the city, as well as nationwide and abroad.
The Assistant Director is the senior administrator of the Keene Center. He/she is supervised by the Center’s faculty director, works closely with Columbia’s Japan studies faculty, and supervises a research associate and part-time staff. As a full-time officer of the University, the Assistant Director is entitled to comprehensive employment benefits as well as tuition exemption. Among his/her responsibilities are fundraising and representing the Keene Center at national meetings, which require periodic travel to Japan and elsewhere.
Strong Japanese language ability is necessary for the job. Individuals who are fully bilingual in Japanese and English are especially encouraged to apply. Previous fundraising experience is also highly desirable. For further details about this position, including application procedures, please follow the link below.
http://jobs.columbia.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=113446
Translation Scam
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The below posting was from Craigslist Cincinnati, yet it has no connection to Cincinnati. Odds are it’s a variation of a common scam. The London connection and the writing style are clues, plus I’ve seen scams with similar feels in other contexts. Just something to be aware of since the same listing may likely pop up at some point in connection with a Japanese translation gig.
language translator needed
Reply to: goodlordaka@yahoo.com [?]
Date: 2008-11-25, 11:39AM EST
I am an amrican but I am presently in london and will be going to work soon in italy and i will need some one who can help me translate from italian to english and this is a work that can be done by emails with not much of stress or qualification.and i am willing to pay per word.
Job Listing: Japanese-English Quality Managers (Midtown, NYC)
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Saw this on Craigslist NYC. FYI, there are a couple JET alums who work or have worked for Transperfect.
Italian, French, and Japanese-English Quality Managers (Midtown East)
Reply to: job-928614895@craigslist.org [?]
Date: 2008-11-21, 2:52PM EST
TransPerfect Family of Companies
www.transperfect.com www.translations.com
Quality Manager – Italian, French, and Japanese-English Read More
Job Listing: Write Blog Entries About Japanese/Korean/Chinese Idols
Celebrity, Jobs, Music, Translating/Interpreting, Writers Comments Off on Job Listing: Write Blog Entries About Japanese/Korean/Chinese Idols
From Craigslist Tokyo:
Japanese / Korean / Chinese Stars / Idols writer / blogger WANTED (Tokyo, Japan)
Reply to: job-926543896@craigslist.org [?]
Date: 2008-11-20, 2:57PM JT
Looking for bloggers / writers who likes to write about Japanese/Asian TV Stars, Actors, Musicians and Idols. Easy and fun job. Very flexible time (you can write the blog post ANYTIME you want. 10pm, 2am no problem. No stress.
日本の芸能人、アイドル、歌手などの事をブログ投稿 Read More
WITLife – Episode #3
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WITLife is a series by Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03). She is currently traveling around the U.S. as a freelance interpreter for the U.S. State Department.
Hello from Seattle! I intended to write from each of the cities during my travels, but somehow my busy schedule got the best of me. I am now at the last stop on our tour of the States before returning home to NYC this weekend.
The last time I checked in I was in DC for the election, and after a brief stop in Kalamazoo, Michigan we made our way to Obama’s stomping grounds of Chicago. Even though we couldn’t be in Grant Park for election night, it was cool to visit the spot where he had spoken a week later (courtesy of a tour from a friend who had been lucky enough to be there at the time!). Read More
Japanese Baseball
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Here are some stories we’re sure that George Rose (Fukushima-ken, 1989-91) is following. George, a former JETAA NY President, currently works for the New York Yankees in Tokyo and previously served as Hideki Irabu’s interpreter.
16-Year-Old Japanese Girl With Knuckleball Drafted by Professional Baseball Team – Apparently she was inspired to learn it from watching the Red Sox’ Time Wakefield.
MLB vs. Japan: Tensions Over Recruiting of Young Japanese Phenom – George’s boss Brian Cashman is quoted in the article. Looks like the Yankees’ don’t want to ruffle their relationship with the Yomiuri Giants and also recognize the benefit of other teams not signing this guy to pitch against them.
Seattle Mariners Hire Don Wakamatsu as Manager; First Asian-American to Manage in MLB – The article notes that Don’s father was born in a Japanese-American internment camp during WWII. For more on that topic, read Justin Tedaldi’s review of a documentary titled Passing Poston in the Fall 2008 “Politics” Issue of the JETAA NY Quarterly newsletter.
Job Listing: Japanese Proofreader (LA area only)
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From Craigslist Los Angeles:
Chinese, Japanese or Korean Proofreader (Offsite)
Reply to: LA25@creativecircle.com [?]
Date: 2008-11-18, 4:54PM PST
Position: Proofreader – Chinese, Japanese or Korean
Location: Other Areas
Status: Freelance
Estimated Duration: 1 Hour
Starts: ASAP
Rate: up to 25HR (DOE)
Job Description:
Do you speak fluent Chinese, Japanese or Korean? We have a great offsite position for you! You will be responsible for proofreading print pieces for a boutique agency. Please respond and let us know what language you are fluent in!
**LOCAL CANDIDATES ONLY **
If you feel you are qualified for this position please send your resume to: LA25 /atto/ creativecircle /dotto/ com. Please specify “Chinese, Japanese or Korean Proofreader” in the subject line of your note. Thanks! View additional job opportunities at www.creativecircle.com
Saw this on Craigslist for Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, NC. (I have no idea what SEO refers to, by the way.)
Japanese translator & seo copywriters
Date: 2008-11-18, 7:32PM EST
Japanese translator & seo copywriters by bizworx
http://www.getafreelancer.com/projects/mithi_345318.html
We need a Japanese translator with SEO experience. Ongoing work delivered fortnightly including numerous: * Brochures translation projects * Websites translation and seo copywriting * Article submission… (Budget: $30-250, Jobs: Copywriting, SEO, Translation, Web Promotion)
Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:21:40 -0500. GetAFreelancer.com_project_345318. Copywriting. SEO. Translation. Web Promotion
Job: Bilingual Product Specialist for Nintendo (Redmond, WA)
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Just saw this on Craigslist, which means it has no connection to JetWit.
Bilingual Product Specialist (English/Japanese) (Redmond)
Reply to: see below
Date: 2008-11-17, 4:18PM PST
To apply, go to: https://nintendo.taleo.net/careersection/10000/jobdetail.ftl?lang=en&job=080000009E
Job Opportunities: Asian Pacific University Translation/Interpreting Jobs – Beppu City
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Professional interpreter/translator (and Beppu Hot Springs Master) Joel Dechant (CIR Fukuoka-ken, 2001-04) mentioned that his former employer, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Beppu City, Fukuoka-ken, often has open positions for faculty and native English staff. Go here for job listings: http://www.apu.ac.jp/administration/modules/opportunities/index.php?id=1&sel_lang=english
Joel says these are contract positions, meaning they’re good for fresh Ex-JETS itching to get back to Nippon
and a good place to hone your skills enough to go solo at some point. He also points out there are several ex-APUer acquaintances that ended up in higher education jobs in their respective home countries.
JetWit shirts, mugs and more!
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Want something but don’t see it? Have a good idea for something to put on a shirt? It’s easy to create new items, so just e-mail your suggestion/desire to stevenwaseda /atto/ jetwit /dotto/ com.
A Book About JETs in Japanese?
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Thanks to Ken Haraguchi, a NY-based reporter for Japanese weekly newspaper Frontline, I recently learned that there’s actually a book called どうしてYesも言えないの-アメリカ人が見た日本の学校現場 (Why Can’t You Say “Yes”?) in Japanese written by Yoshio Hotta, a Japanese journalist who interviewed a number of JET alumni in the Washington, DC area. The title dervies from one of the stories in the book about a JET’s frustration with Japanese people’s tendency to keep things vague, resulting in awkwardness for the gaijin.
Translation Break: “Risk averse” and “Risk taker”
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Last night I was having dinner with a Japanese friend and an American friend (both members of the Writers Interpreters Translators (WIT) Group), and when the term “risk averse” came up in conversation, my Japanese friend hadn’t heard the word “averse.” After we explained it to him, I asked how he would translate that into Japanese. He struggled with it for a moment, and then shared a kotowaza (石橋をたたいて渡る – ishibashi wo tataite wataru) that translates as “Knock on a stone bridge and cross it,” implying someone who test every step on a stone bridge, which implies excessive caution.
I wondered if there is a more direct translation for “risk averse” and also for “risk taker,” and so I put the question out to the WIT Group this morning, just for fun, which resulted in the below responses. (Thanks to professional interpreters/translators George Rose, Joel Dechant, Stacy Smith and Jamie Graves for their responses.)
***********
risk averse: リスク嫌い or リスクを嫌う人 (risukugirai or risuku o kirau hito)
risk taker: リスクを恐れない人 (risuku o osorenai hito)
***********
リスク嫌い for “risk-averse”
Although I think something more colloquial might be more suitable. i.e.
リスクを避けようとする
And to get nice and Japanese for “risk taker,” I say
チャレンジャー
***********
The yomikata is “risk girai no” (someone who hates risks)/”kiken wo saketagaru you na” (someone who tends to avoid risks) and “risk wo ou hito” (someone who accepts the burden of risks (on his/her back))/”bouken suru hito” (an adventurer)/”risk wo osorenai” (someone who doesn’t fear risks).
***********
Two people also both strongly recommended Alc.co.jp, the definitive Japanese-English online dictionary, from a translation company, constantly being updated and supplemented by completed translations from their company.
“Risk Averse”:
http://eow.alc.co.jp/risk+averse/UTF-8/?ref=sa
And for “Risk Taker”:
http://eow.alc.co.jp/risk+taker/UTF-8/
**********
Have more to say on the topic? Post your comment below.
Translators Challenge – Fall 2008 “Politics” Issue (JETAA NY Newsletter)
Anecdote Article, Contest, Humor, Translating/Interpreting, Uncategorized, Writers Comments Off on Translators Challenge – Fall 2008 “Politics” Issue (JETAA NY Newsletter)
Welcome to the second-ever JETAA NY Quarterly Translators Challenge, from the Fall 2008 “Politics” issue.
We once again invited JET alums and Friends of JET (i.e., anyone who wants) to take their best shot at translating a selected text. Why? Well, mostly to entertain, but also to give the greater JET alum community a chance to show their stuff as well as give the rest of us a fun way to study up on our nihongo.
The selected text for this edition of the Translators Challenge is an excerpt from “Political Science,” the satirical 1972 song by Randy Newman.
Prize: $25 gift certificate to BOOK OFF, the discount Japanese boookstore on 41st St. between Madison & 5th Aves.
Asia’s crowded and Europe’s too old
Africa is far too hot
And Canada’s too cold
And South America stole our name
Let’s drop the big one
There’ll be no one left to blame us
We’ll save Australia
Don’t wanna hurt no kangaroo
We’ll build an all-American
amusement park there
They got surfin’, too
Click here to see/hear “Political Science” on YouTube.
********************
THE WINNER!
Mia Simring
(CIR Aichi-ken, 2004-06)
Omedetou gozaimashita on
her second straight win!
********************
アジア込みすぎ、
ヨーロッパダサすぎ
アフリカなんて暑くて
カナダ － 寒すぎ
南アメリカ － 我が名を盗んだ
世界をぶっ潰そう
反対する人間を消しちまおう
カンガルー可愛いから
オーストラリアだけ助けよう
アメリカン遊園地
そこで作るぞ！
Ajia komisugi,
Yoroppa dasasugi
Afurika nante atsukute
Kanada – samusugi
Minami Amerika – wa ga na wo nusunda
Sekai wo buttsubusou
Hantai suru ningen wo keshichimaou
Kangaru – kawaii kara
Osutoraria dake tasukeyou
Amerikan yuenchi
Soko de tsukuru zo!
********************
COMMENTARY
Special thanks to professional translator Jamie Graves (Shizuoka-ken, 2002-03) for providing some commentary and insight.
Mia clearly put a lot of thought into changing the distinctly American rhythms and humor of a folk song into Japanese.
I was impressed at how Mia managed to avoid direct translation, instead finding uniquely Japanese ways of expressing the value judgements in the song. Instead of directly saying “old” in the line “Europe’s too old” she used ダサイ(dasai, “not with it, uncool”), which conveys the contempt a lot better.
She was also very good on keeping the translated text rhythmic and simple, replacing a potentially messy translation of “Don’t wanna hurt no kangaroo” with “カンガルー可愛いから” (kangaroo kawaii kara), which manages to keep the humor and simplicity of the original. She even managed to rhyme the last verse!
How’s the Economy Treating You? JET Alums Share Their Perspectives
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Marc Carroll (Gifu-ken, 2001-03)
Senior localization engineer, translation company, New York, NY
As for the economy and me? Hmm, well, I was reassured, unofficially :-), that I am safe, but it could be a mixed blessing if my group was ever reduced in size. A ton more work for fewer people = longer hours. It’s really hard to say what’s going to happen.
And as for the economy and my company? I’d guess we may see a slight shift in our focus. While projects for domestic advertising and marketing materials my decrease, there could be opportunities for companies who are looking overseas to jump the USS Titanic. With all the fanfare, we’ve been contracted to translate a tsunami of internal memos and press releases. It’s not the meat and potatoes of our business, but it seems a bit ironic that some U.S. institutions are basically paying us tell to their foreign investors and constituencies it’s gonna be a’ight and not to panic about their financial situations.
All and all, we’re just following the money and providing a voice for businesses on whatever shores they choose to operate, foreign or domestic. It’d be naive to say we are recession-proof, but hey, we’ve roughed the dotcom bubble burst,Y2K and the cancellation of Baywatch.
**************
Anonymous
Finance, New York, NY
I work at a major financial institution that has suffered billions of dollars of losses over the past year. Thousands of employees at my company, including many friends of mine, have been laid off, and it seems Read More
