It turns out there’s Beppu Hot Springs Master in the JET alumni community. Meet translator/interpreter Joel Dechant, currently a resident of Fukuoka but soon moving to Seattle, WA. Never heard of a Hot Springs Master? Watch this video of him from Japanese TV. (See all 4 clips with explanation on JapanProbe.com.)
Job: Rosetta Stone Japanese Creative Writer (Harrisonburg, VA)
Career, Jobs, Translating/Interpreting 
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I just saw this interesting job posting on Craigslist:
We are looking for creative problem-solvers who can write and are native speakers of one of the languages listed below. We want people who understand narrative structure, know how to craft a well-polished piece of writing, are developing a voice and style and love languages. You won’t be writing greeting cards or City Council articles – instead, you’ll be part of a smart, vibrant software culture changing the way the world talks to each other. [cont’d] Read More
Roger Ebert – Alone in the Kitchen with a Rice Cooker?
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A reminder to contact me if you’re interested in writing an essay on the “Alone in the Kitchen with a Rice Cooker” theme about cooking for yourself (or eating by yourself) in Japan.
And an interesting (and unsolicited) take on the theme in a recent blog from, of all people, film critic Roger Ebert. (Includes a reference to Zojirushi, the current employer of Fukuoka-ken JET alum and previous “Translator’s Challenge” winner Sharon Tatro.)
WITLife – Episode #2
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WITLife is a periodic post by Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03).
I have now begun my second assignment for the International Visitor Leadership Program, and this time around the person I am interpreting for is a female entrepreneur from the northern island of Hokkaido. We will be traveling around the country together for the next 3 weeks to study issues relating to women and work such as telecommuting, returning to the workplace after an extended absence and work flexibility. Not only that, but she is lucky enough to be here during this monumental presidential election!
In this spirit, our program coordinator arranged for us to visit a polling station in Arlington, Virginia that Read More
Job: Translator for Anime Festival
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Just saw this on the JETAA DC email list:
We (Japan America Society of Washington, DC) just received a request from Katsucon (one of the organizers of a large Anime Conventions) looking for two Japanese translators during their convention. Read More
WITLife – Episode #1
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WITLife is a periodic post by Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03).
Since becoming a freelance translator/interpreter/writer, one of the new opportunities that I have enjoyed the most has been interpreting for the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP: http://exchanges.state.gov/ivlp/ivlp.html).
The IVLP is an exchange program designed to build mutual understanding between the U.S. and other countries through carefully designed visits that reflect the participants’ professional interests and support U.S. foreign policy goals. For participants, it involves meeting and conferring with professional counterparts and gaining an appreciation of the ethnic, cultural, political and socio-economic diversity of the U.S.
Participants are established or potential foreign opinion makers in government, public policy, media, education, labor, the arts and other key fields, and they are selected by American embassies abroad. Since its inception in 1940, over 135,000 people have participated in the program, and in 2007 over 4000 IVs came over on 900 projects of various themes. 65 IVLP alumni are current Chiefs of State/Heads of Government, including Taiwan President Ma Ying-Jeou. However, while they are here all IVs are considered “honorary Americans.” This means that no matter how highly ranked they are back home, during this program in our egalitarian country everyone is of equal status. This certainly takes a bit of pressure off the lowly interpreter!
My first assignment was in September for two Japanese men studying the theme of Planning for Crises: Disasters and Pandemics. Read More
Do like to write songs? Do you know some Japanese? Here’s your chance to come up with a Japanese country song, i.e., a U.S.-style country song in Japanese (or at least half in Japanese). Send in your lyrics to me at stevenwaseda [at] jetwit.com. We’ll worry about the tune later (unless you also come up with a tune and a recording and want to share that too.) If it’s even half decent, I’ll publish it here, at which time other readers can offer an appropriate tune, new lyrics or try to record a version of the song. This will be an ongoing contest with no deadline. Multiple submissions welcome!
This idea, btw, was inspired by a Chinese country music video sent to me by my wife (a high school Chinese teacher). It is not only hilarious, but also has amazing choreography, costumes and… I can’t even begin to explain it. Just watch.
