J-News Mini-Roundup: Plane Crash in Bangkok…What Really Happened?
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J-News Mini-Roundup is a recurring feature written by Friend Of JET, Jon Hills, who maintains the blog for Hills Learning (www.hillslearning.com). 
Hills Learning is a NY-based language learning services company offering customized and personal Japanese and Chinese language learning options. Their main service is private one on one tutoring in the NYC area, where the student chooses where and when to have lessons.
Background: It’s sometimes difficult to report on an international incident. Stories get conflicted, newspapers have to follow leads, and they’re pressed for time to release something to the public as soon as possible. Today’s crash for of a Bangkok Airways ATR72 showed how each Japanese newspaper can create a different story.
They did agree that the accident happened earlier today about 2pm Bangkok time, 4pm Tokyo time (although exact estimates are all different). The crashed happened on the island of Samui, with 72 people on board.
Asahi ”Landing failure in Thailand, the pilot dies, over 40 people injured” The time was 4:10 Tokyo time. As the plane was landing at the island of Samui, it went off the runway…
(CLICK HERE for the rest of the article, that includes Japanese News Summaries)
Transcript of Roland Kelts full interview with Hayao Miyazaki (via GhibliWorld)
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For those of you who weren’t able to catch Roland Kelts’ (Osaka-shi, 1998-99) interview with Hayo Miyazaki in Berkeley, CA on July 25, a “fanatically thorough transcript” of the full interview has been posted at the GhibliWorld site: http://www.ghibliworld.com/miyazaki_on_stage_conversation_berkeley_july_2009.html
Japanese Proficiency Test – applications now being accepted in U.S.
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Thanks to JETAA Pacific Northwest for passing this along:
The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles Office Now Accepting Applications for the “2009 Japanese Language Proficiency Test”
The Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is an internationally accredited language examination designed to measure a person’s Japanese language skills. Those who pass the JLPT receive a Certificate of Proficiency and, as a result, are better able to market their Japanese skills in order to further their careers and educational pursuits.
Date: Sunday, December 6, 2009
Test Site in Seattle: University of Washington
Application Deadline: September 25, 2009
To register visit: http://www.jflalc. org/?act= tpt&id=8
Contact Information: The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles Office
JLPT Administration Committee
Tel: (213)621-2267
E-mail: noryoku@jfalc. org
For more information and on-line application, please visit the Japan Foundation, Los Angeles site: http://www.jflalc. org
Free “On-line Japanese Language SUSHI TEST” is also available for those who are not yet ready to undertake Level Four of the Japanese Proficiency Test http://momo. jpf.go.jp/ sushi/
Roland Kelts and young fans at Keio Academy Digital Media Creation program
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Over the weekend we mentioned that Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, gave a talk for the students in the Keio Academy of New York Japanese-English Bilingual Summer Program in Purchase, NY in connection with a two-week Digital Media Creation program. (Additional speakers in the program include Michael Arias, director of “ANIMATRIX” and “Tekkonkinkreet,” Shoji Kawamuri, animation director and mechanical designer and Yuji Nunokawa, CEO of animation producer Pierrot Co., Ltd.)
Here are a couple nice photos from the event:
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J DOC: Learn Japanese Grammar! Nuances of the Particles に and で
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The Japanese Doctor is a recurring feature written by Friend Of JET, Jon Hills, who maintains the blog for Hills Learning (www.hillslearning.com). 
Hills Learning is a NY-based language learning services company offering customized and personal Japanese and Chinese language learning options. Their main service is private one on one language lessons in the NYC area.
One of the most difficult parts of learning Japanese is not learning colloquial phrases or expanding vocabulary, but perfecting the usage of small words. Although small words to non-native speakers might seem to be trivial, just look at how important the articles “a, an, and the” are in English. “A girlfriend” vs. “The Girlfriend” means something entirely different in English, although in Japanese there is no direct equivalent to describe this situation. Japanese speakers who are learning English explain to me all the time that they still don’t quite understand when to use “a,” vs. when to use “the.” Conversely, the Japanese particles (が、は、で、に、を、へ) continue to confuse both beginner and advanced students of the Japanese language.
In this entry we’ll try to explain the subtle differences and the correct usage of the articles でand に. Both articles show the location of where something is, or where an action takes place. So if you were going to say…
(CLICK HERE to read the rest of the article)
JapanInfo Newsletter – July 2009
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The July 2009 edition of JapanInfo is now available online. JapanInfo is published by the Consulate General of Japan in New York/Japan Information Center and is a great source of info for Japan-related things going on in New York and the surrounding area.
Highlights include:
- Professor Setsuko M. Nishi of CUNY Honored by the Government of Japan
- The Young People’s Chorus of New York City Departs for Japan Tour
- From the Ambassador’s Desk
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Buriki: Japanese Tin-Toys July 9 to August 16, 2009 – Japan Society
- Yuto Miyazawa 9 year old Guitarist – Highline Ballroom- 8/2
- And plenty of things to do and see on the Events Calendar.
Jobs: International Education Programs (Chronicle of Higher Ed)
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Via the Chronicle of Higher Education’s international education programs job listing:
Associate Professor or Assistant Professor, Economics
Faculty of Liberal Arts, Saitama University
Posted: 07/30/2009
Assistant, Associate, or full Professor, International Relations
School of International Liberal Studies, Waseda University
Posted: 07/30/2009
Assistant, Associate, or full Professor, Modern/contemporary European or American History
Waseda University
Posted: 07/30/2009 Read More
Job: Translator/interpreter for Saitama Prefecture International Division (Japan)
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This job listing is courtesy of Denise Schlickbernd, a JET currently working as a CIR in the Saitama Prefecture International Division.
The Saitama Prefecture International Division currently has a job opening for a translator/interpreter and is hoping to find a native English speaker to fill it. The details are as follows:
The Saitama Prefecture International Division in Saitama City is currently searching for a part-time English-to-Japanese translator and interpreter.
Responsibilities include:
· Editing and translation of English publications
· Creation and editing of English web pages
· Assist with projects to support foreign residents
· Native English checks of translated materials
Job: Assistant News Producer – Tokyo Broadcasting System International (D.C.)
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UPDATE 9/10/09: This position has been filled. Please do not send resumes.
Assistant News Producer
Location: Washington, DC
Start Date: September 2009
Payment: Full Paid
Company: Tokyo Broadcasting System International
The Washington, D.C. Bureau of Tokyo Broadcasting System International (TBS) is seeking a professional individual to fill an Assistant News Producer position. Read More
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Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, hosted a talk with Hayao Miyazaki (director of Spirited Away among other animated films) on July 25 in Berekely, CA. Miyazaki made a rare U.S. appearance to receive the second annual Berkeley Japan Prize for lifetime achievement, presented by the Center for Japanese Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. (See a Japan Times article on the event here.)
This was familiar territory for Roland, who hosted a talk with novelist Haruki Murakami in October 2008 when Murakami was presented with the first Berekely Japan award.
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.
There is talk in Japan of changing the legal adult age of 20 down to 18, as a government advisory panel introduced thi
s idea on Wednesday. This was put forth by the Democratic Party, who is expected to take power from the long-reigning Liberal Democratic Party in the upcoming general election. The proposal will be submitted to Japan’s justice minister if the Legislative Council approves it at its general meeting in September. This could go through sas early as May of next year, and it would allow people to vote in elections and get married without permission from their parents two years earlier than is currently permitted (the current marriage age is 18 for men and 16 for men, but they suggest making it 18 for both).
It has been said that this idea is being floated for the purpose of “young people’s self-sustainability,” but the word on the street from those interviewed on the news was that Read More
JET alums in the art world?
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Botodesigns by Chen Reichert
If you’re a JET alum and you’re an artist or connected to the art world, e-mail us at jetwit [at] jetwit [dot] com and let us know about yourself. And if you know of any JET alums in this category, feel free to get in touch as well.
Here’s the most up-to-date list of JET alum artists and JET alums connected to the art world (which will continue to be updated): https://jetwit.com/wordpress/library/art/
Summer by Dawn Mostow (Gifu-ken, 2003-06)
p.s. Make sure to let us know prefecture and years on JET, current location and any links to your work.
J-News Mini-Roundup: Record High Suicide Rates Suspected in Japan
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J-News Mini-Roundup is a recurring feature written by Friend Of JET, Jon Hills, who maintains the blog for Hills Learning (www.hillslearning.com). Hills Learning is a NY-based language learning services company offering customized and personal Japanese language learning options.
The latest victim of economic recession in Japan is people’s lives
Background: During an economic recession news is usually filled with how corporations are posting losses, or how smaller businesses are filing for bankruptcy. On a more personal level news stories are filled with how the unemployed are finding new means of income, and how families might deal with parents having to work night jobs. The social impact as a whole during a recession is rarely commented on, probably mainly because there are no easily interpreted indicators that measure social well being. Deaths could possibly increase, but usually in America this is due to murder rates.
Take a society like Japan, and unfortunately one of the easiest indicators to measure happiness in the country as a whole is the suicide rate. Today the newspapers each reported differently on the news that Japan this year has had record suicide rates.
Nikkei “Suicides break 17,000 in the first half of 2009”
(CLICK HERE for the rest of the article, that includes Japanese News Summaries)
James Scanlon-Canegata returned from JET last year and, in addition to pursuing research on religious studies, he’s also started working as a professional translator. Recently, after taking a freelance job from a large translation company, he learned that he was expected to use translation software to aid his work. This led him to the honyaku Google group to seek advice and perspective on the software issue.
JetWit thought it would be interesting to hear what James has learned so far and share it for the benefit of the JET and JET alum community. Read on for his experience so far:
I was also completely unaware that translators used any kind of translation software when I first started thinking about doing it. I have a friend who does English-Portuguese translation and I first found out from her that this is something most professional translators use. When I did my first paid translation I just worked on Word and excel and it was very slow-going and tedious at some points. That’s when I started to wonder if translation software could help move things along.
I have a Mac and so I tried a couple of free translation programs that I saw recommended on online forums. I ended up feeling mostly confused about, well, everything. But specifically, I had the most trouble with the actual interface of the applications. The program would isolate a small area to be translated automatically and the idea is that you would go along and translate the parts until you’re through. But, with Japanese of course you have to start from the tail-end of the sentence and translate backwards a lot of times and it seemed like the application just wasn’t programmed for that type of translation. The same would go with sets of sentences where the meaning just won’t come out right if it is translated into English word-for-word in its original order. The program also seemed to break sentences up into seemingly random segments without any regard for periods or commas or common sense (on terms of a Japanese-English translation type of common sense).
This may just be because I’m an inexperienced translator, but my theory was that the software was geared Read More
Event: NYC Japan Street Fair – Sunday, August 23
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For a big, 15-block New York street fair coming up, one stretch will be devoted specifically to things Japanese. Further indication of how much Japanese culture has become part of the New York scene. (Rumor has it that New York-ken might even soon have its own ALTs!) Demo majime ni, read the press release below for more info:
The NYC Japan Street Fair Debuts at the Daytop Madison Avenue Festival!
NEW YORK, New York, (July 22, 2009) – On Sunday, August 23, 2009, the NYC Japan Fair will make its debut at the Daytop Madison Avenue Festival, one of New York’s largest street fairs that spans 15 blocks – from 42nd to 57th Streets – and attracts 10 million visitors annually. Hosting a diverse array of companies specializing in distinctly Japanese products and food, the NYC Japan Fair invites New Yorkers to immerse themselves with the rich culture of Japan for a day, while using the event as a test market to introduce new Japanese products to the U.S.
The Fair’s approximately 40 booths offer everything tangible about Japanese culture: food, merchandise, Read More
