Translators Mini-Challenge is a new arbitrarily recurring feature presented by professional translator, interpreter and writer Kia Cheleen (CIR, Aichi-ken 1996-98, ALT 1998-1999).
Update: The winner is Lee-Sean Huang (Oita-ken, 2003-06)
Welcome to the first-ever JetWit Translators Mini-Challenge! The first person to respond by email to jetwit /atto/ jetwit /dotto/ com with the correct English translation of the below Japanese term will win a free Gaijin-a-Go-Go CD (Go-Go Bootcamp)!
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凸凹（でこぼこ）
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ANSWER: uneven, rough, rugged, bumpy
Stay tuned for the next Mini-Challenge!
Job: Position Opening at the Japan-America Society (D.C.)
Jobs, Translating/Interpreting 
Comments Off on Job: Position Opening at the Japan-America Society (D.C.)
Position Opening at the Japan-America Society
Mon Dec 1, 2008 7:25 pm (PST)
Japan-America Society Seeks an Assistant for the 2009 Japan Bowl
The Japan-America Society is now taking applications for a temporary position opening from mid-January to mid-April 2009 to assist the Director of the National Japan Bowl to prepare and run the 2009 competition. Read More
Job: Part-time book buyer/seller for Kinokuniya (Seattle)
Jobs Comments Off on Job: Part-time book buyer/seller for Kinokuniya (Seattle)
Just saw this on the JETAA Pacific Northwest email group:
PART-TIME BOOK BUYER/SELLER for KINOKUNIYA (Seattle)
Minimum Qualifications:
*Good communication skills; fluent English both in speaking
and writing.
*Japanese proficiency is not necessary, but must be
interested in Asian culture and languages.
*Must be able to work flexible hours; 3-4 times a week
including weekends; no more than 30 hours a week
*Must be able to make at lease 6 month commitment to
the position.
*Legal to work in the U.S. (no internship/practica l visa.)
Please submit your resume to: seattle /atto/ kinokuniya /dotto/ com
Deadline: Dec 20, 2008
KINOKUNIYA BOOKSTORES, SEATTLE STORE, 525 S WELLER ST, SEATTLE, WA 98104
Monday-Saturday 10AM-9PM; Sunday 10AM-8PM P.S.T.
Is author David Mitchell a JET alum?
Books, Celebrity, Uncategorized, Writers Comments Off on Is author David Mitchell a JET alum?
Can anyone confirm whether award-winning author David Mitchell is an alumni of the JET Program? His Wikipedia entry and other info on the web make clear that he lived in Hiroshima for 8 years and taught English at a technical school. Just trying to confirm whether he’s a JET alum.
E-mail any info to jetwit /atto/ jetwit /dotto/ com.
FYI, he is the author of (among other things) Ghostwritten (1999), number9dream (2001), and CloudAtlas (2004).
INTERVIEWING IN N. AMERICA FOR ALT POSITIONS COMMENCING IN MARCH/APRIL 2009
Interac Co., Ltd., Japan’s leading private provider of Assistant Language Teachers to the Japanese public schooling system, is accepting applications from motivated and committed educators currently residing N. America to join our team of over 1,700 teaching professionals for positions commencing in March/April 2009.
If you love working with kids ranging in age from elementary to junior high school, have a passion for teaching, a willingness to adapt to a culture that is different from yours, and wish to expand your horizons and teaching skills by working in the public schooling system in Japan as an ALT, then you are the candidate we are looking for.
Based out of its head office in Tokyo and its eight branch offices located throughout Japan, Interac’s staff of approximately 1,700 ALTs are now working in locations throughout Japan. Read More
JETAA Chapter Beat – 12.01.08
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Freelance writer/editor Jonathan Trace (Fukuoka-ken, 2005-08) takes us on a walk around the JET community…
- Sunday, December 14 – Bonnenkai. 6:00 p.m. at Tono Sushi, $20 for JETs and $25 for everyone else.
- Tuesday, December 2nd – Konwakai business meeting on “How to address conflicts between American upper management and Japanese headquarters.” 6:10 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. at the Consuate General of Japan.
- Friday, December 5th – Happy Hour at Daisy Buchanan’s.
- Saturday, December 6th – An outing to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts(MFA) and dinner at Sake Japanese. Join the JASM (Japan America Society of Maine) at 2:00 p.m. for a look around the MFA. $15.00 entry fee for the museum.
- Tuesday, December 16th – JETAA Monthly Meeting
- Every Thursday Free Japanese Class
- Thursday, December 4th – PNWJETAA Executive Advisory Group meeting. 6:00 p.m. at Wann Izakaya.
- Saturday, December 6 – Bonnenkai. 6:30 p.m. at Bush Garden. $12 per person. Bring a gift to participate in the White Elephant Gift Exchange. RSVP as seating is limited.
- Sunday, December 21 – Sing for Christmas Service at the Christ United Presbyterian Church(CUPC) Choir. Practices on Dec. 5, 12, and 19th at 7:30 p.m.
- Saturday, December 13th – Bonnenkai. 7:00 p.m. at the Wakatay Restaurant. $10 for JET Alums, $15 for Friends of the JET Program. Bring a wrapped gift (value $10-15) to participate in the “White Elephant” gift exchange.
- Tuesday, December 2nd – Informal Pub Supper with Ambassador Ebihara. 7:00 p.m. at The Penderel’s Oak. £10 for members of the Japan Society and JETAA.
- Wednesday, December 3rd – Annual Chapter Meeting followed by food. 7:00-8:00 p.m. at the Japan Local Government Centre.
- Friday, December 12 – Bonnenkai. 7:30 p.m. $20 for JETAA Members and JALTs, $55 for all others. Drinks not included. RSVP as seats will be limited.
- Movember – Ewan Morris, one of the JETAA Canberra committee members is participating in Movember this year and has asked JETAA members to support him. Movember is an organization to raise money for awareness of men’s health issues – namely depression and prostate cancer – through the lovely art of moustache growing. Click to donate to a good cause.
- Tuesday, December 2nd – Free public workshop entitled Japan’s Gateway to the West: The Nagasaki Foreign Settlement 1859-1941 by Professor Brian Burke-Gaffney. 5:00 p.m. at the National Library of Australia(NLA), Ferguson Room, 1st Floor.
- Wednesday, January 28th – Kodo “One Earth Tour” Taiko concert at the Orpheum Theatre. 8:00 p.m. From now until December 31st there is a special 15% discount on tickets when you order online using the code ODAIKO
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.
Job: Freelance writers needed (Tokyo)
Japan Trends, Jobs, Uncategorized Comments Off on Job: Freelance writers needed (Tokyo)
Interesting job listing from Craigslist Tokyo. Reminds me of the Tom Lehrer line about a certain doctor specializing in “diseases of the rich.”
Freelance writers needed (Tokyo)
Reply to: job-935865525@craigslist.org [?]
Date: 2008-11-27, 4:27PM JT
New bi-monthly magazine looking for freelance writers. The magazine will target wealthy and successful foreigners in Japan and will include topics such as business, politics and culture or anything that might interest the readers. The language will be English.
Reply with a short description of your past experience and an sample of your previous work.
We will also consider Japanese writers even if the English ability is not entirely perfect. We will spell-check and rewrite together with you.
I just learned about another JET alum author named Rob Weston (Nara-ken, 2002-04), currently a resident of Toronto, thanks to JETAA DC newsletter chair Gina Anderson (Nara-ken, 2003-05).
Rob is the author of Zorgamazoo, a “rhyming, rhythmical tale of Katrina, a girl with a big heart and an even bigger imagination” published this year by Penguin Books and available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Powells.
If the website for the book (www.zorgamazoo.com) is any indication, then the book seems like an exceedingly fun read for adults as well as children. (Plus, I read the free excerpt and it turns out it is as fun as the website.)
You can also follow Rob’s blog at wayofthewest.wordpress.com
FYI, to see a list of all JET alum authors (of which JetWit is aware), go to jetwit.com/wordpress/library/authorsbooks. And if you know of any others, be a good JET alum and send an e-mail to jetwit /att/ jetwit /dotto/ com.
New Graduate School page on JetWit
Academic, Career, Graduate School Comments Off on New Graduate School page on JetWit
Have a look at the new Graduate School page on JetWit.com. These are schools and programs that tend to be popular with JET alumni.
- If you know of a school that should be added, or
- If you attended one of the programs and want to add some information or comments or would be willing to be contacted if other JET alums want to talk to people who have attended your program
just send an e-mail to jetwit /atto/ jetwit /dotto/ com.
Job: Translation – Japanese to English – Alexandria, VA
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Just saw this today on Craigslist (DC). It’s a day old so apologies for the delay.
Japanese to English Book Translation Needed (Alexandria)
Reply to: gigs-937752679@craigslist.org [?]
Date: 2008-11-29, 8:06AM EST
I have a Japanese craft book about lamp-making. It contains 115pgs with many how-to pictures and directions. I need this book translated within 2 months. I will consider offers and am willing to send a scan or two of the book when requested. Thank you.
Translation Resources
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I’ve been following a blog called Translation-Language-Culture (www.translationlanguageculture.com) written by a guy named Werner Patel, and I noticed a nice recent post about online resources for translators that I thought was worth sharing.
Werner specializes in English-German translation and is a Canadian citizen, though the blog addresses translation issues from a general perspective.
I’d be interested in hearing what JetWit readerst think of the site, especially any info or perspectives that might be particularly helpful to the JET/JET alum community.
Send any comments to jetwit /atto/ jetwit /dotto/ com.
Rise in Elderly Crime in Japan – by The Washington Post’s Blaine Harden
Article/Journalism, Japan Trends, Uncategorized, Writers Comments Off on Rise in Elderly Crime in Japan – by The Washington Post’s Blaine Harden
An interesting article about a rise in crime by the elderly in Japan, by the Washington Post’s Blaine Harden and Akiko Yamamoto. Apparently many older people, feeling isolated and disconnected, are engaging in shoplifting.
A question for JET alumni readers: Have you heard about or experienced this trend or related trends in other contexts? Do any JETs or JET alums out there interact with elderly communities on a regular basis? It seems like there’s a lot of potential for both volunteer and 
work opportunities for JET alums with regard to Japan’s aging population.
Send an e-mail to jetwit /atto/ jetwit /dotto/ com with any comments or perspectives, or post a comment below.
Jobs in the hospitality industry in Japan?
Advice, Career, JETAA Chapters, Networking Comments Off on Jobs in the hospitality industry in Japan?
The below question and response recently appeared on the LinkedIn group “Official Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme and Alumni Association (JETAA).” (Names of the alumni are intentionally not included.)
Question: Topic: Companies to look at for hospitality/tourism or entertainment related jobs in Japan
I recently had interviews with Bandai and Konami but didn’t get moved onto the next round in both cases. However, I realized I’d really like to work at a gaming/entertainment company. If that doesn’t come through, then I’d like to try and work at a hotel or similar establishment. If anyone has ideas for companies/hotels where I could apply to work for in Japan please let me know.
Response: If you are not to concerned about salary you could check out the adventures here: http://www.snowjapan.com/e/features/working-at-japanese-ski-resorts.html
(Seems like it is more for the experience, rather than the earning potential.)
By the way, I also used to work in the games biz back in Vancouver, and I have visited quite a few studios here as well. One thing I can tell you is that the atmosphere is really different. Whereas you might expect really fun, creative work places with free Starbucks and foosball (a la North American experience), the Japanese reality is excessive overtime and Akihabara-style people who don’t get out much. I would probably go for the ski resort…
It turns out JET alum Lars Martinson, author of the graphic novel Tonoharu: Part 1, has a four-part series on his experience applying for a Monbusho Scholarship that’s worth reading.
JetWit also recently had a post about Lars completing a 10-part series on his site (larsmartinson.com) all about self-publishing. And I just realized he has a unique section on his site devoted to reflections from his time on JET.
It’s also worth noting that, while he had been living in Minneapolis, MN, more recently he’s relocated to Tokushima-ken in Shikoku for graduate school.
Julie Matysik (Yamanashi-ken, 2006-07) is a freelance copy editor and aspiring in-house editor who recently moved to NYC with her husband (also a JET alum). She has just started an internship in editing/publishing/writing. Editorial Pursuits chronicles her job hunting efforts, experiences and lessons learned.
Warning: the following post is coming from deep frustrations with job searching and the inability to land a solid entry-level job in the editing and publishing field over the past four months.
I cannot even begin to express how frustrating it is when you check a site daily for jobs and find nothing a) that you are qualified for, b) that is in the city you are living in, or c) — just plain nothing!
My most favorite, and most reliable, job searching sites-Publisher’s Marketplace, MediaBistro, and Book Jobs-have not posted anything pertinent to my job search needs in the last two weeks.
Of course, I know better than to blame the job search engines for Read More
