I’ve been working with Japanese translators for more than a decade. Leading and forming close relationships with a team of passionate Japanese linguists with diverse professional and personal paths has taught me more about the wonders of cross-cultural work than might fit in a single article. Whether you have a casual interest in Japanese, or are entertaining the idea of becoming a translator, here are … Continue reading →
Mistakes? Who makes mistakes when you are a Japanese translator? Your Japanese is perfect. Your translating skill will become perfect. Perfection doesn’t breed mistakes. You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you? There are all kinds of mistakes that you’ll be facing. Your mistakes I don’t care how good you think you are or how well you know your stuff. You are going … Continue reading →
Speed. Accuracy. You want them both. In your Japanese and in your Japanese translation. The higher your translation skill rises, the higher each of these is lifted up with it. However, regardless of how high you go, you can’t reach a maximum for both. They are a balancing scale. You can improve the scale, and make each base start off higher, but there will come a … Continue reading →
Have I convinced you to try your hand at translation? Maybe you are filled with excitement, and ready for the newest challenge that awaits. So dive right in! Where? Where is the diving board? Where is the pool? How do you even start? Like any new career, it can be hard to find where to begin. Luckily it no longer involves searching in the dark … Continue reading →
Money! When you start thinking about your future, and what the “way of the translator” will bring to your life, thinking about money is inevitable. Will becoming a translator leave you poor and eating instant ramen 3 times a day? Or will it allow you to buy an island in Japan where you can retire? Ways to Get Paid A Japanese translator is usually paid … Continue reading →
Translation is work. It takes skill to do that work. It takes focus to use that skill. And it takes time to gain that focus. But once you get the hang of all that, and you are confronted with a translation assignment, if you are lucky, you may enter the zone. I’m not really that familiar with basketball. But as I’ve learned from realistic anime, … Continue reading →
A lot of people consider becoming a translator the default route for a Japanese learner, without actually thinking about if it’s actually a job they might enjoy doing. You love Japanese. Translation is using that Japanese. So you should love translation. Unfortunately this isn’t the exact equation, and people who love Japanese don’t necessarily love translation. Some may even hate it. So is translation fun … Continue reading →
Japanese translator sounds like a straightforward job. You translate. You get paid. Then you party (Japanese style). However, there are multiple versions of a translator. Which is great, because depending on how you like to work, where you like to work, and how you see yourself as a future translator, you can forge your own personalized path. You can change your path. You can build … Continue reading →
