[Lilongyue]

Thanks for sharing your experience MMM.  I think the translation opportunities are different for someone going from Chinese to English, or vice-versa.  China doesn't have the whole manga scene, and also isn't innovating in any way (in terms of software or hardware), so there's no need to translate manuals of any kind.  There is a need in import/export companies for bilingual people, but that kind of work is very uninteresting to me.  I'm interested in translating some Buddhist and historical texts, both of which I know there is a limited market for, and I don't expect to be able to make a living solely from translating that kind of material.

When you were working at an established translation company did you work in the office?  Do you work out of your home now?  Ideally, I'd like to be able to work out of the home (for translations), and am considering court interpreting.  I'm not yet sure if I have the particular skill that is required to be a court interpreter, it sounds very demanding.

Do you think an Japan-based international company, one doing business with China, would be interested in someone who could translate from Chinese into English, but not speak Japanese?  Do you think a company like that would be wiling to hire someone who was also willing to learn Japanese while working there? Have you ever heard of someone doing this?