[Hatredcopter]

When I studied abroad in Nagoya last year I had to take an internship as part of my school's major requirements. I worked at a law firm doing various things. I translated some of the more simple documents in J to E (letterheads, cover sheets, things of that sort.) I also made phone calls to some of our English-speaking clientele. While I worked there I got a chance to meet a number of different foreigners working in Japan (many of whom were involved in translation).

What I've learned is that most of the money lies within patent translation, as well as medical and other legal documents. Engineering/sciences also garners a fair amount. Sadly for you aspiring manga translators, the market is rather small. Most manga translation occurs in the US, and there aren't many positions to begin with.

Although in-house wages are pretty modest, you can make a killing as a freelancer in Japan (easily 6 figure annually). However, there are also a few disadvantages. The first being it's difficult to get clients as a freelancer when you first start out. Most companies always go back to the same translators if they can. Therefor, its almost required that you start out as an in-house translator in Japan before it's viable to move on to freelance. I've also heard that freelancing can be a bit of a feast or famine thing. You can make a load of cash one month, and then not a whole lot at all the next. It all depends on the hours you work, the clients you get, and the price-per-word you work on.

Bottom line is, being a freelance translator is kinda like being a day trader. You usually work long hours, it's tough to start out, but you can also make a pretty big wad of money too. It's something I'd like to try after working a few years on the JET program.

Anyhow, that's my two cents!