Working as a translator/interpreter

[pandayanyan]

Wow MMM, That is very informative and sorta.. umm whats the word.. enlightening? yes. Thank you for your info.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by 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?

Historical texts is a very noble cause for translation. But I think you are right...that might be a "passion project". You can look for grants, or benefactors interested in spreading the Buddhist ideals to the West... but that is a quest you would know more about than I.

My experience with Japanese businessmen tells me that they will want someone who can speak Japanese. Now, on the other hand, since your are a foreigner, they may also not want to have to deal with you directly, so if there were a English-speaker in the company who could act as a go-between, you might be alright. (Japanese businessmen want conflict, stress-free workplaces... for them. The employees should be stressed, but the men in charge will hire purely on what's easiest for them... They will risk billions of yen on a shady business deal, but not five minutes on a potentially amazing employee). So I wish I had a better answer for you. With a little luck it's certainly possible (and I don't say that to many of the dreamers on this forum). I would recommend starting to learn Japanese now if that really is your dream. Most employers aren't going to have that kind of patience, I think.

I did work in an office before, but now I work from home.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by pandayanyan

Wow MMM, That is very informative and sorta.. umm whats the word.. enlightening? yes. Thank you for your info.

If it's helpful, then I am really glad.

[Lilongyue]

Originally Posted by MMM

My experience with Japanese businessmen tells me that they will want someone who can speak Japanese. Now, on the other hand, since your are a foreigner, they may also not want to have to deal with you directly, so if there were a English-speaker in the company who could act as a go-between, you might be alright. (Japanese businessmen want conflict, stress-free workplaces... for them. The employees should be stressed, but the men in charge will hire purely on what's easiest for them... They will risk billions of yen on a shady business deal, but not five minutes on a potentially amazing employee). So I wish I had a better answer for you. With a little luck it's certainly possible (and I don't say that to many of the dreamers on this forum). I would recommend starting to learn Japanese now if that really is your dream. Most employers aren't going to have that kind of patience, I think.

Thanks again, I figured that would be the case. However, I have to admit that since living in Asia I've met people who have found some very unique opportunites simply by being in the right place at the right time, and having a good pitch . . . or maybe that's just China, haha.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by Lilongyue

Thanks again, I figured that would be the case. However, I have to admit that since living in Asia I've met people who have found some very unique opportunites simply by being in the right place at the right time, and having a good pitch . . . or maybe that's just China, haha.

Oh no, Japan is the same way. Certainly there are chances, but, like I said, it will take some ingenuity and luck. Because you have unique skills, you may need to be able show them why they need you.

[Xuande]

This is the profession I'm looking to get into in maybe a couple of years. For now I guess I have a couple of questions. Is it better to work as a freelancer or is it better to get a job at a company? Also, is it a good idea to move to places that have alot of work for translators or can you pretty much just work anywhere?

[pandayanyan]

yes, is this the kind of job you can do from the states and send your work back as you finish? Or is this the sort of thng you need to be in the office in Japan to do? Also I know you said you majored in Japanese and focused heavliy on english as well but is it sufficient enough to just have a major in english/japanese? Or is there anything else that helps in the job market? In your experience do the companies hire more off of experience, education, or impressions?
Sorry that is allot of questions but this is very helpful and I am really curious now that this thread is kicking off.

[MMM]

It's nice that it is a job that you don't have to necessarily be in a certain place to do, but I'd rather be in America with Japanese clients than the other way around, just because of living expenses and the rates they will pay.

Unless you pass the Japanese Proficiancy Test at Level 1, you will need experience, which means getting in the door at a larger translation company. The pay won't be as high as it can be as a freelance translator, but you won't get any work if you don't have any experience. There really isn't any need to move. I was surprised to find out that one of the best translators I know actually lives in Australia. I just assumed he lived in the US. I would guess there are more translation companies that do Asian languages on west coast, but I don't know for sure.

Nintendo is entirely in-house, because of trade secrets, so you might see that kind of situation, too.

In terms of study and work, translation companies like people that love languages, but who doesn't who applies. I worked at a Japanese bank for a couple years, so I was able to say I had a "special skill" in banking and economics language. That wasn't really true, but it showed I had a variety of experiences. Find work where you can gain a special skill, especially if it is language related, and they have a "jargon" (i.e. banking, politics, legal, marketing, high-tech, IT, cooking, etc.).

[pandayanyan]

I understand... so are there companies stateside that do translation work for Japanese companies? Or do you have to go to Japan and move back after gaining all that experience.

[Xuande]

Cool. I plan to pass the JLPT 2 test before I consider translating for money unless I start to feel really comfortable with the language but I don't see that happening for a while. I'd also like to practice translating things on my own before I start to do jobs for money to get more used to it. Anyways, this stuff is still a while off since I've pretty much just begun studying japanese. Thanks for helping me out with all my questions MMM.