Jobs & Careers

[A_Nozomi]

Why only 3%? And why call it delusion? Dreams are dreams, if you doubt yourself you will most certainly fail. Plenty of gaijin become celebrities.

[onyxmoron]

A_Nozomi wrote:
Why only 3%? And why call it delusion? Dreams are dreams, if you doubt yourself you will most certainly fail. Plenty of gaijin become celebrities.

Well, true, but I need to have a little bit of basis in reality first before I start pursuing such a daunting dream. Let me at least try to start paying back my student loans before I jump off that deep end, haha.

On the subject of gaijin talent, though, would anyone know exactly how one starts out in that field? I know Pakkun had his manzai, but what about others?

[jenl]

http://groups.google.com/group/honyaku - back on the subject of E/J translation, there is this mailing list for people working in that field. They may have some advice for you.

Other than JLPT 1 you might look at this: http://www.jetro.go.jp/en/bjt/ Whether companies prefer one over the other I don't know.

[Oracle]

I followed a similar path as you Oxymoron: got JLPT level 1, studied at university in Japan and graduated with a double major in Asian Studies and Japanese and had no idea what to do with it. Did translation and interpreting for a few years then got into IT and now I combine the two since I work mostly with Japanese clients.

If you've got the language skills then you can always find a niche somewhere in a field you're interested in if you keep looking. Translation can be a profitable at-home business once you've established you own (preferably corporate) clients who give you regular work, but it can take a while to get to that stage. Might be best to start in a translation company and learn the ropes there. I always preferred interpreting myself because you get to work with people rather than in front of a computer! (which is what I don't like about IT now I'm in it :/ )

Good luck!

[keatonatron]

onyxmoron wrote:
would anyone know exactly how one starts out in that field?

I'd assume you'd have to be randomly discovered (while doing low-level acting work, of course). There are a lot of foreigner's trying to follow that path, and although there is a lot less "white person competition", there are also a lot less acting jobs for white people.

Basically, I think the chances of making it big here are exactly the same as somewhere like, say, Hollywood or New York.

Only in Japan you can't simply work as a waiter to get by while waiting for your "big break".

[two_heads_talking]

Kagemaru wrote:

two_heads_talking wrote:
Rank: Sirname Japanese or English Interruptor. for example. (SSG Kelly Japanese Interruptor)

So..

How much interupting did you manage?

everytime someone spoke, I would interupt. (lol) and quite honestly, until I could get them to hold their shotgun of paragraphs of information at a time to a few sentences, I would interupt them often. In a perfect world, I would sit down with them afew days ahead and brief them on what I expected from them, and what I was capable of doing. I would also request a written form of their speech(brief etc.) so that I could look up vocablulary I was unfamiliar with. In the real world, there were many times that I was asked to interpret on 3 hours notice.

anyways, it was fun and nothing was ever easy or the same from week to week.

[Feba]

Rank: Sirname Japanese or English Interruptor. for example. (SSG Kelly Japanese Interruptor)

You wouldn't believe how many people would overlook the misspelling.

Is the fact that nobody has mentioned it's actually spelled surname an intentional joke?

on topic: as far as translations go, what sort of things are best to have in this field? JLPT1, I'm guessing, any other courses or certifications that would be useful? And how's the market for this state-side (specifically in freelance/WAH type jobs)? And if one were to decide on this *without* prior education, what would be the best way to become qualified (in both ability and certification), and what sort of college courses would be best to take?

I'm thinking about going into a language school to learn Japanese, then going to a university in Japan, but that would probably be fairly expensive and difficult compared to just majoring in Japanese here. Obviously it would improve my language skills more, but 'would it be worth the cost?' keeps going through my head.

[onyxmoron]

Feba wrote:
I'm thinking about going into a language school to learn Japanese, then going to a university in Japan, but that would probably be fairly expensive and difficult compared to just majoring in Japanese here. Obviously it would improve my language skills more, but 'would it be worth the cost?' keeps going through my head.

Ooo, I'd like to know the answer to the questions you posed as well.

Meanwhile, I'd like to respond to the quoted section:

I whole-heartedly recommend finding as much time studying Japanese in Japan itself as possible. I've learned more about Japanese in one year studying in Osaka than I have in the five years I studied it in the States. The constant exposure, moreso than the classes themselves, has been the most helpful thing.

I'm thinking about converting to the http://www.alljapaneseallthetime.com learning style to get ready for my JLPT1, since it seems I'd much more easily be able to adapt to it being at the source, so to speak.

[two_heads_talking]

Feba wrote:

Rank: Sirname Japanese or English Interruptor. for example. (SSG Kelly Japanese Interruptor)

You wouldn't believe how many people would overlook the misspelling.

Is the fact that nobody has mentioned it's actually spelled surname an intentional joke?

if you notice, my good friend, "sirname" isn't the only thing misspelled.. and yes, it was/is intentional.. the whole interruptor thing is an ironic play on words cooked up by overworked Japanese and American Translator/Soldiers with a few too many hours worked and hardly any sleep.

[Feba]

I figured the Dfense thing was just a typo.