Any eikaiwa escape?

[Marked Trail]

I majored in Japanese in university but I have deadended in engrish teaching for the past 15 years. I know that I am getting a little old (early 40s) to start doing translating but I thought I might give it a try---Anything to get out of fucking eikaiwa.

Do you know folks know of any courses, translator certification (I'm JLPT level 1 ) or other possible ways to transition myself from the horror of eikaiwa and into translating?

Via Bad eikaiwa photos

[Christoff]

How about a job as a foreign service officer at the embassy?

[Bucky]

What's your specialty? Most translators that I use have some subject that they specialize in. BioMed, Telecommunications, Financial, Legal, Patents. It really helps to have something that you're good at. Just being a general interest translator is going to limit your work, in my opinion.

I would also suggest you join the honyaku mailing list -- you can find out about it at this site: http://honyakuhome.org/. There are many J-E and E-J translators on the mailing list every day and they can be very helpful with terminology searches or, sometimes, giving tips to newbs.

Make sure you have a good resume and then start contacting translation agencies and sending the resume out. You can find a good list of American agencies on the ATA website (www.atanet.org).

You are also going to need to invest in some translation memory software like Trados or WordFast. Do your research on those and ask around to find out which would be best for you.

You might also look into joining JAT (Japan Association of Translators) http://jat.org/, another good place to network and, perhaps, get some mentoring.

Good Luck,

Buck

[AssKissinger]

I majored in Japanese in university but I have deadended in engrish teaching for the past 15 years. I know that I am getting a little old (early 40s) to start doing translating but I thought I might give it a try---Anything to get out of fucking eikaiwa.

Do you know folks know of any courses, translator certification (I'm JLPT level 1 ) or other possible ways to transition myself from the horror of eikaiwa and into translating?

Via Bad eikaiwa photos

OMG that Big Daikon thread is depressing as shit. Jesus I'm glad I jumped ship when I did. Whew...

[American Oyaji]

You are also going to need to invest in some translation memory software like Trados or WordFast. Do your research on those and ask around to find out which would be best for you.

As an aside. The translation group at the big H uses Trados.

[TennoChinko]

If you have not already - since you've been here for 15 years - I'd definitely get permanent residency. It might make it easier for you to transition to another occupation while moonlighting, taking on multiple part-time jobs, consulting, or even starting your own business.

[Taro Toporific]

What's your specialty? Most translators that I use have some subject that they specialize in. BioMed, Telecommunications, Financial, Legal, Patents. It really helps to have something

Maybe Marked Trail really didn't like studying those more practical fields in you University dayz, but now is the time to bite the bullet and at the very least do an MBA at Temple (?or a Japanese University?) here in Tokyo.

You are also going to need to invest in some translation memory software like Trados or WordFast.
Do your research on those and ask around to find out which would be best for you.

"WordFast"?! Damn, you learn something every day---In my little world of Hitachi/Mitsubishi/Seiko-Epson/Fujitsu, only Trados is grossly misused. Trados is a royal pain in ass to learn and use (and is memory hog that loves to crash whenever you have something important and well as having its flakey dongle to deal with).

Finally, maybe you are ignoring an obvious talent Mr. MARKed: interpretation.

If your Japanese is really smooth and have no problem with simul-interpreting, being a male gaijin interpreter---a rarity--- often leads to becoming a business consultant. Yeah, yeah, interpreting pays a little less than translation but Mrs. Taro has 10 times the job satisfaction working as an interpretor than when she has translate. Generally she makes more than I do without all the grief I face with insane translation clients. Once a interpretation leaves your mouth, it's done---Once a translation is finished, the horseshit has just begun.

[FG Lurker]

I majored in Japanese in university but I have deadended in engrish teaching for the past 15 years. I know that I am getting a little old (early 40s) to start doing translating but I thought I might give it a try---Anything to get out of fucking eikaiwa.

I've been here about the same length of time. I started a computer repair business in my second year here which turned into an IT consulting and service business oriented towards businesses. Moved from that to working for a Tokyo-based IT company, and then to a European company working as their Japan IT manager. Now I have an export business, not the best thing in the current economy, but it will improve. I taught my last English lesson sometime in 1998.

I found that starting something else while still teaching was a good way to transition away from it. If translation is what you'd like to do then the advice posted by others certainly looks like a good way to start. You can keep teaching to pay the bills while you build up the translation work. At some point you'll need to make the jump to doing only translation which will mean a temporary drop in income, but definitely worth it long term!

Good luck and don't give up!

[Tsuru]

Bad eikaiwa photos

THIS? This is what thousands of people fly to Japan to do every year?

Jesus H. Christ.

[Taka-Okami]

Go home, retrain, and get a real job. Young j-woman don't want to be 'edu-tained' by old fart male gaijins. I got stuck doing that crap for almost 5 years, it was a 5 year hole in my CV, and took another degree at university to get my life back on track. Early 40's is not too late to retrain as you still have 20 years left to give. There is a shortage of Civil engineers in a number of countries at the moment for example.