As I've seen is somewhat common around here, early on in my Japanese learning journey I found AJATT to be very insparational but later diverged from the method somewhat significantly. I was recently having a look at the site again and decided to check out AJATT+. It seems like a bit of a ghost town, to be honest, but there's lots of good, new, and pretty interesting information there. One thing that I found particularly interesting was the HTGITTI(How to get into the Translation Industry) guide. Apparently, that was Khatz's job before AJATT took off. He doesn't mention how long ago he quit, but I'm just wondering if things have changed; particularly whether or not you need a degree now. Basically, he says that all you need to be a professional translator is, 1) Very strong Japanese, 2) Very strong English(as in a deep knowledge of English grammar and a larger than average vocabulary), and 3) Very strong knowledge of the subject you're translating into. He mentions that most companies will gauge your knowledge with a test rather than asking you to show your certifications, is this still the case? I'm pretty sure I remember at least a couple of people on here mentioning that they were translators before, but I can't recall who, so I can't contact them directly. So, professional Translators, do you need a degree(in any of those three areas mentioned) to make a living in the industry? If not, do they help at all or are you better off studying at home(provided you reach the same level of knowledge had you got a degree)? Thanks! *** [EDIT]: I don't know WTF happened to my formatting, but apologies for the wall of text!

Khatz went into an IT job directly from graduation. If he was ever a professional translator I've never heard it mentioned.

- You need a degree or significant professional experience if you want to do anything other than freelance, if only for the visa.
- You need strong English and Japanese, but strong English is the more important of the two (you are trying to become a professional writer after all)
-You do not need extremely strong knowledge of the topic, but you do need above a layman's level and good research skills to find out what you don't know and how to write about it. I do in-house translation in the automotive marketing industry but I am not an auto mechanic (though I did take mechanics in high school for 2 years).
-You will do a trial translation for pretty much any type of translating gig (either in-house, at a translation firm, or as a freelancer). Having certificates (Japanese, translation, etc) in addition to doing well on trials makes you more attractive, but are not strictly required and some freelance places will offer anyone a trial (even without a degree).

I think most things are pretty much covered by what Jarvik wrote and in previous threads.

The two essential skills are obviously a good level of Japanese and a good level of written English. How high this level needs to be is debatable, but what is for sure is that the higher your level the better your chances of getting a job are, and also the better the chances that the job will actually pay well.

After that there are other things that will help you:
Specialist knowledge in a particular field
Formal Japanese language qualifications
Experience working in Japan
Experience writing professionally in English
A course in translation
and so on

None of the above are essential (there are people who have got into translation without them), but they may help.

I think the one thing to perhaps think about first is whether there is a particular field you want to translate within (chemistry, I.T., finance etc.) and if so get some formal qualifications in that in your own country first.

(note- I'm not actually a translator yet, this is more of a summary of what I've gathered from spending a lot of time reading how other people got into the industry. I have a masters in Chemistry, but still I kind of regret that I didn't get a couple of years more experience/qualifications in the chemical industry before moving to Japan.)

I am an in-house translator for a robotics company. When we need a new translator the boss leaves it up to the translating team to place the ad, go through the resumes, and organize interviews. He will sit in at the interviews and have an opinion about who to hire. I don't know how other companies do it. Typical applicant we would probably interview lives in Japan (a lot of applicants don't), and has at least JLPT N2. If they have experience, great. We usually don't get many applicants to interview, to be honest. We get a lot of freaky resumes with haiku translations or photos of them snowboarding. A lot of foreigners here are here for a reason: they are unemployable where they come from. It's a lot of fun sorting through them. So for my company, if you are presentable, can pass a short translation test (1 paragraph), and can answer a couple of questions in Japanese from the boss, you're a good chance.

[Zgarbas]

^Haiku translations? Like...they have their resumes written in haikus or what? It sounds pretty surreal.

Out of curiosity, what is a typical day like for all you translators out there working at Japanese companies or doing it freelance? Do you enjoy your work? Do you see yourself doing it for a long time? Pros/cons?

From twitter /@retranslattery Most truly content foreigners I know working in Japan (who've been there a while) are working for themselves.

EratiK Wrote:Check this thread:
http://forum.koohii.com/showthread.php?tid=6417
plus use the search fonction of the forum.

I thought I would get this. I have skimmed a few of the translation threads before, but couldn't recall having read direct answers to my questions. I didn't have the time to read through those threads in-depth, so I thought I would lay my questions out before I went to bed and hope for some simple answers when I got up.

@Jarvik - Thanks, that's exactly the reply I was looking for. Much appreciated! Also, Khatz did mention specifically that he was making a living doing freelance translation after he found that he was discontented with working in a Japanese office environment(the IT job he got after graduating).

Also, thanks very much for the information mutley and Mennon. I'll make sure not to focus on my Haiku translations and snowboarding skills too much when I make a resume.

Specifically concerning whether certain degrees would be useful, my impression is that:

Japanese degree- Not particularly important if you have one or not as, like Jarvik wrote, you will be tested for Japanese ability (well in terms of translation into English) anyway.

Translation degree/course- People on translation forums seem to be pretty evenly split between those that say it was a waste of time and those that say it was crucial for getting their current job (I guess it depends on the individual situation).

Technical degree (i.e. in the field you want to translate)- A big plus for certain highly technical jobs, but not so much for others. A decent background knowledge of the area can be enough even without formal qualifications.

Translators' backgrounds seem to be pretty varied. It seems that for every person telling you that a certain degree is necessary to get into a certain field of translation, there's another person who managed to get into that field and later become a specialist in it by pure chance. Other people will tell you that if you can't ace JLPT N1 you have absolutely no chance of getting a job, only for someone to comment that that's exactly what they managed.

Perhaps even more important than any formal qualifications is just connections, good luck and remembering to delete that haiku from your resume before you send it in.

My advice is based on what you need to do the job well, not what might squeak past the hr goon. If you can't pass jlpt1 you have no business doing pro translation (yet). I frequently fix translation mistakes by other translators who PASSED jlpt1 because they didn't properly understand the source.

My 2 year translation certificate was invaluable, but some elements were a total waste of time (like a course on the history of translation).

Yeah I never meant to imply you could be a good translator with the bare minimum level, although I'm sure some of those people who got thrown in at the deep end turned into pretty good translators eventually.

Out of interest Jarvik where did you take your certificate and what sort of stuff did it involve?

Mennon Wrote:I am an in-house translator for a robotics company. When we need a new translator the boss leaves it up to the translating team to place the ad, go through the resumes, and organize interviews. He will sit in at the interviews and have an opinion about who to hire. I don't know how other companies do it. Typical applicant we would probably interview lives in Japan (a lot of applicants don't), and has at least JLPT N2. If they have experience, great. We usually don't get many applicants to interview, to be honest. We get a lot of freaky resumes with haiku translations or photos of them snowboarding. A lot of foreigners here are here for a reason: they are unemployable where they come from. It's a lot of fun sorting through them. So for my company, if you are presentable, can pass a short translation test (1 paragraph), and can answer a couple of questions in Japanese from the boss, you're a good chance.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm going to guess, though, that your company probably doesn't pay very well... I would have expected a serious company to be a lot pickier about who translates their material.

I've been a translator for the government for over 10 years, as well as a freelancer, but not with Japanese. I've been learning the language in the hopes I could someday also do Japanese translation, and perhaps move to Japan. To be honest, JLPT2 seems like a very weak level to start with. From the sound of it, your company would probably hire me -- except that I wouldn't even hire myself. Not yet, anyway.

Good advice, I've decided to wait and build up my Japanese skills to higher levels before I pursue translation. Obviously working on it daily will make a difference in 1 year from now, which is exactly the type of mindset everyone should have. It may seem like a big goal when you think about it now but from a year from now (if you've put in the time), the results will speak for themselves.

This book may be interesting for those who are willing to gain more experience in the technical/scientific field: "Comprehending technical Japanese" by Edward Daub. It's from 1975 but it's really ace. Very educational, still, very challenging. You'll get a lot of knowledge what terms are commonly used in scientific writing.

Very interesting site that is: http://www.getlocalization.com
Engage in translating your favourite app (or other project, but mostly apps) for free.

I wouldn't bother becoming a translator if I hadn't _at least_ JLPT N1. I'm really surprised that there are companies that hire translators with only JLPT N2, since that's a quite low intermediate level. It's just like having passed the "Preliminary English Test" to become a professional English to XXX translator (it's about the same level as the JLPT N2). Even JLPT N1 is actually kind of a basic level. I know there are some Japanese translators who mention things like "Language skills: I'm preparing for the JLPT 1 right now" on their websites, but they won't get any clients like that. In the translation business you are professional or you are not. No one is looking for beginners, especially in the freelance sector. As for the degree, it can definitely help to get jobs, but it depends on where you live. As far as I know, degrees in translation or translation studies are not very common in the U.S., while they are almost a precondition for translators in Europe (of course, everyone can call himself or herself 'translator' and try to work as such, but well paid jobs or even jobs at all are only given out to people that have some qualification as a translator - be it a translation degree (M.A., B.A. is seldom sufficient) or some technical degree (for technical translations) PLUS high(est) level language certificates etc.). Japanese is a special case though, since there are only very few universities or schools that offer translation courses in Japanese. Nevertheless there are certificates for translators that are afaik also offered in Japanese, for instance, the DipTrans (http://www.iol.org.uk/qualifications/exams_diptrans.asp), but you have prepare for it on your own. Good luck!

yowamushi Wrote:I wouldn't bother becoming a translator if I hadn't _at least_ JLPT N1.

Don't bother then. We have 4 Western translators here, in-house, and only one of use has L1, and he got it after getting the job. The only people who care about the JLPT are other foreigners. If you can speak a bit, get the job done on time, and no-one complains about the work, you're hired! The real world is a lot less picky than what you think.
Or, waste your time on qualifications and degrees.
AlexandreC My company pays me enough to live in a nice house, raise two boys, go to Hawaii once a year, run a car and a motorbike, and still have plenty left over. How are you doing? And no, I wouldn't hire you, because I imagine you'd kind of piss me off in the interview.

Here's a translator job ad for Google (it's English -> Chinese, but still relevant)

http://www.google.com.tw/intl/zh-TW_ALL/...index.html

Note you either need a BA (plus preferably MA) in Translation OR 5 years of translation experience. So degrees are useful for getting hired by certain big corporations.

Mennon Wrote:

yowamushi Wrote:I wouldn't bother becoming a translator if I hadn't _at least_ JLPT N1.

Don't bother then. We have 4 Western translators here, in-house, and only one of use has L1, and he got it after getting the job. The only people who care about the JLPT are other foreigners. If you can speak a bit, get the job done on time, and no-one complains about the work, you're hired! The real world is a lot less picky than what you think.
Or, waste your time on qualifications and degrees.
AlexandreC My company pays me enough to live in a nice house, raise two boys, go to Hawaii once a year, run a car and a motorbike, and still have plenty left over. How are you doing? And no, I wouldn't hire you, because I imagine you'd kind of piss me off in the interview.

Nice info to know. I always knew that degrees/certification don't mean too much. Most people I know in my program at the moment(chemistry) often forget everything they learned by years end and they often do get A's in their classes. I've learned that actually being able to do what's asked (practical experiments) and maintaining what you learned(essential things) is what one needs. So having a lot of experience sometimes favor someone who has a lot of degrees(then again, it might be the other way around in some situations).

It's just like those language certification, if you get 90% on it, does that mean your fluent? To some it does but to the individual, it isn't. This reminds me of a french cerfication that a few people got in highschool and yet knew zero French (couldn't speak it well at all, could read or listen or write at all) but they still had that
certificate. Even in my school right now (college). They have japanese courses up to level 7 and even then, one wouldn't know enough to become "fluent".

Mennon Wrote:

yowamushi Wrote:I wouldn't bother becoming a translator if I hadn't _at least_ JLPT N1.

Don't bother then. We have 4 Western translators here, in-house, and only one of use has L1, and he got it after getting the job. The only people who care about the JLPT are other foreigners. If you can speak a bit, get the job done on time, and no-one complains about the work, you're hired! The real world is a lot less picky than what you think.
Or, waste your time on qualifications and degrees.

Yes, of course, I actually do think it is possible to get a job as a translator without the credentials I've described. My viewpoint is that of a European resident and a freelance translator though. Here you will only have a very low chance to have a decent income as a freelancer without credentials. Well, there are actually agencies that give out jobs to translators without degree or anything (as there are thousand of translation agencies...good ones and not so good ones), but these agencies _never_ pay well. All the good agencies only collaborate with people who have some kind of degree as translators or can prove otherwise that they are highly qualified as such (for instance, engineers or lawyers with exceptional language skills). They won't even answer you and give you the chance to take a translation test if there are no relevant credentials stated in your application. So, I wouldn't say that qualifications and degrees are a waste of time (at least in Europe, I don't know where Onelove_yo lives or wants to work).

And I'm sure it also depends on the kind of translations you do: technical translations can be somewhat easier if you have the required technical knowledge. But imagine translating texts about politics or academic stuff, maybe with very long sentences, a lot of idiomatic expressions etc. I do not think that a N2 level of Japanese will suffice (I'm talking about the actual language skills here, not only about the obtained certificate for its own sake). Even manga can be tricky with a N2 level of Japanese! The problem is that you have sole responsability for the work that you submit as a freelance translator. It must be correct, the text to be translated must be 100% understood (again, I'm talking about working as a freelancer, not as an in-house translator, which may be a different situation, but you will know better).


@ta12121

High school level certificates are, of course, worthless in these cases. There are certificates like the CPE for English, the DALF C2 for French or maybe even the JLPT N1 for Japanese that do prove a profound knowledge of the language though. Of course it does not mean that one can translate (the necessity of pure knowledge of the foreign language being overestimated sometimes), but it's something to start with.

[Zgarbas]

CPE is easy as pie. We get it in highschool, and if it wasn't for the age limit around here we'd get it even earlier.

I think JLPT is easier than any European certificate for the sole fact that it lacks speaking-writing-creative writing and you can get a few correct answers by sheer luck, which from the get go makes it 100 times more accessible...

No, I wouldn't say that the CPE is easy. I cannot imagine any high school student here would be able to tackle the test. A near native level of English is required in order to pass the CPE...

The relative lack of native English speakers who also know Japanese to a high level is a factor that can't be ignored. Especially if you are looking for someone with a lot of experience in a particular field (medicine, finance etc.) then the list is going to be pretty short.

Companies looking for someone to translate say French to English can afford to be demanding in terms of applicant's qualifications. This isn't so much the case with Japanese. I'm not saying that anyone with an N1 certificate if going to get bombarded with job offers (far from it), just that there is probably a much wider range in the ability levels and qualifications of Japanese-English translators than with some other language pairs.