How to get started in general translation/patent translating Thread poster: Jarret King
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Jarret King
United States
Local time: 09:41
Japanese to English
Let me you tell about myself. I am an assistant language teacher in Nagano heading into my second year. If there is doubt to my Japanese ability, I can read a newspaper in Japanese and read the various 白書 that government ministries publish and whatever terms I do not know I look up in a 国語 dictionary not a 和英 one. I am also fluent in speaking and listening and can provide more details if you want.
Now for my situation. I am looking to get start... See more Let me you tell about myself. I am an assistant language teacher in Nagano heading into my second year. If there is doubt to my Japanese ability, I can read a newspaper in Japanese and read the various 白書 that government ministries publish and whatever terms I do not know I look up in a 国語 dictionary not a 和英 one. I am also fluent in speaking and listening and can provide more details if you want.
Now for my situation. I am looking to get started in either general or patent translation but I am stuck in a rut. I have been trying to translate patents from Japanese on my own but I have no one to edit them. I tried reading journals in various fields in both English and Japanese to get the specialist knowledge required but all of them require paid subscriptions. I looked at 求人 for various websites but it seems that no translation agencies are hiring for entry level so I can not get experience that way.
How should I go about getting the experience/practice in order to prove myself to agencies? ▲ Collapse
| | | | David Wright 
Austria
Local time: 18:41
German to English
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| Empöoyment in patent office | Feb 17, 2015 |
Without relevant professional experience I doubt that you will have much success trying to make a living translating patents - which are notoriously difficult, since they can cover any one of a huge variety of fields. Your first step should perhaps be to work in a patent-related field - such as at the Japanese Patent Office or with a patent lawyer. You don't say whether you have any technical background (university studies etc). Without a good knowledge of technolcogy you might find yourself in... See more Without relevant professional experience I doubt that you will have much success trying to make a living translating patents - which are notoriously difficult, since they can cover any one of a huge variety of fields. Your first step should perhaps be to work in a patent-related field - such as at the Japanese Patent Office or with a patent lawyer. You don't say whether you have any technical background (university studies etc). Without a good knowledge of technolcogy you might find yourself in difficulties. After all, you'll be competing with people with an extensive technical background and experience. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Jarret King
United States
Local time: 09:41
Japanese to English
TOPIC STARTER | More information/Clarification | Feb 17, 2015 |
David,
I should have clarified my question. I was wondering how to get the experience. To give you more information, I do not have a background of any kind(I majored in literature). I would like to try and first work in a patent office but as you know competition for jobs are fierce.
I want to know more about how to get the experience to acquire the specialist knowledge needed before I look for a job. Or do you suggest that I read whatever subjects that interest me in ... See more David,
I should have clarified my question. I was wondering how to get the experience. To give you more information, I do not have a background of any kind(I majored in literature). I would like to try and first work in a patent office but as you know competition for jobs are fierce.
I want to know more about how to get the experience to acquire the specialist knowledge needed before I look for a job. Or do you suggest that I read whatever subjects that interest me in both Japanese and English and hope that companies will let me do a test translation? ▲ Collapse
| | | | Dan Lucas
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:41
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
| Do it in stages | Feb 18, 2015 |
alphajarret wrote:
I am looking to get started in either general or patent translation but I am stuck in a rut. I have been trying to translate patents from Japanese on my own but I have no one to edit them. I tried reading journals in various fields in both English and Japanese to get the specialist knowledge required but all of them require paid subscriptions.
There is no one definitive route.
Whatever your abilities as a Japanese speaker, most people will look at you and see an assistant English teacher. Your degree may not be enough, especially given that it was not technical. That happens to most of us.
An agency was expressing doubts about my linguistic credentials the other day because I only have a degree in Japanese from SOAS and 25 years of experience, whereas their client prefers a JLPT. So bear in mind that without the right kind of qualification you may struggle to have your claims of linguistic ability accepted.
My first step would be to apply to take the JLPT N1. The N2 is not enough, I would even go as far to say as it counts against you. You should be aiming at the peak, right? If I were interviewing you I'd wonder why you only have an N2. Should be easy for you to pass N1 if you're as good as you think.
In parallel with that, get serious about translation. Show that you're not just another English teacher doing a bit of casual translation on the side in Japan. Your aim should be to provide convincing evidence that you are a reliable and competent freelance translator of general Japanese texts.
Build a profile, put samples up there, show that you're professional and motivated. Get your meishi done of course and make sure they're of decent quality. A cheap meishi is noticeable.
When you can show that you're able, start bidding for more specialised texts. Many people, including myself, have come to translation from a different background, which allows us to say things like "I know all about travel because I worked in hotel administration in Queensland for three years". Find something you think you can specialise in and spend time and resources on that.
Or, get enterprising. Find a local company that operates internationally and offer to translate for free to gain experience. There are not many large listed companies based in Matsumoto, off the top of my head I think Kissei Pharmaceutical and Nagano Ginko, but there may be smaller ones. There are certainly a few in Nagano prefecture; I've been to many myself.
Do some research, write companies letters in Japanese, proof-read by a native speaker with business experience. Be very explicit about what you're trying to achieve and what you can do for them. Emphasise that you have high-quality Japanese AND ENGLISH. They don't want to let just anybody translate their documents.
And finally, yes, learning things costs money - who knew? It's a classic barrier to entry. Whatever you do in life, you should never step back from investing in yourself. A willingness to better yourself separates the wheat from the chaff. I used to have a print subscription to (amongst other publications) Solid State Technology and pore over every edition; that alone cost me several hundred dollars a year. The industry understanding I formed from that strategy bolstered my credibility and I've never regretted the money spent.
Regards
Dan
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Jarret King
United States
Local time: 09:41
Japanese to English
TOPIC STARTER | Understanding/More details | Feb 20, 2015 |
Dan:
Thank you very much for being detailed. I figured that I would need to get the N1 to prove to potential employers that I speak Japanese.
In your opinion, what would be a price for a meishi that if someone saw that meishi, they wouldn't consider that you were being cheap?
I think I know a few people that work at EPSON in Nagano. I will ask them for help.
In regards to the "putting samples up", where would I ... See more Dan:
Thank you very much for being detailed. I figured that I would need to get the N1 to prove to potential employers that I speak Japanese.
In your opinion, what would be a price for a meishi that if someone saw that meishi, they wouldn't consider that you were being cheap?
I think I know a few people that work at EPSON in Nagano. I will ask them for help.
In regards to the "putting samples up", where would I put them up for people to see? Or should I just translate them in a word document and then email them as an attachment when employers ask for them?
Again, thank you very much for replying to my questions.
Regards,
alphajarret ▲ Collapse
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