Translation Studies

This is a long overdue post--my apologies! This past summer I attended the "Summer School" of the British Centre for Literary Translation in Norwich, U.K. It was a week of working with about ten other translators, Japanese to English, AND the author of the work we were translating. The last part was perhaps the most exciting, because there's nothing like having the author sitting next to you so that you can ask for clarification. There's also nothing like sitting next to an award-winning, nationally acclaimed author--in this case, Yoko Tawada. The other translators were for the most part professional translators (unlike myself...sure, I translate and publish, but it's not my "day job" as it were) and I was familiar with much of their work. The group was also very international, with members from the U.S., the U.K., India, New Zealand, Canada, and Japan.

I could write a too-long post about the experience, but what I thought was appropriate for this blog was this: translation is VERY HARD to make work as a career. The folks in my group, even though they managed to put food on the table by translating boring manuals for Toyota and the like, universally did their literary translation as a not-really-lucrative activity. They did it because they loved doing it, not because it pays well. I know many of my students have said in passing that they want to be translators someday (and yes, I know that they're largely thinking of manga) but I want to send out a word of caution that this is probably pie in the sky. That isn't to say that language learning is useless--goodness no!--but rather that one needs to be realistic about how many jobs there are doing literary translation (few) and how many there are doing technical translation (not a lot, but more). So, if you're thinking of a translating career, get used to "Toyota speak" and learn to live it. Then maybe you can afford a few spare hours to subtitle that anime you love...

JLPT

We're in the season again, in more ways than one. Some of you who took the JLPT (Japanese Langauge Proficiency Exam) a few months ago are just getting your scores now. Others who have signed up for the JLPT this December are anxiously waiting. It's a new test this year, with an added level. This test is a big deal for many, because it means credentials on your resume (or not). I'd like to know, from those who have taken the "new" tests, what your impressions are.

Graduate Study in East Asia

More and more I'm being asked by current and former students about the feasibility of doing a graduate degree in Japan. When I was a graduate student in the late 80s and early 90s, it was not advisable--U.S. schools didn't want to give foreign institutions' degrees much respect, and I knew that eventually I wanted to do a PhD in the States. But now I think things are much different; Japanese graduate schools are courting foreign applicants, and even offering them fellowships. And, I know of at least a couple people who did a master's in Japan and later got into very reputable PhD programs in the States.

This is all probably for the better--more opportunities, more depth in one's education, etc. But I'm left without having much in the way of "advice" for my students who ask about it. I'd like to know about other experiences--comments, anyone?