Session | IJET-31 (June 24-25, 2023)

This talk will be in both English and Japanese. I hope to provide useful information for interpreters, or persons considering a career in interpreting.

As a senpai in this field, I hope to share with listeners some of what I have experienced over the years. I will speak about the difference between Japanese and English listeners’ expectations, and on the importance of Public Speaking, which I have had the opportunity to teach at interpreting schools. I will also mention lessons learned from working in radio--where one can only rely on one’s voice, and talk about the difficulties in managing clients as a freelancer. I will also describe some of the challenging interpreting assignments I have faced (not all of them with great success!).

The world of interpreting is constantly changing, yet what qualities do clients always seek in an interpreter? And what does it mean to live now as a bilingual person?

With the hope that my experiences might help provide some clues, I look forward to exploring these questions with the participants.