Non-English forums » Japanese / 日本語 »
Working Abroad 海外で翻訳家として働く
Thread poster: ihd (X)
ihd (X)
ihd (X)
Local time: 19:30
Aug 11, 2010

Hello Proz users.

I was wondering whether it is possible to make a living as a J>E translator when you are not living in Japan and have 0 experience working as a translator in Japan.
A lot of people have told me that the beauty of working as a translator is that you can work anywhere in the world. However, I was wondering whether most JPN>ENG translators get their jobs from JPN agencies. I have made some bucks as a translator and would like to only work as a translator in the ... See more
Hello Proz users.

I was wondering whether it is possible to make a living as a J>E translator when you are not living in Japan and have 0 experience working as a translator in Japan.
A lot of people have told me that the beauty of working as a translator is that you can work anywhere in the world. However, I was wondering whether most JPN>ENG translators get their jobs from JPN agencies. I have made some bucks as a translator and would like to only work as a translator in the near future and quit my job.

Can anyone shed some light?

Thank you ▲ Collapse
 
JpBaugh
JpBaugh  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:30
Member (2009)
Japanese to English
Working Abroad as a translator Sep 2, 2010

FWIW many translation bodies such as ITI, etc recommend that translators/interpreters have of course not only lived in the countries of their target/source languages, but further that they visit the country of their working languages annually. It may look impressive on a CV to have worked in the field in the country of the non-native language, however, in terms of versatility, I have heard it said that the target language is the most important, therefore living in the country of your native tong... See more
FWIW many translation bodies such as ITI, etc recommend that translators/interpreters have of course not only lived in the countries of their target/source languages, but further that they visit the country of their working languages annually. It may look impressive on a CV to have worked in the field in the country of the non-native language, however, in terms of versatility, I have heard it said that the target language is the most important, therefore living in the country of your native tongue can be advantageous for the translator.

Another consideration is that many government offices will only use translators that are nationals of the countries they govern, and here I mean not only defence related offices, but also social services departments, etc where the translator is required to hold and work with confidential documents.

In short, every kind of service is necessary to some extent somewhere. ▲ Collapse
 
ihd (X)
ihd (X)
Local time: 19:30
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you Sep 13, 2010

Thank you for your reply! It was very interesting and informative.
 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Takeshi MIYAHARA[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Working Abroad 海外で翻訳家として働く






Trados Studio 2022 Freelance
The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.

Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.

More info »
TM-Town
Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business

Are you ready for something fresh in the industry? TM-Town is a unique new site for you -- the freelance translator -- to store, manage and share translation memories (TMs) and glossaries...and potentially meet new clients on the basis of your prior work.

More info »