Job Discussion Forums

[alexrocks]

Does anybody do any Japanese to English translation, particularly freelance work?

If so,

How long have you been translating?

How did you get into it?

What kind(s) of translations do you do?

Do you like it?

How good is your Japanese?

I ask because I'm thinking of getting into the field, as I think I passed the 2-kyu JLPT this year and intend to take the 1-kyu next year. It would be a nice supplement to my income that doesn't involve teaching English--not that I hate teaching English, but I would just like some variety.

Thanks.

[Billy Chaka]

I don't do translation work, but I do do freelance work, and I can tell you how to find jobs. Go to www.craigslist.org, click on each of the links for the various cities, go to the left side of the screen where it says, "Search craigslist," type in "Japanese," select "Jobs" from the drop-down list, and click the button with the arrow on it. (You have to do this for each individual city, as craigslist doesn't allow you to do a nationwide search.) Reply to as many ads as possible (even if they don't explictly mention remote or freelance work), stressing that you're now in Japan and are fluent in Japanese. If you do this, I bet that you find something.

[Glenski]

Friend of mine did translating full-time for EC or ECC, and he has 2-kyu. Terribly boring work, he said, with little to no human contact. The basic salary was like that of an eikaiwa teacher, with overtime for the rush projects or the periods when a large influx of papers required work.