A Japanese To English Translator Shares Her View (part 1)

Aya Takasuna on Proz

As a Japanese To English translator, Aya Takasuna may not have many years of experience under her belt, but her way of proactively connecting with potential clients and fellow colleges has helped her land quality jobs in the IT industry.

Here's what she has to share with other translators.

Q: Aya, tell us a bit about yourself. How long have you been a translator? What do you do?

A: I’ve been working as a Japanese to English translator in IT industry over 3 years. Before that, I also worked as a coordinator of translation projects to make reports for investors’ relations. Then I was offered a freelance translation position for a software company.

Exactly at the same time, my friend’s friend informed me of a Japanese to English translator job opening at another software company - my networking effort was paid off.

These 2 jobs are my first experiences in IT as a translator. Currently, I work for another IT company on site, full time. And, sometimes I work for the freelance job at home in the weekends.

2) Q: In your opinion, what makes a good translator?

A: I think a good translator is always aware of what clients really need, while being able to provide professional services. Some clients appreciate speed of the work. The other may want the best possible quality. Some need literal translation, while others require more natural expressions.

A good translator must be flexible enough to adjust himself/herself to the clients’ needs. If necessary, translators should give their clients suggestions on their work. If a client is not familiar with the customs and preferences of readers of the target language, a translator should give appropriate advice to the client.

3)Q: What makes you different from your competitors?

A: Although, so far I only have 3 years experience in my profession, I have worked for several companies and many types of projects. At the first software company I worked for, I took on multiple roles; translator, interpreter, and training specialist. And I supported all members of the internal IT team who are responsible for sales group, marketing group, partner group, and licensing group in the company.

It was very challenging at the beginning, but I could get the whole picture of the organization of a software company and how the projects go, in a short time! Now I’m confident in working for almost any IT company and any type of projects. Plus localization of my field. I’m also comfortable with translation support tools.

4) Q: What are the challenges you face in your business? How do you overcome them?

A: Although my goal is to be an independent freelance Japanese to English translator, I still haven't been able to obtain enough freelance work to maintain a stable income.

Clients usually demand experience from us freelance translators, and this is another challenge for me. So, I realized, for now, I should focus on networking to explore potential clients, while accumulating experience by working on site, full time. ( to be continued in Japanese English translator)

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