Hey there. I’ve been in Japan a number of years and I’m fluent in Japanese and have achieved N1.
I still work as an English teacher, however. I’ve been at the same place since I came here years back, and I really like my job. Great boss, laid back place, great students, and I’m pretty much full time. I really want to move on, though. I am now a little over 30 and want to do something more with my time here and gain experience in something else, since I plan to leave Japan in the next couple of years.
I really want to do something where I can use my Japanese & English, such as translation. I don’t really have any qualifications otherwise though. I have translation and interpretation experience at my current job though, which my boss can vouch for. Besides that, I just have a bachelors in English from the US.
Where should I look for jobs, connections, anything? I just need help being pointed in the right direction. Thank you.
8 comments
J-dogs, imma help you. One random internet person to another. Since you’re fluent and I’m getting a good vibe, please start a YouTube channel where you roughly translate scary stories from Japan.
I think you should give this some thought yourself first.
When you say, ” really want to do something where I can use my Japanese & English, such as translation “, do you actually really want to do translation? Or something where part of your value is as a bilingual. Those are two different things.
If you want to be a translator, you need customers. Can your boss be your first customer and do a testimonial? Can he recommend others? If you want work to come to you, you can look at translation vendors and sign up for work, although I don’t know how open they are with no experience (you can check this out). Lionbridge, Transperfect, SDL, are big players for example. Then you have local players of which there are many.
If you want to work as a bilingual, then think about what industry you’d like to get into. Educational tech? Academic book sales (don’t suggest it)? Something completely outside of educational? Would you want to say temp for awhile to see what you like and make some company connections?
You’re fortunate that you are 30 and bilingual. Take some chances.
Good luck.
I hear working at a yakiniku place is fun and fulfilling.
What other skills do you have?
There’s quite a lot of both native English-speaking and Japanese people with great English ability working in translation. Not to say it’s impossible to get a job, just flooded from both sides.
Aside from that… it’s your skillset. N1 will help you cast your net into a general JP market–but you need a focus on what that market is.
Being a tour guide for the (keyword) Right company can be a blast.
There’s lots of ins, but it helps to know people.
You get to travel on the company dime and find new hideaway places (food) to go when you’re not working.
Some come with discounts to certain lodgings as well for your personal vacations.
That and you build rapport with certain establishments worth revisiting.
Working your way up certain tours stinks though, since it’s half babysitting.
I’d be more concerned with what you are going to do when you get home?
Could you do sales? Recruitment firms in Japan are always hiring recruitment consultants – Robert Walters, Hays, Morgan McKinley etc.
if you’re good at it you can earn a fortune too.
Public Relations company.