Subject: Learning Japanese (Was: Question About Careers)
Hi, I (a sansei in Southern California) am 36 and basically seeking a career change.
Haven't really found that meaningful career yet. I am presently a technician and not too happy about it.
I am of Japanese descent, born and raised in the United States. I don't speak Japanese,
but understand a few words here and there. I love and respect my Japanese background and
culture and have pride in it.
But as I've said, I haven't yet found my calling in life. I spoke to someone and he told
me to go into something I love and like. And I do have a love for my Japanese culture and
background, even though I am not a Japanese citizen. I am NOT looking to move to Japan to work.
That is something I don't want to do right now. Someone suggested I should become a translator.
I don't speak Japanese at all, and I'm trying to look into this career.
Learning Japanese would help me learn more about my culture. And that would be nice.
I know you know know me, but could any of you please give me suggestions about what
careers I can pursue that relate to the Japanese culture? Not necessarily business, but maybe
translation or something like that? And I'm NOT looking to move to Japan. Just something
here that I could possibly get into. My college does have a Japanese minor degree I think,
but what could I pursue with that?
Subject: Re: Learning Japanese
> I haven't yet found my calling in life. Someone suggested
> I should become a translator. I don't speak Japanese at all,
> and I'm trying to look into this career.
Translation takes a deep knowledge of the language, and that may take you some time to acquire.
You should think about not only what you're passionate about, but what you're good at as well.
I (a sansei) am lucky in that I love to write and that's mostly what I do for a living....
And, it's not what I planned in my life. I wanted to be a comic book artist and illustrator when
I went off to art school!
Subject: Re: Learning Japanese
> Translation takes a deep knowledge of the language, and that
> may take you some time to acquire. You should think about
> not only what you're passionate about, but what you're good
> at as well.
Since I have so little knowledge at present, how many years would you guess it might take?
Also, I've tried to find an area that I have a passion about and am good at. But Have not
really had much luck in that area as well. For example, I love to stay in shape. But can't really
find a career in that area that is viable or pays enough. Personal trailer sound good, but I don't
think I can really make a living there. Also, I love sports such as sumo, but can't really make a living there.
So I thought I would pursue a career in a passion I have which is for the Japanese culture.
I thought I would go into Japanese translation, but now I don't know.
Very confused.
Subject: Re: Learning Japanese
> Translation takes a deep knowledge of the language, and that
> may take you some time to acquire.
>
> Since I have so little knowledge at present, how many years
> would you guess it might take?
You're in a tough spot. It sounds like you're truly interested in translating Japanese, and I believe
knowing Japanese is an important skill in any business or cultural situation. So, perhaps you
should invest the several years it might take you to become fluent enough in Nihongo to be a
translator. Of course, Japanese is a lifelong pursuit.... Go for it!
Subject: Re: Learning Japanese
> You should think about not only what you're passionate about,
> but what you're good at as well. I am lucky in that I love to
> write and that's mostly what I do for a living.... And, it's not
> what I planned in my life. I wanted to be a comic book artist
> and illustrator when I went off to art school!
I (a nisei) think I've heard that the "average" American these days changes
careers three or four times during a working life. I don't know what
percentage of these are forced by obsolescence or termination, but
obviously a sizable percentage must be self-started too. Of course, any
switch into self-employment, as my elderly friends who are SCORE
volunteers can attest, is risky, as a high percentage of small business ventures fail.
I want to point out that our culture still hasn't adequately defined a
college education as a source of ideas. Most Americans define college
as a place to learn job skills. As a new assistant professor at age 47,
I can talk endlessly about those misguided students who think they're
wasting their time in such "required" courses as Ethnic Studies and
humanities. Obviously, however, when we change careers, we're not going
back to college to learn new things. College is therefore a place to
learn necessary ideas. Particular skills for particular careers come
later, in apprentice work.
An old high school math teacher once told me,
"On the job, you won't use 90 percent of what you learn in college,"
but he didn't mean this as a critique of college. He wanted all his
students to go to college -- he just wanted to advise us not to regard a college
education as particularized job training.
Most people I know who are older than 35 work in jobs that require
few of the things they learned in college classrooms. Actually, I think
we should find this encouraging. It means our culture remains flexible
enough to accommodate our changing needs and interests. My best friend
is a self-employed landscaper who writes poetry and reads Charles
Bukowski; another friend has a menial job in healthcare but reads
Dostoevski; still another switched from being a high school teacher to
being a product manager for a big pharmaceutical company.
However stressful our changes, we are not alone in changing.
And if our change doesn't work, we can always change again.
Whatever change you make, good luck on it as you try your hardest to make it work
-- knowing that, if it doesn't, you are fortunate enough to try something else.
Subject: Re: Learning Japanese
To follow up what I said on the subject of career changes,
I just read an article that reports research showing that 67 percent of
workers are dissatisfied with their current jobs and that 41 percent are in fields
that are unrelated to their education. Also, the average American makes three
career changes, but as many as fifteen are not terribly uncommon (although I
know no one who has made that many changes).
Just today I received a note from a long-lost friend who says that he gave up
a secure position in counseling education to reenter grad school in his 40s
and earn a degree in library science. Now he's working in some high-tech
cataloging and is quite satisfied, even though the PhD he earned many years ago
is not relevant to his current work.
I think many of us in our 30s and 40s quite naturally go through crises of confidence
in our careers (those of us old enough to have been even marginally a part of
the late 60s/early 70s counterculture are, I think, particularly susceptible to
such minor crises), and these can be exacerbated by such destabilizing
factors as divorce.
While I don't think that such crises and career changes necessarily
make us better people, I do believe that they provide a kind of midlife,
non-degree-granting education that can help us later. Of course I speak
from the perspective of someone who has no children and no possibilities for any,
and I realize that parenthood severely inhibits the risks of career-changing.
Subject: Re: Learning Japanese
> You should think about not only what you're passionate about,
> but what you're good at as well. I am lucky in that I love to
> write and that's mostly what I do for a living.... And, it's not
> what I planned in my life. I wanted to be a comic book artist
> and illustrator when I went off to art school!
I (a sansei) will support those words and add a few more...
- What do you do now that gets your blood pumping?
- What do you find co-workers and supervisors praise you for most?
- Where do you see yourself in 5 years, 10 years?
I have just recently changed careers of sorts myself. After spending over
20 years in the telecommunications industry, I am now in the world of
accounting, taxation and auditing. Do I enjoy it? Yes. Change is a good
thing; but you have to be willing to take risks too. With the economy
the way it is, now is not a good time to consider career changes
(despite my recent actions -- "do as I say, not as I do").
As was said, you have to be happy in what you do. I have found in
myself and in others that I lead, when people are happy in their work,
they do better and work harder. Hmmm... intuitively obvious to most
casual observers!
Strangely enough, most people don't always think that way. I know tons
of people who are miserable in their jobs. Sure, they have good jobs
and in some cases, they have nice titles and cozy offices. Are they
happy. Most are not.
We all take a variety of turns and detours in our careers. I was once
editor of a daily newspaper too, and aspired to write the Great
Japanese American Novel. Not!
Subject: Re: Learning Japanese
> Could any of you please give me suggestions about what
> careers I can pursue that relate to the Japanese culture?
> Not necessarily business, but maybe translation or something
> like that? And I'm NOT looking to move to Japan. Just
> something here that I could possibly get into. My college
> does have a Japanese minor degree I think, but what could
> I pursue with that?
Here are my thoughts for you (and anyone else with a similar question as you):
Translation, as was said, is a difficult work if you want to do it well and accurately.
There is a recent Time Magazine article on the world-wide boom in translation services which will
probably continue, but the emphasis is on accuracy, and accuracy takes time and effort to master.
As someone who currently does not speak Japanese, and who does not plan to live
in Japan, then it would probably require something like several years of intensive study at a
university level to get the necessary proficiency for professional translation work.
I believe it is easier for Japanese to come to the US and learn English than for Americans to learn Japanese,
especially if you want to learn how to read and write. Conversational Japanese can be
learned fairly easily if you keep at it. One advantage you would have, if you pursue translation work,
would be your knowledge of colloquialisms and western phrases, etc. which might be difficult for
non-Americans to master.
The travel business (tour guides, etc.) could use people with some level of bilingual abilities;
perhaps enough skill without having to be a translator.
If you are a technician, perhaps you could work for a Japanese company
(there are companies with operations in North America, like Toyota, Honda, etc.)
where there is some connection with the culture, and perhaps occasional trips to the old country.
These are my scattered thoughts. Good luck. Finding your "niche" is one of the hardest things
in the world to do.
Subject: Re: Learning Japanese
> Finding your "niche" is one of the hardest things
> in the world to do.
Some online help is available at Monster.com: Career Changers
(http://content.monster.com/careerchangers), which features:
Monster.com: Career Changers: Self-assessment
http://content.monster.com/careerchangers/archives/self_assessment/
- Just Who Are You Anyway?, with links to:
- University of Waterloo Self-Assessment
- Career Key
- Kiersey Character and Temperament Sorter
- Emotional Intelligence Assessment
- Quiz: Discover Your Perfect Career
- Is Changing Fields Right For You?
- Quiz: Do You Need to Change Careers or Just Jobs?
- Job Q and A - take a look at what others do for a living
These resources are, by necessity, fairly general, but
they mention the important things and get one started
in the right direction.
Subject: Re: Learning Japanese
> I do have a love for my Japanese culture and background,
> even though I am not a Japanese citizen [but] I am NOT
> looking to move to Japan to work.
I (a nisei living in Japan) would recommend anybody who is interested in Japanese culture to come live in Japan.
Some traditional aspects of the culuture are quickly disappearing, so now is a good time to come.
I would also recommend going anywhere in Japan away from the two big cities.
Tokyo has more in common with N.Y.C. and London than it does with the rest of Japan.
One of your most important skills is English language. Teaching English in Japan is a great way to make a living here.
My wife is teaching English here. I've also heard that the JET program has extended their age limit, I think to 35 years old.
Subject: Re: Learning Japanese
> I would recommend anybody who is interested in Japanese
> culture to come live in Japan ... I've also heard that the JET
> program has extended their age limit, I think to 35 years old.
Thanks, but I'm not really looking to move to Japan at present.
And I'm 36. But I appreciate your help.
Subject: Re: Learning Japanese
> I've also heard that the JET program has extended their age
> limit, I think to 35 years old.
I correct myself, you can be over 40 and be in the JET program.
This is something new. You can read the JET FAQ here:
JET Program FAQ
http://www.embjapan.org/jet/faq.htm
Believe it or not, Japan is probably the best place to learn Japanese. ;^)
Subject: Re: Learning Japanese
> I would recommend anybody who is interested in Japanese
> culture to come live in Japan ... Believe it or not, Japan is
> probably the best place to learn Japanese. ;^)
I (a sansei living in Japan) would have to agree that living anywhere here in Japan is probably
the best way to experience and learn about the culture, language, etc.
Although it may appear so, I think that many of the traditional aspects,
good as well as bad, will never disappear.
Although one's first impression may lead one to think otherwise, the large cities
here offer more in terms of Japanese culture than many people believe.
Subject: Re: Learning Japanese
> Believe it or not, Japan is probably the best place to learn
> Japanese. ;^)
On the flip side, I can tell you that one of the best places to learn English is the U.S.
My second cousin from Kyushu is living with us for a school year specifically to study English
at our local community college. Although she studied for many years in Japan and
has excellent reading ability, she found it quite a shock to be forced to use English exclusively.
She's doing wonderfully, by the way, but spoken English, with all its
"extra" words and rich but confusing imagery, is her biggest challenge.
Ten months won't be enough, but it's a great start. I've come to appreciate
even more the amazingly versatile language of my home in the course of
explaining meanings to her.
You may not wish to move to Japan permanently, but a long visit to
study would help you achieve your goals much faster.
Subject: Re: Learning Japanese
> Believe it or not, Japan is probably the best place to learn
> Japanese. ;^)
Does anyone know if there is any in depth and structured Japanese school, college, or
program in California or Los Angeles that teaches Japanese? For example, if you wanted to
become a translator or interpreter and work here in Calfornia?
I am curious. Is there anything like this available?
Or do most people who want to learn Japanese thoroughly usually learn it in Japan or other means?
Subject: Re: Learning Japanese
> Does anyone know if there is any in depth and structured
> Japanese school, college, or program in California or Los Angeles
> that teaches Japanese? For example, if you wanted to become
> a translator or interpreter and work here in Calfornia?
I think you'll find a lot of California colleges and universities have beginning levels of Japanese
classes -- here in the Bay Area (and I bet in LA) even the community colleges do -- you might
find out which ones are closest to you and/or least expensive and/or least difficult to get into
as an adult student testing the waters, and check their websites.
This is a list of links to colleges, except community colleges:
http://www.50states.com/college/calif.htm
and community colleges:
http://www.webcom.com/~career/cmty_college.html
The Monterey Institute of International Studies offers graduate degree programs specifically in
translation and interpretation (some others may do this too but Monterey is the only one I know of offhand);
you would have to acquire a good level of fluency before you got in. Monterey also runs
very intensive short beginning and intermediate language classes in the summer, and, looking at
their website, I see that they offer them in January too. I've heard nothing but good things about
their programs.
Monterey Institute of International Studies: Japanese
http://www.miis.edu/lang-ilp-langs-japanese.html
Also, you might find this site of interest:
Total Quality Japanese
http://www.cic.sfu.ca/tqj/
Gambatte!
Subject: Re: Learning Japanese
Thank you for your advice everyone, I'm still working on it.
I am still trying to figure out what to do. This is incredibly difficult decision.
But I pray I'll make the right choice.
Thanks.
