Japan Association of Translators 日本翻訳者協会

This article by 佐藤綾子（Emily Shibata-Sato） originally appeared in the May 2008 issue of the Tsuyaku-Honyaku Journal. Reprinted with permission.

約10年前の1999年、本誌の「Translation World」シリーズで「人生の転機はアポロ、パソコン、インターネット」と題して次のような内容のエッセイを書かせて頂きました。

「英語が仕事になる！」と最初に知ったのは、アポロ11号月面着陸時の交信の同時通訳を聞いた小学生の時。最初は通訳をめざしたが、パソコンが購入可能となった1980年代半ばにローンで購入し（一式100万円もした！）、勤めを辞めてフリーとなり、翻訳と通訳の仕事を開始する。その後のバブル時代、翻訳の仕事がメインとなる。90年代後半にはインターネットが登場し、情報収集の入口となる検索エンジン（YahooやGoo）、世界規模の翻訳者向けメーリングリスト（JAT-LISTやHonyaku）という二つの強力な情報ツールを利用するようになった･･･

結びの文章はこうでした。「日々変化することばと、進化する技術を追いかけながらの『コミュニケーション助っ人』稼業は、これからも続けていくつもりです」

はい、2008年の今もまだ続けています。

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日本翻訳者協会の9月ミーティングは9月20日の午後2時から5時の予定で開催いたします。詳細は以下の通り。

タイトル：　『日本の翻訳業界15年間の変化と今後の市場予測私的見解』
日時：　2008年9月20日（土）、14:00～17:00
場所：　渋谷フォーラム８（渋谷区道玄坂2－10－7）
電話：　03-3780-0008
参加費：　1,000円、ただしJAT会員は無料

■講演者　八代登志江（『通訳・翻訳ジャーナル』前編集長）

早稲田大学第二文学部文芸科卒。特許事務所に勤務し、その後、海外情報サービス会社にて企画・営業に携わる。海外向けドキュメント制作会社にて工程管理に従事した後、編集者に。『通訳・翻訳ジャーナル』は92年の創刊時より携わり、95年より編集長。今年５月に退職。現在、フリーランス編集者。

■講演概要

20年前の和訳の翻訳は原稿用紙に手書き書かれ、英訳はタイプライターで作成されていた。やがてパーソナルワープロや電子タイプライターが登場し、パソコンの時代へ。それとともに、IT翻訳業界を中心として翻訳者の仕事スタイルや翻訳物制作のワークフローが劇的に変化した。これまでの翻訳業界の変化を振り返り、今後の翻訳業界がどのように変化していくのか予測する。そして、翻訳者は時代の変化にどのように対応していくべきなのか私見を述べる。

※イベント後は二次会があります。

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There is no regular meeting scheduled in August, but instead we’re going to have a party that has become somewhat of a unique summer tradition of JAT in the last few years. All JAT members and non-members welcome - especially the voracious and gregarious ones!

JAT SUMMER PARTY

Date: Saturday, August 23, 2008

Time: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Place: Bar Del Sole@Roppongi (same as last year’s)
TEL: 03-3401-3521
http://www.delsole.st/store_info/roppongi/roppongi.html

Cost: 5,000 (Nomihodai)
Vegetarian dishes are available upon request.

RSVP: By 13:00, August 10, at:
https://jat.wufoo.com/forms/rsvp-for-jat-summer-party-august-2008/

Questions? Contact the Tokyo Activities Committee at tac@jat.org

This article by James Phillips originally appeared in the February 2008 issue of the Tsuyaku-Honyaku Journal. Reprinted with permission.

People that are considering a career in patent translation often seem to have exactly the same questions. In this article I will attempt to answer those questions, give some hints as to how you can study for free, and give some useful advice regarding how to get work once qualified.

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July JAT Meeting: Interpreting Performance

JAT’s July meeting will be held on Saturday, July 12th, from 14:00 to 17:00. Details follow.

July Meeting: Interpreting Performance
Date: Saturday, July 12, 2008
Time: 14:00 – 17:00
Meeting Place: Forum 8
Address: Dogenzaka 2-10-7, Shibuya, Tokyo
Phone: 03-3780-0008
Cost: Free for JAT members, JPY1,000 for non-members

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For the next in our release of full videos of several presentations from IJET-19, we’re pleased to continue the series with the following presentation from Fred Uleman:

Title: Translation Workshop
Speaker: Fred Uleman

Abstract:
This is not a presentation in which I will give you the right answers. Rather, we will all be working on a short passage (a company president talking about how he turned things around) and will arrive at, if not the right answers, at least some interesting ways to approach the job, together. I will try to have a sample translation or two as starting points for the discussion, but these will not be my translations and I expect us to disagree with much of what they did. This is a discussion to bring out useful mental tricks that you can then use in your own translation work. Please come prepared to participate.
.

(Note that these videos are available for members only. The password required to view the videos can be found on the JAT mailing list.)

Stay tuned for more presentation over the next few weeks and months!

JAT’s July Kansai meeting will be held on Saturday, July 5th, from 13:30 to 16:45. Details follow.

July Meeting: Software Localization and Patent Translation for Beginners
Date: Saturday, July 5, 2008
Time: 13:30 – 16:45
Place: Room 7, 26F Hankyu Grand Building
Address: 8-47 Kakuda-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka
Phone: 06-6315-8386
Cost: JAT members: free, SWET & JTF members : 500 yen, non-members: 1,000 yen

Speakers: Chris Pearce and Kiyoshi Fujimura

Presentation Outline:

Chris Pearce
Title: What Translators Should Know About Internationalization & Localization

I’ll dive into the messy depths of computer software and explain what
internationalization & localization is and what translators should
know about it. I’ll also touch on other topics such as why mojibake
still happens and why software will never work as well as you want it
to.

藤村聖志(Kiyoshi Fujimura)
Title: 特許翻訳経験談

－なぜ特許翻訳に携わるようになったか。
経済系大学出身にも関わらず、特許翻訳を専門とするようになった経緯。
－特許翻訳の特殊性。
特許明細書独特の文章と翻訳に臨む姿勢。
－翻訳会社との付き合い。
特許翻訳を中心とする技術翻訳系の会社や事務所の求めるもの。
－専門知識と英語力
英語力だけでは通用しない特許翻訳という分野。
－ミラートランスレーションという言葉。
ミラートランスレーションという言葉を初めて聞いた時。
－フリーランスの醍醐味と苦労。
それでもやめられないフリーランス稼業。

A nijikai will be held after the meeting at the Wine Bar on the 29th floor.

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JAT Director Chris Blakeslee, an economics and finance specialist, has written a thought-provoking article that frames everything a translator does in an economic perspective. Use the formulas he provides to find out whether it makes more economic sense for you to hire an editor or to use a bookkeeper, and enjoy the JAT nijikai beer knowing you are actually being paid for it!

The JAT Annual General Meeting was held on May 17, 2008 at the Forum 8 in Shibuya. All four voting items were passed by majority vote. For details, please see the official minutes.

JAT’s June meeting will be held on Saturday, June 21st, from 14:00pm to 17:00. Details follow.

June Meeting: Health Care Interpreting Training
Date: Saturday, June 21, 2008
Time: 14:00 – 17:00
Meeting Place: Forum 8
Address: Dogenzaka 2-10-7, Shibuya, Tokyo
Phone: 03-3780-0008
Cost: Free for JAT members, JPY1000 for non-members

Speakers: Takayuki Oshimi M.D.

Presentation Outline:
The continually increasing international population in Japan is resulting in language and cultural gaps that have created expanding needs for interpreting services in health care. Currently, no national standards or certification procedures for health care interpreting exist in Japan. Interpreters all over Japan, most of them volunteers, are also struggling with little financial support and no central organization.

The Japan Association for Health Care Interpreting in Japanese and English (J.E.), seeks to help remedy the situation. We have developed a training program for community-based would-be interpreters.

This two-hour workshop will describe ways to improve health-care interpreting skills, and will cover the following topics:

1. Roles of healthcare interpreter
2. Overview of healthcare interpreting in Japan
3. Basic healthcare interpreting skills
4. Health-care-interpreting training

Participants can learn how to train themselves on their own in groups through the use of free web materials. They will also discuss a number of tricky terms and expressions, and debate possible translation. A handout is also available (password available to JAT members only).

The workshop will require active participation from the audience and I hope that the participants will provide their expertise and experience to make these activities enriching, creative, and exciting.

A nijikai will be held after the meeting, at Punraku.

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