Venue: Tokyo Women’s Plaza
5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001, Japan
Format: Hybrid (In-person and Online)
Organizer: Japan Association of Translators (JAT)
Who Should Attend
- Translators and those interested in translation
- Anyone interested in the history and future of the translation industry
- Those considering their career path as translators
Registration Fees
In-Person Attendance
JAT Members: ¥1,500
Non-members: ¥2,500
Online Attendance
JAT Members: Free (includes access to the recording)
Non-members: ¥1,000 (a zoom link and instructions will be sent to registrants a few days before the event)
Lunch Party (Separate Ticket Required)
JAT Members: \2,500
Non-members: \3,000
Overview
The Japan Association of Translators (JAT) celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2025.
To conclude this milestone year, we are pleased to present JAT 40th Anniversary After-Party (in the Morning!).
In Session 1, we will welcome Emily Shibata-Sato, who has extensive knowledge of JAT’s history, to present Forty Years of JAT: The Evolution of the Translation Industry.
In Session 2, Cathy Eberst will share behind-the-scenes stories from the planning and organization of IJET-34, which will be held in Melbourne, Australia, this September. She will discuss the skills, connections, and opportunities she has gained from volunteering for JAT, and how volunteer activities can contribute to both professional and personal growth.
This special 40th-anniversary event connects the past, present, and future of the translation industry. Join us as we look back on JAT’s journey and explore the possibilities that lie ahead for translators.
We are also planning a networking lunch near the venue following the event. Further details will be announced once they have been finalized.
Program
9:45 a.m.
Registration Opens
10:00 a.m.
Opening Remarks
10:10 a.m. – 11:10 a.m.
Session 1: Forty Years of JAT: The Evolution of the Translation Industry
Speaker: Emily Shibata-Sato
Presentation and Q&A, 60 minutes
Language: Japanese
11:10 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.
Break
11:20 a.m. – 11:40 a.m.
Session 2: Skills, Connections, Opportunities: What I Gained From Volunteering for JAT and IJET-34
Speaker: Cathy Eberst, IJET-34 (Melbourne, Australia) Organizing Committee
20 minutes
11:40 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Information about the Networking Lunch and Closing Remarks
11:45 a.m.
Venue Cleanup
12:00 p.m.
Vacate Venue Completely
Networking lunch to follow near the venue. Details to be announced.
***
From Session 1 Speaker Emily Shibata-Sato
JAT was founded in 1985, back when it was still possible to survive Tokyo summers without air conditioning. Forty years have passed since then. Alongside advances in technology—PCs, Windows, the Internet, CAT tools, mobile devices, and AI translation—we have seen major changes in JAT as an organization, in the way translators work, and in the business of translation itself. In Session 1, I will look back at how those changes unfolded over the past four decades.
For a glimpse of how translation was practiced in Japan another ten years earlier in the hand-written era of 1970s, please see this Prologue (PDF: https://jat.org/documents/uplo...). It includes an excerpt from an early work by Haruki Murakami Pinball, 1973.
***
Update, June 25, 2025:
The details for the lunch networking have been settled.
Venue: A rental space in the Shibuya/Omotesando area (we'll let participants know the exact location later)
Time: Saturday, July 11, starting at 12:15 or 12:30, for about three hours
Fee: 2,500 yen for members, 3,000 yen for non-members
Notes: We'll have catered food on hand, but you're more than welcome to bring along your own favorite food and drinks too! Please note, though, that for now there's no microwave available.
We're hoping for a warm, relaxed event where translators and interpreters can mingle, from a senior colleague with 41 years in JAT all the way to newcomers. We've also got something planned in case quite a few newcomers turn up.
We'd love to see you there!
Update, July 11, 2026:
Thank you for your entries! The entry for this event has ended. We sent out emails for online, offline, and lunch separately; if you haven't received one, please contact [email protected]. We're looking forward to meeting and e-meeting with you!