Contest Guidelines
This contest is open to anyone with less than three years’ experience as a professional translator including students. JAT membership not required. Previous entrants (except winners) are welcome to enter again.
Japanese-to-English Contest
Download the source text from here
Nov. 21: There were 71 entrants in the Japanese-to-English Division and 84 in the English-to-Japanese Division of the Nineteenth Annual JAT Contest for New and Aspiring Japanese/English Translators. IDs have been sent to all participants. If you have not received yours, please contact [email protected]. Finalists will be announced in late December.
Nov. 1: Registration has closed.
English-to-Japanese Contest
Download the text from the Japanese page
Read the following instructions carefully before accessing the Entry Form.
・Submit your translation as an MS Word .doc file, an MS Word.docx file or a plain text file via the online entry form.
・Be sure to choose ”Japanese to English/日英” and not "English to Japanese/英日" if you are entering the Japanese-to-English category.
・Your file should only contain the translated text.
・Do not write your name or comments anywhere in the file.
・Name your file as follows ("contest", "e", "first name" then "family name" with a single space in between) in all lower case letters:
contest e your name (e.g., contest e john doe)
・Note that clicking the submit button will submit your application right away. There will be no confirmation page prior to submission.
・When you press the submit button, a symbol that looks like a traffic sign (a red circle with a diagonal line through it which is not an error sign) will appear. At the same time, a green bar with the word THANK YOU in it will appear below JAT Translation Contest Entry Form at the top of the screen. This means the file has been sent
・Submissions will be confirmed by return email to be sent by mid-November.
・You can enter both Japanese-to-English and English-to-Japanese categories but only one entry per person is allowed in each category.
ENTRY FORM
（Be sure to write the country name if you are applying from countries other than Japan.）
Disqualification
You may be disqualified if:
・Your entry application is incomplete or submitted without translation file,
・Your file name is incorrect (Check again before you submit your application).
・Your entry is received after the deadline,
・You enter under someone else’s name,
・You submit work done by someone else, or
・You are dishonest about your qualifications (the contest is open to anyone with less than three years’ experience as a professional translator).
Contest Schedule
2022
October 1 (Sat.): Source texts and Contest Guidelines available for download
October 31 (Mon.): Submission deadline (24:00 JST)
By mid-November: Your ID number notified by email
Late December: Five finalists announced on the JAT website
2023
Late January to early February: 1st- and 2nd-place winners announced on the JAT website and by direct email to the winners.
By late February: Winners' and finalists' translation and judges' commentaries placed on the JAT website
Award ceremony at the next IJET (details to be announced later).
Judges
Preliminary
Japanese-to-English: Nora Heath, Ko Iwata, George Bourdaniotis
English-to-Japanese: Miyako Dubois, Kiyoshi Chimasu, Naoko Uchida
Final
Japanese-to-English: Ken Wagner, James Davis, Ruth McCreery
English-to-Japanese: Mayumi Adachi, Yukari Ishihara, Kiyoshi Fujimura
Judging
・Entries will be judged in two stages in accordance with evaluation criteria set by the judging panel.
・Entries are anonymized during the judging period. We will assign an ID number to each entry and notify you of your ID number by mid-November.
・The ID numbers of the five finalists will be announced on the JAT website in late December, 2022.
・The names of first and second place winners and finalists will be announced by early to mid February, 2023.
・The winners' and finalists' names and translation and judges' commentaries will be placed on the JAT website.
・The decision of the judges is final. No appeals or contesting of the results will be accepted.
Copyright
・All submissions become the property of JAT and will not be returned.
・JAT retains the copyright to all submitted entries.
・JAT reserves all rights to publicize the winners’ names, winning entries, photos and likenesses, and background information on its website and mailing list and in electronic or printed publications.
Awards in Detail
JAT will pay the following for the first-place winner:
・Free registration for the next IJET (International Japanese-English Translation).
・Round trip economy travel from the winner’s home to the next IJET conference venue by the most direct route, including air, train, bus and personal vehicle.
・Hotel for three nights standard accommodation at or near the IJET venue. Receipts are required for all reimbursements.
Travel arrangements and details will be discussed with the winners in advance of purchase.
The second-place winner is entitled to free registration for the next IJET.
All finalists are entitled to one-year complimentary JAT membership.
For further information please contact [email protected].
References:
18th contest source text and guidelines
Translations of the 18th contest winners and finalists
Commentaries from the 18th contest judges: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 (1 2 3)