Category: Talks & Classes

–A talk with Keisho Center students

Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to speak with students who are taking Japanese language classes at the Washington Japanese Heritage Center (Keisho Center). Upon the kind invitation of one of the teachers, Ms. Mina Seat, I spoke about my upbringing and my career in interpretation.

Keisho Center and Saturday School

Keisho Center holds classes on Saturday mornings, and many of the students have Japanese family members. I had heard about the school when I worked at the Embassy of Japan, and was excited to meet the students. Because of the pandemic, the class was held online in an intimate setting, with three instructors for about a dozen seventh to ninth grade students.

I found this opportunity especially meaningful because I, too, attended Japanese language school (hoshuko) on Saturdays when I was growing up in Hawaii. The Hawaii Japanese School taught Japanese language and math, but we studied science and social studies separately through correspondence courses. Back then, the internet wasn’t available yet, so we had to send and receive monthly packets of assignments via international mail. But what hasn’t changed today is that studying Japanese is a lot of work for the students, on top of the regular curriculum at local American schools. It is heartening to see students and teachers (and parents) at Keisho Center who are passionate about retaining the language and culture of their heritage.

Discussing my experience attending Japanese school on Saturdays. I visited its website (which didn’t exist back then) for the first time for this presentation, and was filled with nostalgia.

On Interpreting

In terms of interpreting, I discussed the many differences between interpretation and translation; the three types of interpretation (consecutive, simultaneous, and whispering); and how I study for assignments. I also discussed how the coronavirus pandemic has affected me and the field as a whole, and how the future of interpreting might be a combination of in-person and virtual meetings, with growing support from AI.

Ms. Seat suggested that I show the students some of the symbols I use in note taking. With the caveat that everyone has their own symbols, I showed a few that I use, did a brief quiz on what they might mean, and explained a page from one of my recent notes (which I rewrote twice because my original handwriting was too embarrassing to show!). I have not received formal education in interpreting (which often includes note taking classes), and must confess that most of the time, I just furiously scribble abbreviations and shortened words. Still, symbols are a topic I’m very interested in, and I hope to develop a more elegant system in the future.

I asked the students what they thought some of the symbols meant.

Inspired by the Students

Speaking to the younger generation is always so inspiring. One of the students asked why I became an interpreter, and I shared how I wanted to connect my two countries through language. Another asked if I like interpreting more than translating, and I gushed about how fun it is to travel and meet new people. Answering these questions helped me remember why I decided to go into this field–which I’d forgotten a bit in the past few months, when all jobs were canceled, and travel and in-person meetings were gone. It also helped me have a more positive outlook on changes resulting from the coronavirus, such as the growth of virtual interpretation.

Other students asked about the technical aspects of interpreting, such as how to handle mistakes, whether we need to memorize everything, and how I work for myself and manage expenses (their knowledge of business is impressive!). I was especially touched by the comment of one student, who said that this talk inspired him to revisit interpretation and translation as a potential career.

I am really grateful for this opportunity, which I found especially meaningful when the field of interpretation is facing a big challenge. I hope I will have the chance to meet the students a few years from now, and hear how they might be using their Japanese language skills in their careers.

–A talk with DC public school students studying Japanese

In mid-May, I had the honor of speaking to Washington, DC public high school students studying Japanese. These students, representing about 10 schools across DC, voluntarily gather twice a week for classes called “Japanese Plus.” Their passion for Japanese is amazing. They don’t just take the time to attend classes in the evenings and weekends, working on assignments on top of their busy high school schedule. They also maintain a blog where they write about what they learned and other Japan-related activities, and give final presentations at the end of the year. They are really talented students, too, and many of them have won various awards! 

Globalize DC

This opportunity came to me through Ms. Sally Schwartz at Globalize DC, a nonprofit organization that my workplace, the U.S.-Japan Council (USJC), frequently collaborates with. We work with Globalize DC on a exchange program called the TOMODACHI U.S.-Japan Youth Exchange Program, which brings together DC public high school students and students from Keio Shonan Fujisawa High School in Kanagawa, Japan. The American and Japanese students travel to the Tohoku region and explore DC together, engaging with local residents and experiencing local culture (like helping at a soup kitchen or taking part in a slam poetry workshop in DC, or visiting fishers and hearing the impact of the Great East Japan Earthquake in Tohoku). After traveling and learning together for a month, the students really bond with each other.

Sally told us that Globalize DC hadn’t been engaged with Japan until we partnered with them in 2013. Following the success of the program, Globalize DC’s Japan programs expanded. Japanese Plus was started in 2016, and includes many TOMODACHI alumni. Sally is now such a prominent figure in Japan-related education that all of us in the Japan circle in DC know and love her!

On interpreting

Sally told me that many of the students are interested in pursuing interpreting as a career, and kindly invited me to talk to the students. I spoke about basic concepts like the difference between consecutive and simultaneous interpretation, and the notion that you can’t be a perfectionist, especially when simultaneously listening and speaking. I also talked about how lucky I am to be a freelance interpreter while also working at USJC. 

One of the questions I received was whether I intend to become a polyglot. (I was impressed they knew that word to begin with!) So many were learning multiple languages: one was also studying Chinese and Korean, while another was a native Spanish speaker studying Russian. Others asked the best way to become better Japanese speakers, and I explained that most U.S.-born Japanese language interpreters I know spent many years studying or working in Japan, such as with the JET Programme. 

Japanese language education

I also learned that day that Japanese language teachers are very much in demand right now. I was worried last year when I heard that introductory courses in Japanese language education were in danger of being eliminated in Arlington, Virginia–but was so relieved to hear that Arlington officials decided to keep them (I understand that Japanese language students were the ones who changed their mind, by starting a change.org petition and appealing to officials).

Japanese language apparently remains popular due to manga, anime and other cultural assets, and I hope this trend continues. It is thanks to people like Sally, as well as the Japanese Plus teacher Ms. Eshita, that students continue to have the opportunity to learn. These are our future diplomats, business people, advocates, and artists who will continue to connect the U.S. and Japan. I look forward to meeting them again in the future, and seeing what role they chose!