Karen Sandness
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        Tom Gally wrote that he had "zero years of college Japanese and two-and-a-half years in Japan" when he started translating.
        I'm curious as to how people with little or no university education and only one or two years 'in country' acquire the skills to become profession translators. I'd also like to know what kinds of things you are translating. I am in no way trying to sound snotty or sarcastic, nor am I implying any lack of qualifications. I'm honestly just curious.
        Ken Schwartz
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        If twelve years of language teaching taught me anything, it was that neither classroom time nor time in Japan is an accurate predictor of how well a student will learn Japanese. The coverage and quality of Japanese curricula vary considerably from school to school. Some programs seem to spend most of their time on origami, sushi-making, and learning children's songs, while others are the linguistic equivalent of boot camp.
        If you're in Japan, you can spend your time lapping up the language and culture and seeking novelties associated with them, or you can spend your time moving in comfortable circles, content with what you need to "just get by." ( I've met some long-term expatriates who would probably starve to death if they ever had to leave the gaijin ghetto.) Natural talent plays a huge role, as do motivation and just plain hard work. I've seen mediocre students wake up because of falling in love with a Japanese person or because of acquiring new friends who placed a priority on studying instead of drifting.
        Most people with two years of college Japanese and one year in Japan would not be ready to translate professionally, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility. In fact, I once had a student with two years in Japan with no previous language instruction, and she was phenomenal.
        I sent a private e-mail to the original inquirer suggesting that he tell employers exactly what he can do with Japanese--read shuukanshi with little use of a dictionary, understand NHK newscasts, etc.--rather than telling them about his academic record, the hint being that if he can't do things like this, maybe he's not ready.
        In the end, it's not how many swimming lessons you've had, but whether you can meet the times required for competition.
        Karen Sandness
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        Some people are disgustingly good at acquiring language without the benefit of formal training. I once worked with a Japanese man who was able to spot subtle infelicities in my English without ever having lived outside of Japan. I went through the academic mill, and I'd never have made it without that background. But there's no denying that some people (not many) have the combination of native linguistic ability and motivation to "pick it up" themselves. More power to them!
        Laurie Berman
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        I've studied seven foreign languages extensively. Six of these were as part of my formal education, and one (Japanese) I studied entirely without the "benefit" of any institution of learning. Yet Japanese is the only one I am fluent in. It is also the one on which both my profession and everyday social and family life are now based.
        As for learning the fields of translation, this is an on-going process. When I graduated from university, the topics I now translate in (computing and telecommunications) barely resembled what they are today. LSIs, fiber optics, and microprocessors didn't even exist. I owe much more to a lifelong love of electronics and gadgetry than anything I learned in school.
        Sorry if I appear to be scornful of education; that's not my purpose. University taught me how to think and do research, and put me alongside some very stimulating people from all over the world. But it sure didn't teach me how to do my job.

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