Rankings

Novice -- White Belt/Yellow Belt

Novice 1st Level/White Belt
Welcome to the Dojo as an official member! You are a novice because you have decided that being a translator might be a good career to follow and that your personality matches the life of a professional translator.

Just know that nearly everyone quits before they actually become translators. It isn't as if the teachers purposely make it hard (some do, but they don't really have to), it's just that learning a new language when you already have one that works for you eventually seems like a lot of work for not all that much benefit.

The people who succeed are the ones who have motivation to learn all of those weird words. Sensei's motivation was such that I wanted to know what was going on in my anime videos, manga, and Japanese live-action movies that I owned. I wanted to find it out so much that I was willing to spend a lot of time trying to memorize words and grammar. For you, it doesn't have to be anime, manga, and movies (although most of Sensei's advice will relate to that). Other hobbies such as martial arts, ikebana flower arranging, Zen Buddhism (or other Japanese religious sects), tea ceremony, design, fashion, art, plastic models, etc. are all good ways of finding information in Japanese that you can't get in English. That's the key (or at least a key). Short-term motivation and rewards upon success (knowing things that only Japanese know). Oh, having a significant other who doesn't speak your language is also a powerful motivation (especially when winning an argument means knowing Japanese well enough).

Grades are a good reason to study during a single semester, but if you don't have a way to keep you interested after the semester is over, you will not retain the Japanese you've learned, and you won't have any good reason to start the next semester (unless you're one of those rare academically minded people).

Taking classes or learning on your own?

There are advantages to learning on your own.

• You can choose your own hours.
• There's no embarrassment when you make mistakes.
• You don't have to shell out money for classes.
• You can learn at your own pace.

There are disadvantages to learning on your own.

• You can't be sure that you're saying it correctly.
• It is very hard to ask questions.
• Other priorities can easily trump studying.
• You'll need to actually practice on somebody.

And, there isn't all that much support for mid-level and advanced learning in any learn-on-your-own program.

I started out trying to learn on my own, but it got to the point where I didn't know if I was pronouncing things properly. So I did some research, and even in my small city (Tucson, AZ, at the time), the community college had reasonable rates, and the first two semesters of Japanese available. (This was back in the late 1980s -- I hear that Japanese classes are more popular and wide-spread now -- albeit more expensive.) It was an advantage for me that there were only two very long classes a week.

Still, if trying to learn a new language in my late 20s taught me anything, it is that everyone learns differently. If learning on your own makes sense for you, then give it a try. If, like me, it doesn't work as well as you might have liked, then you can always try a class after that.

Extra curricular activities

But since this is a dojo, you novices will be expected to do work outside of your class or learn-on-your-own activities.

Industry Research:
This is the best time to start to find out what kind of industry you're interested in joining. The Dojo is a good place for information, but it won't be enough to teach you all you need to enter the industry after you've finished your apprenticeship. Get out there and learn!

• Internet: This is the place to start. Many forums have professionals who post. Find those forums.
• Conventions: If you don't go to them, start. You have to get used to them before you can use them effectively.
• Industry Panels: This is a convention activity you should not miss. This is where you see the faces of those who might be responsible for getting you into the industry. Most are a boring list of new releases that the companies want to promote, but you'll be able to see (and perhaps meet) people who might help you later. You can also get good advice from translation panels such as the San Diego Comic-Con's Lost in Translation panel.
• Books: There aren't many (any?) books on the manga/anime industry, but there are plenty of books on being a freelance writer. The basics are the same. Learn them.

Novice 2nd level/Yellow Belt

It is possible to go on to apprenticeship without ever obtaining your yellow belt, but you will be a better apprentice (and better journeyman and master) if you take the time and effort to get your yellow belt. How?

Living in Japan for 3 months or more will get you your yellow belt.

A vacation isn't enough. You will not get the variety of experiences in Japan to really see where the author you are translating is coming from. The point is that you must know what the words you're translating means. You shouldn't be guessing. To understand Japan at any level deep enough for good translation, you really have to live there. A year is better. Two years is even better than that.

So how do you get there?

• High School Exchanges: for high school students. Try to take at least a semester or two of Japanese before you go.

• College Exchange: If you're taking community college courses, at some point you may want to transfer to a university with an exchange program. That's what Sensei did.

• Jett Program: This is a great program for soon after you graduate from a university. It can last one or two years, and will give you a tremendous amount of cultural experience.

• School in Japan: Some Japanese colleges offer programs for foreign students. These are usually expensive, but a student visa usually allows for a certain amount of work.

• Get a Regular Job: Let's say you majored in international finance or some other skill that makes you employable in Japan. It will be difficult to get a job before you go to Japan, but I've seen quite a few people do it. Assuming you are working for a reputable company, this is a very good option. Note: This is really only open to college graduates with a marketable skill in Japan.

• Japanese English Language Schools: This is a somewhat dicey strategy since your work visa ties you to the school in which you are teaching. Some of these schools take advantage of that to pay you less than offered or overwork you. Still, it's better than the next option.

• Illegal Alien: Go to Japan on a tourist visa and try to get work at a language school or in other less reputable industries. This is risky in all sorts of ways.

• Working Holiday: This is only available to some countries (not the U.S.), and it will allow you to work while you are in Japan. It's a good way to "try out" Japan, but it can only last for three months.

While taking classes during your stay in Japan will help you improve your language abilities, just being there will be enough to get you your yellow belt and the valuable experience that will help you once you've entered the industry.

If you graduate (or finish up getting experiences in Japan after you graduate), then you are ready for the brown belt of the apprentice. Your apprenticeship will be the time when you start to hone your translating skills into those of a professional translator.

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