1 Mar /16

Life after a Japanese language degree

Life after a Japanese language degree
Life after a Japanese language degree

It’s hard to believe a year has passed since the last time I visited the University of Central Lancashire. And yet, yesterday, I was back on the train heading up north, ready to take part in the University’s series of events, which make up its Japan Festival being held over two days this year.

The university boasts a huge Japanese department: many students study Japanese as a major subject, it has a very active Japanese Society with over 200 members, and a wonderful teaching team headed by the industrious and tireless Amano-Sensei (Director of East Asia Exchange and Senior Lecturer in Japanese) who, over the years, has successfully created a vibrant learning environment in which students can excel.

In exactly the same way as last year, I felt the slight sensation of butterflies in my stomach before presenting my 1.5 hour lecture to the students, only for them to be quickly dispelled after a warm greeting from the staff and meeting the students who are always eager to learn and find out more. As I talked about the growth of the global translation industry, the types of careers available, and gave some background on the work of EVS Translations, the students scribbled down notes and came to the Q&A session armed with plenty of follow-up questions.

Many of the students were in the 1st of 2nd year of their courses, which means one of two things: for the 1st years, their study of the (formidable and sometimes exhausting) Japanese written language is now well underway, and for the 2nd year students, they are only a few months away from preparing to leave the UK for a year at university in Japan. I was conscious not to overwhelm them with too much information about carving out a career as a translator, or within the wider translation industry, because it struck me how young they are and that there is a sea of opportunities and experiences that lay just ahead of them—the path which their lives will take is still very much unknown. I’m sure once the current 2nd years come back from university in Japan, they will be eager to get back out there once they graduate, and life as a young 20-something in Tokyo, or any part of Japan, is a pretty terrific place to be.

I wish all the students studying Japanese at the University of Central Lancashire the very best for their studies in Japanese and future careers.

 Mina-san, gambatte kudasai!

(Good luck, everyone!)