I work for Interac (also known Selti or Maxceed), as an Alternate Language Teacher. I've been getting a lot of questions about how I got this job lately, so I'll try to give some information for people who want to get into this line of work. I will be speaking from my experience from applying to Interac.
Requirements:
The only thing that you absolutely need is a college bachelor's degree. So, before you apply you should either have graduated and have your degree, or be graduating soon. Note that you need to be able to prove this with the actual degree or a scan/picture of it. Before I got the job with Interac, I applied for Amity. I didn't get the job seemingly because at the time I had an outstanding debt with my college and they couldn't check for my graduation status. The interview went well, but I was not hired since I could not show my diploma; even though I had graduated.
So being able to show that you have graduated (or will soon) is the first hurdle. I believe you will finally need to prove it after the interview.
Application:
I applied on-line through Interac's website. Much like any other on-line application, they will ask for some personal information. Items such as your full name, age, date of birth, current address and a picture. You will also be asked to give information such previous job experience and education. They will ask if you have any certificates such as TEFL. You don't need to have it to be hired (I don't have it), but I'm sure it helps. The application also has a field for the other languages that you know. They will also ask when you would like to take vacations. I'm not entirely sure why they ask this as the only time you'll really be able to travel is during the summer and winter. So I would put in dates between July-August or the end of December. Another item is where you would like to be placed if hired. You can put what you like here, but you are almost guaranteed to not get it in your first year. Don't worry and shoot for what you like. Two short essays are also part of the application process. Basically, they want you describe what kind of experiences you are looking forward to in Japan, your work ethic and experiences with children.
There is also a place to upload your resume. I would recommend telling them as much as you can about yourself here, especially in the essays. Show all of your work experience and that your are interest in working in Japan. The also want letters of recommendation so ask your professors and people from your previous jobs if you can.
Phone Screening:
Should your application go well. You will be asked to talk with one of their representatives. They will ask what the best day for you is and set a time. The times are usually in MST so be careful. During the phone call they will ask pretty much what you expect. "Have you ever been to Japan? Have you ever worked with children? What kind of person are you? Do you like long walks on the beach?" They basically ask the things that they didn't get to in the on-line application.
Speaking of the on-line application, there are two things that they want right about now. A TB test and a criminal background. Even if you are positive that you don't have TB (which nobody would -ever- have now) or that you have never killed anyone (...), you must send these in.
I personally think that the phone call is the first part of their personality screening. Sound bright, positive and show that you know the difference between liking kids and being able to work with kids.
Interview and Demo Lesson:
If everything has been good so far, they will send you an email and have you decide when and where you want to take your interview. Luckily for Interac, they have plenty of sites for interviews. So you shouldn't have to travel very far to get to one. There were approximately 20 people that took the same interview with me. The first thing they will do is explain a bit more about the company. How the company started, what it does, how you will work and some of the expectations of you should you be hired. After that, they want each of you to present a demo lesson in front of the other interviewees and a video camera. The whole demo should be under approximately 5 minutes long. They have a number of on-line sources that explain and show you want they want, but its basically four things.
1. Self introduction
Your name, age and a quick word. About 30 seconds to a minute long. The also want you to say something in Japanese. Even if it's as simple as "Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu."
2. Reading
They want you to read a prompt in a clear voice, at a smooth pace. About 30 seconds to a minute long.
3. Sample Warm-up
A quick warm-up lesson about simple topics such as numbers, colors and vocabulary. A clear presentation of simple English in any way you like to a phantom class. Songs and chants are the most common. About 2 minutes long, give or take
4. Sample Lesson
Showing that you can set up a lesson with a couple of phantom students. Setting up the lesson, explaining the activity and encouraging your illusionary students. This is also about 2 to 3 minutes long.
You don't have to be super amazing or have a ton of experience, but show that you are willing to give it your best and that you have prepared. They want these to be clear cut and around 5 minutes long, so it would be wise to bust out the candle and mirror and practice... even just a little bit. The rest of the interviewees will not say a word, so you'll have to pretend there is a child there for the last two items.
After all of the lessons, you take a personality sorter and quick English test. The English test is just to check that you are not a brick, to be honest. I'm pretty sure I bombed it.... But try your best at it. It has things like, "Is this spelled correctly? Is this sentence correct? How does a GPS triangulate your location?"
Last, you will have a one on one with your interviewer. He will ask questions much like the ones during the phone screening. He will ask more personal questions as well, such as "What does your family think?"or, "Where do you see your self in two years?" At this time, they will also ask you job related questions such as, "What do you do if a child is being troublesome?" and "How many schools do you think would be too much for you?" The interviewer will also ask if you have any questions for him or her and that will be about it.
Look sharp and prepare. There are many people that don't prepare for interviews... That's fine but do look into the demo lessons. I believe it will help your chances immensely.
Hired?:
A couple of weeks afterwards, they will send an email bearing good or bad news to you. This whole process takes about 4-6 months, depending on when your applied. Since the times that you start the job are either in March or August, it would be wise to start in February or October.
I hope this helps anyone trying to apply to a company such as Interac or Similar companies. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
プロジェクト: The Girl Locked Below
大希望を持つ翻訳者のCurbehです。よろしくお願いします。
音楽大好きですけれど、意外と難しいですね、歌詞を作るのは...
一応、音楽の歌詞を作っているから、普通の翻訳の仕事みたいにしたら...つまらない歌詞を作ってしまいます。頭の中に絵を描くのには日本語はすばらしいですが、まだまだ未熟私にはちょっと大変です。アフロを引っ張るまで考えないといけません...
Kurushiiと一緒にVOCALOIDの曲を作るの二回目でした。一回目のmasqueradeと違って、Stokholmの作詞がほぼ一日をかけてしました。
Kurushiiと曲の歌詞を作ることはちょっと変わっています。まずはKurushiiがBGMと英語版の歌詞を作詞します。英語版についているのは音節の数です。日本語に直すときにはそれに合わせないと、いい歌詞を考えても、作り直すしかありません。そこがたぶん一番難しいです。
英語版から離れてもいいですが、もともとの意味とイメージに同調することが大事です。歌詞を作るときには、やはりイメージされたキャラクターのしゃべり方、考え方、そのキャラクター自体を歌詞に映りたいですね。今回はいわゆる洗脳された抹殺ドール、と言うイメージが出てほしかったです。 可愛いけどご主人様に一歩近づいたら新しい口をあいてあげるタイプです。今は満足ですけど、もっと改良で来るところはあるはずです。
和訳した後、Kurushiiと一緒にイメージが持つかどうか確認して、発音の調整してからやっと絵を加えてアップロードします。今回の絵は友達にやってもらって、結構合うと思います。
またこんな歌をやったら、より強い言葉が使いたいですね。イメージがと浮かびやすい単語を使いこなしたいです。
音楽大好きですけれど、意外と難しいですね、歌詞を作るのは...
一応、音楽の歌詞を作っているから、普通の翻訳の仕事みたいにしたら...つまらない歌詞を作ってしまいます。頭の中に絵を描くのには日本語はすばらしいですが、まだまだ未熟私にはちょっと大変です。アフロを引っ張るまで考えないといけません...
Kurushiiと一緒にVOCALOIDの曲を作るの二回目でした。一回目のmasqueradeと違って、Stokholmの作詞がほぼ一日をかけてしました。
Kurushiiと曲の歌詞を作ることはちょっと変わっています。まずはKurushiiがBGMと英語版の歌詞を作詞します。英語版についているのは音節の数です。日本語に直すときにはそれに合わせないと、いい歌詞を考えても、作り直すしかありません。そこがたぶん一番難しいです。
英語版から離れてもいいですが、もともとの意味とイメージに同調することが大事です。歌詞を作るときには、やはりイメージされたキャラクターのしゃべり方、考え方、そのキャラクター自体を歌詞に映りたいですね。今回はいわゆる洗脳された抹殺ドール、と言うイメージが出てほしかったです。 可愛いけどご主人様に一歩近づいたら新しい口をあいてあげるタイプです。今は満足ですけど、もっと改良で来るところはあるはずです。
和訳した後、Kurushiiと一緒にイメージが持つかどうか確認して、発音の調整してからやっと絵を加えてアップロードします。今回の絵は友達にやってもらって、結構合うと思います。
またこんな歌をやったら、より強い言葉が使いたいですね。イメージがと浮かびやすい単語を使いこなしたいです。
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Projects: Arcana Heart 3 Information Pages
 |
| Yes. All of them. |
This was not a particularly hard project at the time since I had a fair amount of experience translating fighting game material related items before. What was a challenge was the shear amount of stuff. The game has 23 characters... and the same number of Arcana with individual information of their own. I had a little bit of help, but it took a fair amount of time to finish. Canon would later update the page with links to combo-video combos, but they were left out of the translation since it wouldn't help players in the US much.
There was not too much to research in terms of the actual content. He mostly talks about how the moves work and important data surrounding them. If I did have to look up something, I'd check the Japanese wiki and BBS for supplemental information.
The bulk of my research was brought on by myself...
 |
| Fairly easy if you know FG terminology. |
"But wait, I thought you only know Japanese and English?"
That's right. That's why it took forever to cross reverence pronunciations guides and charts or find Japanese sites with information/translations that match the corresponding katakana. From there, I could then translate it into English that reflects the original meaning.
AltusUSA did the original Arcana Heart... They did a good job but I felt that it could have reflected the original names more. The creators went through all of the trouble to use over eight different languages for their moves. I thought it would be nice to introduce them to the player. For things that would require heavier research, they used an appropriate sounding name or the Japanese for the move. There is nothing wrong with that, but its not as thorough as I would like have things.
 |
| Russian and Icelandic were the hardest |
Also, I did ask Canon if it was OK to translate the page. He was delighted to hear that people overseas were interested in Arcana Heart 3 and wanted to use his page. That kind of thing makes me the happiest.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Projects: Melty Blood
I started doing some of the character stories mostly due to wanting know what was going on myself. I would definitely say that I was not as experienced with translating or even Japanese at the time. It took a significant amount of time and guidance do these at first, but I was satisfied with the results. After translating them, I posted a recording from the PS2 version of Melty Blood and used annotations. As I got better at it, I was able to use more complex software for the subtitles, and it became less time consuming to simply translate the Japanese. I could focus more on the individuality of the characters.
Characters are hard to translate. You cannot just translate what is being said, you have to "translate the character." You need a good idea of "who this person is" when you translate dialog. Dialog is not static. We all have individuality and experiences that change who we are. This of course influences how we talk in general and even how we talk to certain people. There are over 30 individual characters in Melty Blood, and most of them vary in how they talk and act when alone and with others. What is harder is translating characters that are well known in their respective communities. Melty Blood is based on a fairly popular visual novel, Tsukihime. I need to make sure that I also match the character's manner of dialog to the vision of what people already have and expect of them.
What I needed to keep in mind for most of these is, "how do people see this character already?" I can't have an established smooth talking, fancy characters talking like B-Boy from 5th street. It throws the reader off. Admittedly, this mistake is in a lot of my earlier work.
On the subject of fancy, many character have highly embellished abstract speech models. I'll talk more about translating "complex/fantastic" works later, but the writers for Melty Blood, Type-Moon, often fall into this category. Japanese is a wonderful language for expressing feelings and imagery... and like a 2 frame mashable jab, they abuse the hell out it, for lack of better words. This poses a problem... how do I express these abstract visions in English? Thanks to this I feel I have a fair amount of experience with the kind of classic dialog found this type of media.
As for research, I needed to brush up on characters that I was not familiar with. I needed a good idea of their personality. I have a good idea about most characters, but I did need to have a look at some. For example, I needed to take a look at Kara no Kyōkai in order to understand some the references and Ryougi herself.
I think that these all went pretty well for the most part. I still cringe at some of my older work but I find them passable for the most part. I will definitely keep the personality and speaking habits of each character in mind should I do another one in the future.
It's been a while since I've done a Melty Blood character story, but it's definitely on the list of things I would like to get to. My ultimate goal is a localized version, or at least fan translated version of MBAACC. We will see what happens from here though.
Characters are hard to translate. You cannot just translate what is being said, you have to "translate the character." You need a good idea of "who this person is" when you translate dialog. Dialog is not static. We all have individuality and experiences that change who we are. This of course influences how we talk in general and even how we talk to certain people. There are over 30 individual characters in Melty Blood, and most of them vary in how they talk and act when alone and with others. What is harder is translating characters that are well known in their respective communities. Melty Blood is based on a fairly popular visual novel, Tsukihime. I need to make sure that I also match the character's manner of dialog to the vision of what people already have and expect of them.
 |
| Calm down Matt |
 |
| KnK reference to Sōren |
As for research, I needed to brush up on characters that I was not familiar with. I needed a good idea of their personality. I have a good idea about most characters, but I did need to have a look at some. For example, I needed to take a look at Kara no Kyōkai in order to understand some the references and Ryougi herself.
I think that these all went pretty well for the most part. I still cringe at some of my older work but I find them passable for the most part. I will definitely keep the personality and speaking habits of each character in mind should I do another one in the future.
It's been a while since I've done a Melty Blood character story, but it's definitely on the list of things I would like to get to. My ultimate goal is a localized version, or at least fan translated version of MBAACC. We will see what happens from here though.
Projects
I have a nice PC setup now!
To give more insight towards this "soul of a translator," I'm going to start posting about past projects and works. I'll talk about how they went, challenges, what kind of research I needed to do and my overall mindset from start to finish.
I doubt I can tell anyone "how" to translate, but I have high-standards for how translating, and a translator should be.
The ones in English will deal with Japanese to English translation. I'll also have English to Japanese translations, but the chances of those being in Japanese are higher.
To give more insight towards this "soul of a translator," I'm going to start posting about past projects and works. I'll talk about how they went, challenges, what kind of research I needed to do and my overall mindset from start to finish.
I doubt I can tell anyone "how" to translate, but I have high-standards for how translating, and a translator should be.
The ones in English will deal with Japanese to English translation. I'll also have English to Japanese translations, but the chances of those being in Japanese are higher.
 | |
| I knew him well |
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Secret Art of the Kancho
I'm sure you've heard all about the kancho. Adolescents and occasionally adults running rampant and putting the fingers into places they don't belong... of course unless you're into that kind of thing. I'm often asked, "Howwwwwww did this even start!?" "Whennnnnnnn did it become acceptable to stick fingers in peoples butts!?" Part of being a translator is reflecting the culture of the target language. I hope to inform you on it a little more with this article.
What is "kancho?"
My highly reliable sources (wikipedia) describe it as a prank found in eastern countries. The word comes from the Japanese word 浣腸 [kancho] (lit: enema). It it the act of clasping your hands together and extending your index fingers, then promptly thrusting them into the anus of an unsuspecting victim. A prank similar goosing or wedgie. Supposedly, you're to yell "KANCHO" as you commit this act, but to my experience it's a silent offense for the most part. Since this kind of thing is extremely uncommon back home, people that come from western counties to work with Japanese children, only to have a small finger stuffed... somewhere, are understandably confused or even offended in some (often repeated) cases.
Origin
The kancho probably came from something called the 三年殺し [san nen goroshi] (lit: three year killer). Some say the meaning is that this super secret move will kill the opponent in three years, or the pain inflicted by said move will last for three years. Similar to the kancho, you use your extend fingers, but you also use your middle fingers as well. Instead of focusing on the anus, the point of the move is to strike the perineum (the area between your stuff and your anus), temporarily incapacitating your opponent. You're probably wondering why I am talking about this move like it's some kind of technique in some perverted martial art. This is because it is actually a move, but in a legitimate style of karate.
Its foundation is in a style called Shourinji Kenpo. It's a Japanese art that is composed of techniques borrowed from Shaolin Kung Fu; they say that it is written in the documents concerning techniques of this style. Masutatsu Oyama, considered a martial arts god by many Japanese people, is the founder of a modern art called Kyokushinkai. This martial art composed of many styles that Oyama learned while becoming stronger and forming is own style of karate. It's said that while documenting the techniques of Kyokushinkai, he mistakenly wrote it in from Shourinji Kenpo.
Hilarious, right? A "secret move" like this in the style considered, "the first and most influential style of full contact karate."
From there, the san nen goroshi would make appearances in manga and anime. A big one was a comedy manga called トイレット博士 [toiretto hakase] (lit: Toilet Professor/Dr. Toilet/ Toilet PhD). Due to its influence, it would become the "kancho"that we all know and love today.
Today
So today, it's basically a harmless prank that kids do to each other when young. Mostly boys but you see girls do it too. It's not like you do it to everyone. It's mostly within circle of friends and a way to show affection... though immature, affection. You wouldn't stick your finger in the rectum of someone you didn't like, right? Of course it's not all fun a games. There are yearly reports of fingers being broken, or tail bones being hurt due to excess force. Some kids even get E.coli from... yeah. Since even adults may commit this act at times, there have been battery and or bodily harm cases against individuals that have attempted this against others.
What do you think?
When I was in middle school, there was a juvenile prank called "open ____." Where you would slap a defenseless part an unsuspecting victim. So of course there were things like open chest... or open nuts... Coming to Japan, I was prepared for anything due to our proud public education system in America.
Well there is information for you. Based in fact? It's hard to tell, but it seems to be how this happened. Now what do you think?
What is "kancho?"
My highly reliable sources (wikipedia) describe it as a prank found in eastern countries. The word comes from the Japanese word 浣腸 [kancho] (lit: enema). It it the act of clasping your hands together and extending your index fingers, then promptly thrusting them into the anus of an unsuspecting victim. A prank similar goosing or wedgie. Supposedly, you're to yell "KANCHO" as you commit this act, but to my experience it's a silent offense for the most part. Since this kind of thing is extremely uncommon back home, people that come from western counties to work with Japanese children, only to have a small finger stuffed... somewhere, are understandably confused or even offended in some (often repeated) cases.
Origin
The kancho probably came from something called the 三年殺し [san nen goroshi] (lit: three year killer). Some say the meaning is that this super secret move will kill the opponent in three years, or the pain inflicted by said move will last for three years. Similar to the kancho, you use your extend fingers, but you also use your middle fingers as well. Instead of focusing on the anus, the point of the move is to strike the perineum (the area between your stuff and your anus), temporarily incapacitating your opponent. You're probably wondering why I am talking about this move like it's some kind of technique in some perverted martial art. This is because it is actually a move, but in a legitimate style of karate.
Its foundation is in a style called Shourinji Kenpo. It's a Japanese art that is composed of techniques borrowed from Shaolin Kung Fu; they say that it is written in the documents concerning techniques of this style. Masutatsu Oyama, considered a martial arts god by many Japanese people, is the founder of a modern art called Kyokushinkai. This martial art composed of many styles that Oyama learned while becoming stronger and forming is own style of karate. It's said that while documenting the techniques of Kyokushinkai, he mistakenly wrote it in from Shourinji Kenpo.
Hilarious, right? A "secret move" like this in the style considered, "the first and most influential style of full contact karate."
From there, the san nen goroshi would make appearances in manga and anime. A big one was a comedy manga called トイレット博士 [toiretto hakase] (lit: Toilet Professor/Dr. Toilet/ Toilet PhD). Due to its influence, it would become the "kancho"that we all know and love today.
Today
So today, it's basically a harmless prank that kids do to each other when young. Mostly boys but you see girls do it too. It's not like you do it to everyone. It's mostly within circle of friends and a way to show affection... though immature, affection. You wouldn't stick your finger in the rectum of someone you didn't like, right? Of course it's not all fun a games. There are yearly reports of fingers being broken, or tail bones being hurt due to excess force. Some kids even get E.coli from... yeah. Since even adults may commit this act at times, there have been battery and or bodily harm cases against individuals that have attempted this against others.
What do you think?
When I was in middle school, there was a juvenile prank called "open ____." Where you would slap a defenseless part an unsuspecting victim. So of course there were things like open chest... or open nuts... Coming to Japan, I was prepared for anything due to our proud public education system in America.
Well there is information for you. Based in fact? It's hard to tell, but it seems to be how this happened. Now what do you think?
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Never Can Say Goodbye
As it is coming down to the end of this school year, the question that I get the most from my students now is, "So what are you going to do next year?" Why do they want to know? If they are first or second year students, then they want to learn with me again the following year. If they are third year students, many have a younger sibling that are coming in and would like to hear about me from them. What I can't tell them though is, "no, I will not be here next year."
Originally, I had planned to stay another year in my area. Over the past year, I was able to make a lot of good friends. The kids are well behaved (for the most part) and the teachers were looking forward to working with me next year. Unfortunately, the Board of Education here has different plans. For the following school year, they intend to use a different company. I wouldn't really have anything to say about that if it wasn't for the probable reason of money. In Yamaguchi, they try to have ALTs in as many schools as possible. However, in recent years, they have be trying to cut back on the money that they spend, going with cheaper and cheaper companies.
This has me thinking about the actual usefulness of ALTs, in relation to how they are changed so frequently. As you may have heard before, Japan is a nation of shy people. It takes a while to get accustomed to new people and create bonds. The first couple of months were a bit rough. I was breaking into this kind of work and the kids and teachers were breaking into me. In a society that takes a long time to get used to unfamiliar people, how can an ALT be effective if they are constantly being shuffled in and out?
Dispatch companies are almost like vending machines for foreigners. If the current one wants to leave, get a new one. If you want to save money, get a new dispatch company. "Why would you use the 120yen machine when there is a 100yen machine around the block?" Assuming that all ALTs do the same work it makes little difference who you get. "It doesn't matter if we use a cheaper company." I don't mean to elevate myself but I do a lot. Staying for club activities on a daily basis, volunteering to help in unscheduled classes, going to events and being able to communicate in Japanese. Not only is there no guarantee that the new teacher will do these things, but they will have to get used to yet another ALT. The kids are used to changing ALTs more than anything from all this.
I would like to see dispatch companies search for prospect teachers that are willing to stay in one place for more than a year. People that are willing to take the time to truly bond with their schools and communities. If the true aim of ALTs is to bring foreign culture to Japan, then you need someone that can stay to truly permeate the community that they are living in, that's the Japanese way after all. It takes time. That way, perhaps things like being "underbid" by other companies wouldn't happen. That kind of thing doesn't help anyone. What do you guys think?
Maybe I'm just mad. Well, the next guy gets paid less than me... so he can hold that.
Originally, I had planned to stay another year in my area. Over the past year, I was able to make a lot of good friends. The kids are well behaved (for the most part) and the teachers were looking forward to working with me next year. Unfortunately, the Board of Education here has different plans. For the following school year, they intend to use a different company. I wouldn't really have anything to say about that if it wasn't for the probable reason of money. In Yamaguchi, they try to have ALTs in as many schools as possible. However, in recent years, they have be trying to cut back on the money that they spend, going with cheaper and cheaper companies.
This has me thinking about the actual usefulness of ALTs, in relation to how they are changed so frequently. As you may have heard before, Japan is a nation of shy people. It takes a while to get accustomed to new people and create bonds. The first couple of months were a bit rough. I was breaking into this kind of work and the kids and teachers were breaking into me. In a society that takes a long time to get used to unfamiliar people, how can an ALT be effective if they are constantly being shuffled in and out?
Dispatch companies are almost like vending machines for foreigners. If the current one wants to leave, get a new one. If you want to save money, get a new dispatch company. "Why would you use the 120yen machine when there is a 100yen machine around the block?" Assuming that all ALTs do the same work it makes little difference who you get. "It doesn't matter if we use a cheaper company." I don't mean to elevate myself but I do a lot. Staying for club activities on a daily basis, volunteering to help in unscheduled classes, going to events and being able to communicate in Japanese. Not only is there no guarantee that the new teacher will do these things, but they will have to get used to yet another ALT. The kids are used to changing ALTs more than anything from all this.
I would like to see dispatch companies search for prospect teachers that are willing to stay in one place for more than a year. People that are willing to take the time to truly bond with their schools and communities. If the true aim of ALTs is to bring foreign culture to Japan, then you need someone that can stay to truly permeate the community that they are living in, that's the Japanese way after all. It takes time. That way, perhaps things like being "underbid" by other companies wouldn't happen. That kind of thing doesn't help anyone. What do you guys think?
Maybe I'm just mad. Well, the next guy gets paid less than me... so he can hold that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)