So what do you think...BA degree or not?

[Malicomatt]

I just transfered to Cal State University Long Beach and I already have my 2 year degree from a community college in my home town. However, I just found out that it will take another 3 years at least to get my Bacholers degree in Japanese because I skipped a semester to work then found out that the semester I went into, this upcoming spring, didn't have the Japanese class that I need which is intermediate. So I have to wait until next fall to start and it takes 2 and a half years just to get the degree after that. I want to go to the Yamasa Institute in Okazaki, Japan and just study there for a year, which would be way more beneficial I think because I would be fully immersed in the language instead of studying out of a book here in the states. My question is, would I be able to get a job as a translator with just my 2 year degree and then my background at Yamasa? (they only give a certificate that says how many classes you took and what level of Japanese you achieved) Would this be ok when looking for a translation job? I don't want to wait for 3 years or more to get the same effect that I would for a year in Japan. What do you guys think?:souka:

[Mike Cash]

You planning on being a translator in the US or in Japan?

[JimmySeal]

One year at a school in Japan is not likely to give you the skills you need in order to be a translator.

[Malicomatt]

Either Japan or America, and I do already have 3 semesters of college background in Japanese so I'm at elementary level at least.

[tokapi]

I have 1 online J gal-pal Nobukoさん spent several months last year in southern California for Japanese-English translator certificate course.She returned home and now scraping by working freelance translation assigments for multi-national Japanese corporations.:wave:

[nice gaijin]

I had 3 years of Japanese before spending a year studying in Tokyo, and I wouldn't consider myself good enough to be a translator. Not to compare us to each other, but that's a pretty outlandishly ambitious goal you've set for yourself.

[Glenski]

My question is, would I be able to get a job as a translator with just my 2 year degree and then my background at Yamasa?
If you want work in Japan, you need to qualify for a work visa. A 2-year degree usually doesn't cut it.

BTW, translation jobs are very competitive here. VERY!

[tokapi]

BTW, translation jobs are very competitive here. VERY!



Yep ... Nobukoさん only gets on-call assignments,also tutors Math to high schoolers at home to make ends meet.:wave:

Full time employment is bleak in Japan,even for local population.

[Malicomatt]

Well now that I think about it, I was thinking more along the lines of an interpreter job, and I would most likely work in America.