B.B.

Actually I have lived, studied, and worked in Japan for several years. I did not choose Japanese; the language chose me. I volunteered to serve a mission for my church when I was 19 years old. Although the decision to serve was of my own free will, I did not decide the location and was sent to Japan. I loved the language, people, food, and culture and still do.

Yes, but being an expert in 2 or more languages requires time, effort, and cultural assimilation. Frequent or extended contact (living in country) is essential to maintain expertise in both languages.

Translating everyday helps to maintain language skills. Extended residence in and travel to Japan to immerse myself in the culture by reading, writing, speaking, hearing, eating and breathing the language also helps.

I once translated a prospectus for an international finance deal between 2 sovereign nations. Although I was quite comfortable with the language, the stakes were quite high for rendering a high-quality translation. This added a feeling of exhilaration while doing the assignment.

Constant immersion in materials related to the vernacular. I spend much time on the internet searching for the most appropriate and widely used methods of expressions in a given field.