J.S.

I lived in Japan for four consecutive years: one year as a university research student and three years as a translator/interpreter for prefectural government offices. Before that, I spent many summers visiting Japan and a Japanese family with whom I had a host–family relationship. It was because of this relationship that I began to study Japanese at a young age.

Yes, I believe that with enough linguistic exposure and study, a person can become an expert in two languages and be able to convey nuances in phrasing and connotation from the original language to the target language.

I maintain as much exposure to Japanese as possible, listening to Japanese newscasts and reading a variety of Japanese texts, from academic papers to novels.

One of my assignments included a collection of essays from a variety of medical professionals about their experiences and reflections after the disaster in Fukushima. The translation needed to convey very personal experiences from a variety of different narrative voices, and at the same time accurately express the medical procedures taken and the authors' recommendations to improve post-disaster medical care. It was an uncommon combination of narrative and academic translation, but I believe that by continuously polishing the translation, I was able to create English text faithful to the original.

I keep up to date on the legal and environmental realms in Japan by reading relevant news articles, journals, and professional websites.