[JITF2020] How to Become and Continue as a Translator

Honyaku Forum (Sakino Takahashi, Koji Inokuchi, Akira Takahashi, Yumiko Fukai)

Honyaku Forum was formed in 1989 within “Nifty Serve,” a pre-internet online service, as a place for translators to exchange information, help each other and study.  It is currently active on the internet.  It started “symposia” from 2012, the “lesson series” from 2016, and contents delivery on YouTube from 2020.  It published “Honyaku no Ressun (Translation Lessons)” (Kodansha) in 2016.  Members engaged in different fields such as patents, publishing, IT, and entertainment are involved in various activities to capture and convey the “roots” of translation that are common to all fields.

How to Become and Continue as a Translator

Anyone can become a translator.  No qualifications or licenses are required.  Anyone can become a translator from the day one calls oneself a translator.  However, it is very difficult to make a living and continue to make a living as a translator.

What are the routes to becoming a translator who can actually make a living?  How should one exchange information with colleagues and help one other to improve?  Four translators working in different fields will have a lively discussion about how translators can survive as the environment changes from moment to moment.

We would be grateful if people in various positions could join, regardless of whether already working in translation, thinking about going independent while translating as a side business, studying to become a professional translator, or looking for learning methods and courses etc.

Official website: fhonyaku.jp
Official Twitter page: @fhonyaku
Official YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/c/fhonyaku