JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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Why do Japanese change their attitude when they communicate with foreigners?
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Confrontation
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U.S. Navy investigating how parts fell off aircraft near Atsugi
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4
California court to decide if SeaWorld whales are illegal 'slaves'
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5
Kuroki reported pregnant 2 weeks after denying relationship with Akanishi
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- Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) in Kanto region
- RCS (RCSコーポレーション), Kanto
- Salary: ¥180,000 ~ ¥250,000 / Month includes performance bonus
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- Assistant Language Teacher - TOKYO - late-March start
- Interac, Tokyo
- Salary: ¥230,000 ~ ¥255,000 / Month
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- Assistant Language Teacher - Kanagawa Prefecture - late-March start
- Interac, Kanagawa
- Salary: ¥230,000 ~ ¥255,000 / Month
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imacat
All well and good but you're making my point... wouldn't it be a million times more interesting to be involved in creating these plans and putting them into action rather than stuck in front of a computer screen converting the documents for these plans from one format to another?
Also, is it OK to take money (lots of money as you claim!) for doing translation work such as this for projects in developing countries? I would have thought that was volunteer-type stuff that someone would offer to translate for free...
Posted in: No substitute for human touch in translating
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imacat
Exactly... probably more like 99%!
If you were translating a novel that could be interesting, but really even that might be a bit depressing. Every line you translate you'd be confronted with the thought... why is it that this person has created something amazing, whereas all I do is convert it from one format to another.
As for translating technical manuals, god that must be horrible.
Posted in: No substitute for human touch in translating
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imacat
I think it's stretching things a bit to call translating "creative". The creative thing is authoring the document in the first place. Translating is just converting someone else's words from one format into another. They're not your words! ;-) That's how I felt when I did it anyway.
I think translating could be improved by working in-house in a company but it's still just a boring office job.
But if your spoken language skills are good enough I would have thought that being an interpreter would be 100 times more interesting than being a translator. However, less work I suppose.
Overall I would say that being stuck at home in front of computer translating boring documents is a nightmare job. If it's just a kind of sideline to earn a bit of extra cash then it's OK but if it's your main existence then my advice would be to get out more.
Posted in: No substitute for human touch in translating
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imacat
Well, I have done some translating work and, frankly, it was mind-numbingly boring.
One problem is that there is such little scope for creativity. At least an eikaiwa teacher can (theoretically) make their own original materials and teach a lesson that is a product of their own ingenuity. If the lesson went well and the students really enjoyed it then I could imagine that being quite satisfying.
A translator's job merely involves converting a document created by someone else into another format. That's what really did my head in when I tried it... the lack of opportunity for creativity. I suppose it could be argued that choosing verb X as opposed to verb Y is a creative process but that certainly wasn't my experience.
I had a good idea! Perhaps it would be an ideal job for Japan's countless thousands of hikikomori. They could "work in their pajamas", have documents sent to their computer, translate them, send them back, all without any human contact. All they need is to get trained up a bit in language skills.
Posted in: No substitute for human touch in translating
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imacat
Translating must be one of the worst jobs in the world. Maybe even worse than teaching English. At least eikaiwa teachers get to meet a lot of people in the course of one working day (and even get to date the cuter ones!).
As a translator you're probably working freelance, stuck at home in front of a computer screen, translating (as the writer says) mundane documents for a pittance. It must be mind-numbingly boring.
Posted in: No substitute for human touch in translating
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imacat
ihope2eatwhales, your funding to post pro-whaling stuff here comes from the ICR, right? What happened to debiddo? You've obviously replaced him, but frankly, his posts were better.
Posted in: DNA tests uncover undocumented whale meat on sale in Japan
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imacat
I think the author is wrong about Madonna on SMAPxSMAP. The last time she was on it she was great... giving back as good as she gets and casting Shingo in the role of her biatch. Very funny.
Posted in: Raiders of the lost SMAP
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imacat
You missed the question, so just to ask again:
Wouldn't you think that was pretty arrogant to claim a "food culture" that stretched so far?
I mean, if my country was demanding to help itself to resources from a delicate and precious environment on the other side of the globe, all in order to preserve our "food culture", then I think I could understand other countries having a negative reaction to that, especially if it was in their neck of the woods.
For the Japanese, this issue is all about culture and values. Read up about what they are saying. It really is amazing that they have a "food culture" that stretches all the way to the Antarctic. They even have an "Association to Preserve Japan's Whaling Tradition and Food Culture" which has the full support of the Japanese government. At their annual meeting what do you think they serve up for the guests? That's right.... whale meat from the Antarctic.
It's not quite that simple. The Ozzies for example have a claimed EEZ off the AAT. It's a controversial claim no doubt, but then the Japanese themselves have a controversial claim to a massive EEZ around Okinotorishima. Imagine if Ozzie fishermen steamed up to the waters around Okinotorishima to grab sea creatures in order to preserve their "barbecue culture". What do you think the reaction would be from the Japanese?
Posted in: Iceland, Norway resume whale meat exports to Japan
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imacat
Imagine if a particular country repeated again and again how important a certain wild animal was for preserving their "food culture" but then demanded to take that animal from a pristine environment on the other side of the globe... 1000s and 1000s of kms away from their own country.
Wouldn't you think that was pretty arrogant to claim a "food culture" that stretched so far.
Now imagine that this country has an abundance of that animal in it's own neck of the woods (according to its own government data). Wouldn't you start to wonder why on earth that country has to impose its culture and values on the pristine environment on the other side of the globe when it has enough of the animal it demands on its own doorstep.
If you can imagine this then you can start to understand why people around the world object to Japan's Antarctic whaling.
Posted in: Iceland, Norway resume whale meat exports to Japan
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imacat
At least Iceland and Norway have the good sense to do their whaling in the seas in their neck of the woods.
We don't see Iceland or Norway organizing Victorian-era style expeditions to the Antarctic to grab whales... indeed many people wonder why Japan organizes these marathon voyages to a pristine environment at the furthest reaches of the globe to grab whales, when according to their own government they have an abundance of whales in the seas around Japan.
But I wonder why Japan is importing this meat. Whale meat is just a very tiny niche market in Japan... 99.99% of housewives have no intention of putting whale meat on the table for the family meal. It's in the same niche category as ostrich meat or alligator meat or something weird like that.
I suppose it's some kind of political move to create an image of a (fake) international trade in whale products. Or it might be the start of the process of Japan announcing its intention to end it's ridiculous Antarctic whaling operation, as it will inevitably have to do sooner or later.
The main reason for Japan's whale grabbing (according to the Japanese themselves) is to protect it's "food culture" (they even have a society called "The Association to Protect Japan's Whaling tradition and Food Culture", believe it or not!) so they might have finally realised how arrogant it appears to try to stretch that food culture all the way to the Antarctic.
But instead of increasing the catch from JARPNII (one of the fake research programs) they are importing whales from Europe.
Posted in: Iceland, Norway resume whale meat exports to Japan
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imacat
After all that the poor guy ended up getting a second-hand Nissan March!!
I thought this article was going to end up with him scoring a sweet deal on a Skyline or a MarkX.
Maybe he could try to "pimp his ride" but, with a Nissan March, it's a bit of a tall order...
Posted in: Buying a used car in Japan -- what to keep in mind
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imacat
Interesting article but not quite balanced. I was at Eco Products 2008 too and there was a great educational presence from NGOs, universities and other concerned groups. I spent a lot of time in that section talking to a lot of great Japanese people doing good work. Maybe the author should have spent more time in that part of the exhibition.
This IS a "products" fair so I think the author is naive to be shocked that there are lots of companies pushing their eco-friendly wares. And there were some great products that are really worth pushing. I noticed at the December show that there were a lot of companies pushing moss or plant systems to cover roofs and even walls with. Now that is a really great idea that would have a positive effect if it caught on in a big way.
Lots of good eco-clothing, too. Hemp and bamboo clothes... very nice and also great for people with allergies.
I really like the Sanyo Eneloop batteries, so much so that I have replaced all my batteries with them. Nice guy from Sanyo gave a lot of interesting background on that product.
Great talk from C.W. Nicols rounded off what was a very informative and interesting day.
Posted in: Japan's eco-products get a failing grade
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imacat
I think many young Japanese people want kids but the grim realities of cost, accommodation, dad's working hours, etc put them off.
If the Japanese government were serious about solving this problem they have to flash the cash. They could try these:
In addition they should clamp down on service-zangyou and have a system backed by law in which a dad with kids gets to go home an hour earlier 3 days a week.
But none of this will ever happen so Japan is doomed.
Posted in: Gov't looks to immigrants as population shrinks
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imacat
Don't be ridiculous. Nobody is saying "destroy China".
I don't think China is even pretending to deem anything democratic, is it?
This whole Olympic Games is already a disaster. Everyone now associates it with demonstrations, hate and Chinese nationalism. Those crowds of Chinese swamping the "Journey of Harmony" (haha) relay with wave upon wave of Chinese flags were completely mistaken. They should have turned up with flags of all nations to try and promote the Olympic spirit.
Now it seems that the Olympics is all about Chinese pride and arrogance. Well done China for a great start to the games!
Posted in: Protests erupt at Carrefour stores in four Chinese cities
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imacat
Just watched the evening news with scenes from Canberra.
There was some Chinese guy waving a Chinese flag, his face twisted with hate and aggression, chanting "One China, One China".
Where's the Olympic spirit in that?
China seems to be turning these Olympics into the Olympics of hate and nationalism.
As people have said, it's amazing having these Chinese people gathering in foreign countries when they can't even gather to criticize their own government in Tiananmen Square.
Posted in: Australian police tussle with Chinese Olympic torch escorts
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imacat
This torch relay just gets more and more ridiculous.
It's meant to be a "Journey of Harmony" but where's the harmony in 1000s of Chinese people lining the route and nobody else?!
Good to see that the Auzzie police shoved those horrible blue paramilitaries out of the way. Choosing those guys to "guard" the torch has been a major PR disaster for China.
All in all, China has managed to alienate huge numbers of people around the world in respect to these Olympics. I, and I suspect many other people will be reaching for the remote control whenever the Olympics happens to pop on the TV this summer.
Trying to demonize the Dalai Lama has been a huge and almost childish error.
Posted in: Australian police tussle with Chinese Olympic torch escorts
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imacat
As people have pointed out, Chinese people holding demonstrations in other countries makes them look absolutely ridiculous.
Message to Chinese people... try holding a demonstration about something in Tiananmen Square and see what happens! Think about it... what does it tell you about your government?!
In my country we have the right to object to things we disagree with and organize a demonstration to make public our feelings. It's nice to see that Chinese people are making use of these basic freedoms, but don't they wonder why they can't do so within China itself?! Are they so brainwashed that they will accept any old garbage their "leaders" tell them?
Posted in: China urges 'calm' as anti-Western protests continue