Do you know how to keep up to date with the latest translation news? Or how to get in touch with other Japanese translators or even potential clients? There is an easy solution to do that and this is called an association. What is an association? It is a means, especially for clients, to find a professional translator. Being a member of an association, or several, brings many advantages that we will see in further detail in this article. Translation associations are recent—the first one was created in 1947—and their goals are to defend the rights of translators, allow you to have training all your life and be visible on the labor market. In this article, I will present the number 1 association in Japan: the Japan Association for Translators (JAT). Please note that there are many associations that exist around the world. JAT is only one among others but is part of the 8 most important associations in the world.
Overview
JAT was created in 1985, and since 2001 has been recognized as a non-profit organization. Now it counts 800 members. Around half of them are living outside of Japan so this is really an international association. However, its working languages are only Japanese and English. This means that this association lists only Japanese language and English language specialists. You are certainly wondering why only Japanese and English and no other languages, aren’t you? Well, this was the purpose of this association: to facilitate communication between translators working in English and Japanese. However, its membership is not restricted to language combinations: it is only for professional translators or interpreters or for people who are interested in these fields.
JAT has one mission. Well, this mission is divided into several aspects of translation, but which lead to a single goal: to value and protect the job of professional translators. As I said before, the JAT has one mission divided into 3 aspects which are to improve the professional skills of its members, to make people more aware of the translation and interpreting professions, and to give people a better access to information. To achieve this mission, JAT has described 5 objectives to reach step by step. The first one is to offer a chance to Japanese and English translators and interpreters at communicating and exchanging information with one another through different means such as forums. The second one is to give translators/interpreters the opportunity to improve their professional education through different activities. The third one is to teach people about the skills and experience needed to become a professional translator or interpreter. The fourth one is to make people aware of how important the translation/interpreting professions are by stimulating international business. Finally, the fifth and final one is to create guidelines that professionals and clients must respect.
With this brief introduction to JAT, you now have an overview of this association. However, I still haven’t told you why you should join it, have I? Do not worry, let me explain it right now.
Membership and Advantages
I think this is the part that will interest you the most. Or maybe, the one just after the activities and training proposed by JAT, which can be the reasons you may want to join this association in the first place. Well, I will just give you basic information on how to become a member of JAT and why you should be one of them.
First, JAT is strictly an association for individuals. An organization or an association cannot become a member. However, if they want to access JAT resources, they can ask one person of their staff to join on their behalf. Apart from this rule, everyone who is a professional translator or interpreter or who is interested in translation can become a member of this association.
Next, I will tell how much it will cost you and how in general you become a member. It is really simple: you just need to go to the association’s website, and to click on Join JAT. Then, by just filling in the form with your basic information (names and email address), your account is created. After, you will receive an email and you just have to follow the instructions and, of course, pay the membership. You can pay for one or two years. The annual membership is 10,000 yen (around €77 or $92). However, if you pay for two years, you will have a discount of 1,000 yen. In other words, you will only pay 19,000 yen (about €147 or $175) if you are a new member. If you are already a member, the fees for two years will be 18,000 yen (about €139 or $166). And of course, if you were a former member, you can join again by paying the dues. So, if you are an individual and you are ready to pay, then go for it! It is worth your money.
Here is the link to join JAT: https://jat.org/membership/signup
If you pay something, you need to know what you will gain in exchange. Indeed, there are many advantages. The first one you can think of is promoting yourself. Especially if you are a freelancer, it is difficult to find clients or even to communicate with other professionals. JAT offers you a chance at finding clients by listing all the translators and interpreters who are JAT members in its database so that clients can easily find you based on your language combination and/or your specialization. Of course, the opposite is also possible: you can find clients by a post describing the job you search and who you are. Another main benefit is the exchange of information and opinions with other fellow translators and interpreters all around the world through all the proposed activities and online forums. Thanks to JAT, you have an opportunity to be part of a large community of professionals. You will also have a discount, up to 50% off, on conferences, training sessions and workshops. Finally, you will, of course, have access to all the JAT resources: from annual publications to archives, videos, photos as well as recordings which are restricted to members only.
Of course, there are advantages for non-members, but they are limited. First, for prospective clients, you can check and look for a professional translator/interpreter depending on your needs. In addition, you can improve your knowledge about translation and interpreting professions such as the difference between these two domains or the quality expected of a good translation and so on. Well, as I said, there are limited benefits for non-members, but it is better than nothing, isn’t it?
I hope that I have now succeeded in convincing you to become a member of JAT. If it is not the case, maybe the next part of this article will be the final reason at persuading you.
Activities and Training
Last but not least! You will discover what kinds of activities and training JAT offers.
Firstly, there are many conferences that JAT hosts. One of them is a two-day conference: the International Japanese-English Translation or IJET. It gathers professional Japanese and English translators/interpreters for networking, sharing experiences, and developing their professional skills. It was first held in 1990 and now, it is an annual conference. As it is for Japanese and English practitioners, it is held alternatively between Japan and an English-speaking country (See: ijet.jat.org). The second one is a one-day conference: the Professional Japanese-English Conference on Translation (PROJECTs). It covers different aspects of translation and is particularly beneficial for people who have just started in this business (See: https://project.jat.org/). This one is only held in Japan and usually when IJET is held overseas. Then, there are seminars called Regional Activities Committees. They are often held by JAT members or specialists to discuss topics on translation and translation business as well as networking. You can find these social gatherings all around Japan. You just need to check, maybe there is one near your home. You can find all the planned events here: https://jat.org/events.
Another activity is what JAT calls SIGs or Special Interest Groups. They are interest groups, so they gather experts and people who share the same field of interest. Their goal is to publish articles or/and books on their domain and to hold meetings. It is a way to exchange information, network, and talk about a specific area. You can also create your own group if those already created are not adapted to your needs (See: https://jat.org/about).
Next, there is an annual contest, which is for beginners and aspiring translators. As I said, this is a translation contest and there are two categories: Japanese-to-English and English-to-Japanese. Prizes and feedback are offered to each participant and this is free of charge. So, if you want to challenge yourself while getting feedback on your translation, this contest is made for you! (See: https://jat.org/about/contest).
Finally, training at JAT is not really a program with lessons or anything like that. It is a skill-building program. The E-Juku program works like this: students are divided according to their mother language and are then given the same text. They must translate it into a target language (Japanese or English) and then their work will be revised by a “veteran” translator, who is a native speaker of the target language. Then, students will be given feedback. This is an opportunity to improve your skills by practicing and not just listening to lessons as in school.
I hope that this article was useful to you and that you are now interested in JAT. If you want more information about this association, you can find it all here: https://jat.org/. And if not in JAT, maybe in another association. Remember this that association is a goldmine in terms of information and networking. So, do not hesitate to join one wherever you are.
Favre Laura
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