September 14, 2016

Kansai: Teaching Translation

Presenter: Susan Jones
Date: September 25, 2016 (Sunday)
Time: 2:30–5 p.m. (followed by early dinner nearby, details to follow)
Place: 西宮市国際交流協会, Frente Nishinomiya 4F (Just south of JR Nishonomiya Sta.) (Map)
Fee: 1,000 yen SWET/JAT members, 1,500 yen JTF members, 2,000 yen non-members
Reservation and inquiries: SWET Kansai (Please indicate if you are also interested in attending the post-talk dinner.)

With Japan looking ahead to the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, the demand for competent translators and interpreters is on the rise. Colleges and universities are scrambling to meet this need, but find themselves in uncharted territory when trying to organize a translation discipline within linguistics departments. Who is qualified to teach translation? What sort of materials should be used? How should students’ work be evaluated? How can students gain professional experience before leaving the university with diploma in hand? These questions and more are at the heart of discussions in faculty meetings across the country.

Susan E. Jones has had the privilege of teaching J—>E translation and interpretation at Kobe College for ten years, while simultaneously working as a freelance translator. In 2017 she joins the faculty fulltime, focusing on the enhancement of the college’s translation and interpretation program. Join us for a presentation about the current state of translation education in Japan and a discussion of what you think every student translator should know when she steps off campus and into the world of professional translation.