Japan - US Business News

JetWit.com...creating opportunities for JET Alums

I was having a conversation with an associate of mine, Steven Horowitz, about the state Japan-US business affairs as of late. Steven is a lawyer and a past Japan Exchange Teacher program (JET) member. He runs JetWit.com, a site for JET alumni to publish and promote their writings and translations, find work opportunities and to stay connected with the JET alumni community.

He was explaining that some of the companies he approached about utilizing his site to advertise and connect to potential translators and interpreters were interested but seemed unwilling to commit due to current budget constraints caused by the downturn in the economy.  I told him that he should not be discouraged by this and to look at it differently. It is often times how you look at things that make the difference.

I have heard the ‘we don’t have the budget for it’ speech many times myself from clients but it only encourages me. It is when money is tight that companies are more willing to try new things. 
Steve agreed that “what's going on is bad, but it's actually an opportunity.”  Yes, companies are cutting budgets, but there is still a chance because they're open to more efficient and cost effective ways of doing things.  If you can provide that, then they need you. They are more likely to listen to innovative ideas now that might have been considered too far out there in the past.

This is the time for U.S. and Japanese companies to look for different and creative solutions in doing business. Some past projects that I have written about in this blog depict companies that have started to do this, especially in the area of technology. With the economy being the way it is, more and more companies are going to have to as well. It is a matter of survival.

When Steven recognized that JET alumni were increasingly face tough times in terms of finding jobs, he started JetWit.com to provide a place that allows them to get exposure and also opportunities to gain experience, even if they're unemployed. Steven is giving them the opportunity to build their skills and advertise themselves in a very cost effective way.

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Visit Steven at JetWit.com

 

Japan and the U.S. ... A change has to come

The world economic situation has made it necessary for us all to go for it! Companies are finally opening up their minds enough to seek out new ways of doing business, new ways of advertising, new revenue streams and looking for new business partners. Why? Because they have no other choice.

The companies that will survive and thrive from this moment on are the ones that choose to see the economic downturn as an opportunity, as a catalyst to change things and to try things that have not been done before. How did we get here, many are asking themselves. That is just a waste of time. We are here and cannot turn back the clock.

The Japanese government is creating stimulus packages in the trillions. The U.S. government is handing out bailouts in the hundreds of  billions. Yes, by all means, hold up the economy. We are in a state of emergency. But don't just hand out the money to banks, companies and households and leave it at that. Make sure you attach certain rules on how to use that money. 

These bailouts and stimulus packages are 'fingers in the dyke' strategy (a necessity right now) but lets try to make sure that we start to really fix the problems. Otherwise, we will stay where we are for too long or be here again before too long. It’s the “give a man a fish, he eats for another day. Teach the man how to fish, he will be able to feed himself everyday".

I don't know exactly how this can be done but we have to figure it out.  I just think that if the same programs and the same solutions used over the years have only brought us to where we are now; it’s time to change some things.  Once the money is doled out; the responsibility of the people in charge should not end there. 

Take it a step further this time and ensure that not only is the money used wisely and constructively but that more than the usual suspects and usual ideas are considered. It’s time for new blood, so to speak. There are people and companies with good ideas out there. Listen to them and create programs to help them. 

Small companies hold up the economy of any nation and now is the time to focus on giving them all the help possible. Both Japan and the U.S. need to help small and mid-size companies in addition to bailing out the large corporations that have mucked things up so badly.

If the usual and traditional has brought us here, then maybe risk and daring action is required to get us out of here. What have we got to lose?

The wisdom of Japanese taxi drivers

Although I do not write about politics per say in this blog, I want to write about what I feel the election of Barack Obama will mean for us all. 

Possibilities, hope and most definitely, change. Let me tell you a little story. This past January and February I was in Japan on one of the most challenging projects of my life. Each morning I took a taxi to the client's office and one of the only joys I had each day was the conversations I had with various taxi drivers. All and I mean every single cab I got into, the driver wanted to show his support for Barack Obama. I remember telling my sister that if Japanese cab drivers could vote in the US election, Barack Obama could have stopped campaigning in January and still would have won the election.

What is it that Japanese cab drivers knew, felt, hoped? These guys have their ears to the ground so to speak and are some of the most interesting, intelligent and colorful people in Japan. They saw that in their country and in the U.S, it was a time for something and someone new.

They were right. It is what the majority of Americans felt as well. We all now have to take an active part in supporting that someone new in doing and succeeding with the something new.

State Department's International Visitor Leadership Program

Guest contributor, Stacy Smith, writes of her experiences interpreting for the State Department's International Visitor Leadership Program. She writes about her first assignment interpreting for two Japanese professionals studying the theme of Planning for Crises: Disasters and Pandemics.

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Since becoming a freelance translator/interpreter/writer, one of the new opportunities that I have enjoyed the most has been interpreting for the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program.  The IVLP is an exchange program designed to build mutual understanding between the U.S. and other countries through carefully designed visits that reflect the participants’ professional interests and support U.S. foreign policy goals.  For participants, it involves meeting and conferring with professional counterparts and gaining an appreciation of the ethnic, cultural, political and socio-economic diversity of the U.S.