Japan - US Business News

The Interpreter's Corner: My Breaking Point

Amya Miller continues to chronicle the day to day struggles of the people and relief efforts in the earthquake and tsunami ravaged areas in Japan...

I have been in Ofunato and Rikuzentakata for a week now and have found myself numb driving past and walking through the immense devastation.  I have been told by the relief workers I am working with that shutting down my emotions is a necessary part of doing my job and while I have struggled with the idea of having to go “robotic” in order to function, I’ve done just that. Until yesterday. 

This, I believe, was the first time in my over twenty years of interpreting that I broke down and cried in front of those for whom I was interpreting.  The combination of humiliation, pain, anger and frustration is a pretty nasty soup of emotions. 

Evidently I'm human.  Evidently I can't go a whole week shutting out my emotions and being strictly professional.  Evidently, all this comes at a price.

The Interpreter's Corner: A Whole New Kind of Interpreting

I arrived in Tokyo last night.  It’s changed.  The streets are darker, lights are out all over the place (rolling blackouts).  Food is available but on my morning walk to the local Lawson to pick up water and milk tea, I noticed maybe a third of the shelves were still empty.

There are also significantly fewer gaijins.  More on that some other day.

I’m finding myself facing a whole new kind of interpreting experience.  I’m heading up north to Ohfunato today for two months.  What am I doing?  I can’t honestly say.  I have been told relief/disaster work is very fluid and organic and things “just sort of evolve” and when I say I don’t understand what that means, I’m met with “you’ll understand once you’re there.”

I’m working with a US-based relief organization that has done this kind of work all over the world.  I tried explaining Japan is anything but fluid and organic but they say they know what they’re doing and are prepared to use the “gaijin card” to get things done if necessary.  I’m prepared to insert myself into this, whatever that means and whatever form it ends up taking, but….

The Interpreter's Corner: Change in Schedule until end of May

Dear All,
 
The Interpreter’s Corner will not be featured on its regular weekly schedule for the next two and a half months.
 
Amya Miller has volunteered with a Boston based relief organization and left yesterday to go to the earthquake and tsunami ravaged area in Japan. She will try to chronicle what she is seeing and doing if she is able to but her primary goal is to be as of much help as she can to the people in these devastated towns in Japan in their time of need. Please keep Japan and her in your thoughts.
 
Below is an excerpt from an e-mail she me prior to leaving:

 
“I am writing today to let you know I will be traveling to Japan on March 30th to volunteer my time as an interpreter and liaison for a relief organization based in Boston.  I will be working in Rikuzentakata and Ofunato, two towns essentially destroyed by the tsunamis.  My plan is to be there until late May.
 
The organization I am going with is called All Hands Volunteers.  You can find out more information about them at www.hands.org.  Because they are a smaller organization, donations get to those in need sooner and less money is taken for overhead.  I know many are looking for practical and tangible ways to donate.  I encourage you to look into hands.org and if you feel comfortable with what they are doing, spread the word to others who are also looking to donate.
 
I won't mince words:  I'm scared.  I also know this is the right thing to do.  I have a supportive family who is saying "go!" and for this, I am grateful.
 
With the media emphasis now on Libya, the news about the devastation in Japan is not as prominent.  I'm disappointed by this and hope to be able to provide you with on-the-ground information whenever possible.
 
Please keep me in your thoughts. I look forward to the time when we can chat again.”
 

I wish Japan and Amya safety and all the very best,

Yvonne Burton
Japan-US Business News

 

The Interpreter's Corner: Emotions and Control for Japan

I have sat  by the phone for boyfriends to call.  I have sat by the phone waiting to hear about my nieces' births.  I have sat and waited for many reasons.  You would think by now I would be used to it.  I'm not.  I hate it.
 
This past week has been a waiting game.  A call comes in and says "we'll know more tomorrow."  Tomorrow arrives and no one calls.  I feel like I'm seventeen again.  The boy I like didn't call me.  I mope.  I pout. I get angry at the people I love.  When the phone finally does ring it's only to tell me to wait some more.  The latest call at 3pm today was to tell me I should know in 24 hours if I'm leaving for Japan to help with relief work.  I will leave either on Sunday or next Saturday.  I get to wait again.
 
I have been warned to expect the worse when I arrive in Iwate.  I have been told it's worse than we think.  That I don't see how that is possible is a testament to my lack of imagination.  Or, so I'm told.  I have been asked how I deal with grief.  (How's that for a job interview question?)  I have been told to prepare to have to control my emotions.  I said I would try.
 
Which is total crap, of course.  I cry at commercials.  I cry when I watch movies where anyone dies.  (Even the bad guys.)  I cry when others cry.  I am not very good at holding back my tears.  This is even more true when there's a real reason for them.  Watching the main character in a movie die is one thing.  Hearing the grief people in Japan are suffering is as real as it gets.  Through all this, I'm supposed to be calm, professional, objective, patient and hold back my tears.  I don't know how to control the last part.  I will no doubt figure it out.  It's amazing to me how to body shuts down, goes into overdrive, runs on adrenaline and in general knows what to do and not to do when serious resolve is needed.  There's something in me that says I will find a way to remain professional and non-emotional.  Most of the time I believe this.
 
I've done it before.  I tell myself this over and over.  Interpreting for a family whose daughter was murdered, I was the picture of control.  I wasn't sure before the assignment how I was going to get through the sentencing of the murderer without being affected by their pain and grief and tears.  I did.  I will figure out what part of me shut down that day and muster up that energy again.
 
Perhaps at the end of the day I will have to keep telling myself I need to ration my Kleenex and toilet paper.  I'm afraid if I use it on my tears I won't have any leftover.  This should keep my tear ducts dry.  Right?

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Amya Miller lives near Boston, Massachusetts and is the President and CEO of Lupine and Co., which offers Japanese interpretation, liaison services, business etiquette training, consultation on successful negotiation techniques and problem solving. 

Amya also founded the Gaijin Group; a group for gaijins all over the world.  She was born and raised in Japan and spent time in Tokyo and Hokkaido.  She has worked as an Interpreter and behind-the-scenes liaison in Japan-US business for 20 years.  You can reach Amya at [email protected] and find out more about at http://www.lupineandco.com/ and http://www.gaijingroup.com/.

 

 

 

The Interpreter's Corner: Scared

The earthquake in Japan, the subsequent tsunamis and aftershocks that never seem to cease has me reeling.  I go back and forth between being glued to the television and walking away, emotionally drained.  Then I made a decision.  I’m an interpreter.  I can be of use the most in Japan.  I’m going.

Fast-forward, I am on standby with multiple organizations, federal, private and non-profit.  I have told all of them I am prepared to leave as early as March 22nd.  I went to my doctor and stocked up on medication so I can stay long term.  I’m mentally packing, trying to decide what to take.  And then it happens.  Fear hits like it never has before.  It takes over.

I’m scared.  I mean I’m really scared.  I’ve been through earthquakes before.  Big ones, too.  Tsunamis terrify me.  Not to state the obvious but I can’t possibly outrun them.  There’s nothing about Mother Nature that can be controlled.  Japan is a volatile country right now.

Then there’s the nuclear situation which can only be described as amazingly terrifying.  Between the evacuation notices and strongly worded statements by the Japanese and US Governments, I’m scared all over again. 

I spoke tonight with a US-based relief organization that’s in Tokyo now, trying to get up to Iwate to assist with search and rescue and recovery efforts.  They want me there in a week, assuming they stay.  I said I would go.  I meant it.  I mean it.  I will go.  And then there’s the fear all over again.

I’m in no position to say those of you/us who speak both Japanese and English should put down all we’re doing and hop on the next plane to Japan.  I’m going because I can be of more use there than here.  But, there is something I would like to ask.  It’s a favor.

Whatever religion you may ascribe to, may I ask for your prayers, please.  If you aren’t religious, may I ask that you light a candle, sing a song, dance naked under the moonlight, be nice to your neighbor or hug your kids/spouse/partner/parent/pet.  It would be nice if you could think of those in Japan when you do so, and possibly include me among those you think of. 

One of my favorite quotes is from Madonna.  Evidently, she said somewhere to someone, “I'm tough, I'm ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay.”  I can relate to that.  I’m tough, too.  I’m a strong woman.  I know I want to go to Japan and be of use.  I don’t think any of this makes me a bitch, but if it does, so be it.

Yes, I am strong.  I am tough.  Rather, I should say I’m usually strong and tough.  Right now, I’m simply scared.  Big time.  (Feel free to insert some colorful language here.  I know I am.)

Bring it on.  I think.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Amya Miller lives near Boston, Massachusetts and is the President and CEO of Lupine and Co., which offers Japanese interpretation, liaison services, business etiquette training, consultation on successful negotiation techniques and problem solving. 

Amya also founded the Gaijin Group; a group for gaijins all over the world.  She was born and raised in Japan and spent time in Tokyo and Hokkaido.  She has worked as an Interpreter and behind-the-scenes liaison in Japan-US business for 20 years.  You can reach Amya at [email protected] and find out more about at http://www.lupineandco.com/ and http://www.gaijingroup.com/.

 

 

The Interpreter's Corner: Mantra, Arnold and Adult Videos

As interpreters we carry dictionaries, stay up to date on current events, understand cultural nuances and know when to “go literal” versus simply staying true to the message.  What else do we need to know?  Here’s something that always trips me up:  Slang.

Like all languages, Japanese is constantly evolving and changing.  New words pop up.  New phrases are used that didn’t exist two months prior.  Next thing you know, the whole country is using words you aren’t familiar with and you feel out of touch.  While not necessarily slang by our definition, one new way the Japanese language evolves is through abbreviations.  Two words are shortened into one.  The first one or two syllables of several words are blended into one and voila there’s a new word.  This one won’t be in the dictionary, either.  It’s new.  It’s an abbreviation.  If you don’t know it, you’re in trouble.  Here are three such examples of words that tripped up an interpreter or two.

 I’m interpreting for a women’s luncheon.  The discussion involves music, art, fashion and current events.  One Japanese woman of about my age says to an American woman sitting at her table,

 「マントラお好きですか？」

 I pause.  What does she mean?  I could interpret this as “Do you like mantra?” but what’s mantra?  Do I say “mantras” instead of “mantra”?  “Do you like mantra?” isn’t grammatically correct in English.  What do I do with this?  Is she referring to just one mantra?  Does she mean “do you enjoy Buddhist mantras?”  We were just talking about music. 

The Interpreter's Corner: When Interpreters make Mistakes

We’re all human.  We all make mistakes.  How we deal with them and what we do with them defines our professionalism and how we are perceived.  Here are two examples of interpreters making mistakes.  One is about me.  It’s one of my more painful stories.  I’m still embarrassed thinking about it.  I claim it, though. 

It was my mistake.  Mine alone and while I couldn’t undo my words, I fixed it on the spot the best I could.  The other story is about how I watched an interpreter implode over several days after she refused to acknowledge a mistake.  Tell me what you think.  Do these stories resonate?  Do you have stories of your own?  Let’s talk.

 

Picture this.  I’m at dinner with three company executives.  Two are from the US firm hiring me.  One is their Japanese counterpart.  They are discussing what to do about their European business. 

The dinner was going smoothly.  Wine was ordered, appetizers arrived and the three men are chatting away with me repeating their words back and forth.  At one point, one of the two American executives says, “Shall we fire Dieter?”

Dieter is German.  He is one of the few executives remaining with the firm after the American company bought out the Germans.  He is not well liked.  I sense a difficult conversation coming up.

Here was my mistake.  To this day I don’t know why I said this.  I took “shall we fire Dieter?” and repeated, “Do you think we should keep Dieter?”

Stab.  Stupid.  Shame.  Dumb.  Sloppy.  Embarrassing.  Ouch.  Pain.  Repeat.

The Japanese consultant answers, “Yes, ” in English.

Wait!  Crap.  No! 

I realized right away this needed fixing.  The question was “should we fire” and the executives assumed I asked that question the way it was asked.  I didn’t, of course.  I turned it around and asked whether or not he should be kept.  The answer to “keep” was “yes” but the executives thought the answer to “fire” was “yes.”  Crap, crap, crap.

I stopped the conversation right away.  I explained to the Americans what I had done, and then to the Japanese.  I apologized profusely.  They all looked at me with a funny expression, partly of doubt and partly of confusion.  I was mortified.  My trustworthiness was at stake.  I needed to replace any doubt they had and quickly reestablish myself as an interpreter that could be trusted to repeat the words accurately.  I asked the Japanese to explain why Dieter should be kept.  He went on for several minutes listing his reasons.  This, I repeated verbatim.  The Americans seemed satisfied with this answer and I lived to tell the story.  I have never, to this day, made that kind of a mistake again.

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Amya Miller lives near Boston, Massachusetts and is the President and CEO of Lupine and Co., which offers Japanese interpretation, liaison services, business etiquette training, consultation on successful negotiation techniques and problem solving. 

Amya also founded the Gaijin Group; a group for gaijins all over the world.  She was born and raised in Japan and spent time in Tokyo and Hokkaido.  She has worked as an Interpreter and behind-the-scenes liaison in Japan-US business for 20 years.  You can reach Amya at [email protected] and find out more about at http://www.lupineandco.com/ and http://www.gaijingroup.com/.

The Interpreter's Corner: Interpreting - It’s more than just words

Not everyone is likeable.  Sadly, this is a fact.  Certainly life is more fun and flows smoother when we are able to work with those whose company we enjoy.  It helps if they’re nice.  Add competence to that and you’ve hit gold.  How does this concept affect interpreters?  Let me give you an example.

On a particular day several years ago, I find myself working with a sociopath.  The guy is cruel.  I hate him.  I really do.  This is a job I’m doing purely for money and I tell my husband I’m blowing this cash when all is said and done.  I need to reward myself for surviving this man.  I try to make seeing him again bearable (I had worked with him before) by betting one of my American clients $20 the first words out of the sociopath’s mouth would be “you got fat.”  I won.  Did I mention how much I hate him?

The thing is, he likes me.  I know how to walk the line between taking his crap and pushing back.  He pushes my buttons deliberately to see how I will react.  Over time, I have learned how to play his game.  If he uses foul language in Japanese I repeat it in English.  He knows these words in English, of course.  I know he’s testing me.  He wants to hear me use these words.  I know he’s watching.  I now don’t miss a beat.  You want to curse?  Fine.  Go ahead.  I can dish it out with the best of them. 

For this assignment, he’s traveling with several of his subordinates.  They have interpreters, too.  At one point, we’re all in a van going from Point A to Point B when he happens to mention a Japanese marathon runner.  This is the year of the Sydney Olympics.  I had been keeping up with the news.  Sort of.  I read the coverage of the Olympics the night before online, and read the news coverage from Japanese sites.  I knew to keep up with the Japanese athletes, just in case the subject came up.  When it did on this particular drive, I had the answer to the question the sociopath asked in an attempt to stump everyone around him.  This one marathon runner’s shoes were made out of some sort of rice husk material.  I had read an article about this.  He asks the question about the shoes and without missing a beat, I answer.  They all look at me.  The sociopath is impressed.  I can tell.  I am so incredibly proud of myself.  All I want to do, really, is yell “HA!” but of course, I don’t. 

The Interpreter's Corner: Interpreter’s Dilemma

I prefer the word augmentation to retraction.  What am I referring to?  Two weeks ago I discussed the importance of using a dictionary to look up a word, even if the consequences of doing so are embarrassing.  I stand by that.  I do.  There is, however, a “but” that follows this professional expectation.  Sometimes the word you’re looking for is simply not in the dictionary.

“Not so!” you say.
“Definitely so,” I reply.

Let’s review.  There is no way any dictionary can contain every word out there.  Even the most advanced electronic dictionaries have limitations.  Case in point.  Let me introduce you to an example.

This is a story that happened to a friend.  I’ll call her Juliette.  Juliette is interpreting for an American teenage celebrity.  Let’s call this celebrity Marie.   Marie is pretty, perky, loud, and popular.  She’s the latest “it” girl.  Juliette is called in to interpret for Marie in an interview.   Marie is starring next to the latest “it” guy in a show.  Let’s call this man Claude.  He’s cute, cool, dashing and smashing.  Marie is asked in the interview what she thinks of Claude, to which she replies,  “OMG!  He is soooooo cool!”

Let’s pause here a minute.  I looked up OMG in my electronic dictionary.  Nothing.  Let me be clear.  I know what it means.  (For those of you who might not be familiar with this phrase, it stands for “oh my God.”)  It’s used as short hand in text messages but also now in speech.  Young people these days honestly say “OMG” instead of “oh my God.”  I kid you not.  (No pun intended.)  So, Marie said “OMG” and it’s not in the dictionary.  It’s important we establish these two points because this is where my not-quite-a-retraction comes in.

The Interpreter's Corner: Public Humiliation

All clients are important.  All meetings are important.  This is not to say all meetings are equal in their importance.  Discussing the best way to put together an air condition does not hold the same social/political implications as a bilateral meeting.  This story is about the latter.

It’s Monday morning at 8:35.  Both parties are sitting in a large room in downtown Tokyo.  The Japanese have greeted and welcomed their American counterparts.  After a few words are spoken about the importance of this meeting, the host says the Director of the department, his superior, will come in for a few minutes and extend his welcome as well.  On cue, a man enters the room, sits at the head table and facing everyone says the following:

“Good morning.  My name is (insert name here).  I’m the Director of the (insert department name here) and I have been in this position for two years.  Welcome.”

I repeat his words.  Verbatim.  I did not omit, change, or embellish anything.  I used his words in the exact order they were spoken.  That’s my job.

Suddenly, he looks over at me, and next thing I know I’m the target of serious public humiliation.