Hoo-Ja! October 30, 2021
Translator/Interpreter

Jocelyn Laney Iizuka

Jocelyn, originally from America, is celebrating 16 years in Japan this month. She is a freelancer translator, interpreter, and English teacher. Her career is on the rise, including working as support staff for sports event guests this summer. We invited Jocelyn to tell us more about her recent work and other international experience.

Jocelyn is originally from Silicon Valley – Google HQ is just a 10 minutes walk from home. She majored in Linguistics and studied the structural differences of languages from around the world. Immediately after graduation, she came to Japan to work as an English teacher - her company assigned her to live in Niihama.

Connecting Niihama and the world through language

During her first year in Japan, the realities of living independently and commuting by bicycle were more surprising than the differences between American and Japanese culture. “Doing grown up life for real was a big deal,” she laughs.

　After 2 years working as an English conversation teacher, she switched her reach to kindergarten and other schools. One day, a friend recommended translation and interpretation work. Currently, she translates across a number of fields including tourism, health care, and business. When asked what her recent favorite project was, she said “Helping to create souvenirs for Kuwait.” Kuwait is well-known as an oil giant, but there are not many unique souvenirs. Her client said, “We want to make a new souvenir for Kuwait!” and reached out to a Japanese illustrator, with Jocelyn serving as a translator. Due to travel restrictions, everything was decided through email, and after 2 years, a jigsaw puzzle with a scene from the Persian Gulf was finally shelf-ready. “When I saw the finished product, I was incredibly happy and satisfied,” she says.

　Her translation and interpretation work focuses on clear communication, with an awareness of “how to express the intended meaning of Japanese phrases.” Japanese is full of neologisms and new vocabulary, and cultural references are key to understanding. When asked how she became comfortable with Japanese culture, she says, “It’s all thanks to my family.”

　Jocelyn lives with her Japanese husband and 2 kids in an English-speaking home. If she hears a new phrase on TV, she asks her husband for clarification and adds it into her vocabulary. “I’ve never had trouble living while in Japan because my family supports me.”

　This summer she had a big job in Tokyo that was rescheduled from last year. Jocelyn worked as a supporting member for the Spanish committee members during their visit to Japan, serving as a driver and interpreter for event guests and visitors. Spain hired a large team of around 30 support staff with a variety of backgrounds, some of whom could only speak English, or could only speak Spanish and Japanese with no English at all.

　Jocelyn found her skillset of English, Japanese, and basic Spanish to be a great match. She started as a driver, transporting clients between hotels and sports venues, but she was eventually moved up to the management office to assist with dispatch while continuing as a driver.

　Although she couldn’t enter any of the sports venues, she managed to trade pins with visitors from over 30 countries.

“My ID card covered in pins is one of my favorite memories.”

　“I wanted to boost my career,” she says about her decision to work in Tokyo. “But I couldn’t have done a solo business trip to Tokyo without the support of my family. I am forever grateful.” She was worried about being away from her family for the 6-week period starting from the opening ceremony on July 23^rd until the closing ceremony on September 5^th, but she says that “this experience reaffirmed that I want to keep doing translation and interpretation.”

　“Niihama has many companies with world-class technology. I want to use my translation and interpretation skills to help promote them to a global audience.”

　Jocelyn’s ambitions of connecting Niihama and the world continue to grow.

https://www.laneyiizuka.com