2002年に初めて日本に住む機会が与えられ、日本の素晴らしさに感銘を受けた私。日本の人々、風景、文化などに出会い、私にぴったりあうように感じました。日本語も、ひらがな、カタカナ、漢字の三つの字体があり、大変奥が深い言語だと思います。そして、日本語の勉強をすればするほど、その奥深さに感動します。一生学んだとしても、日本語の知識はほんの僅かしか身に付かないと圧倒されます。 その後、子供が生まれたので、もちろん子供と一緒に日本語を学ぶことにしました。そのために、まず自分の日本語能力を出来るだけ高めないと。日本語を親子で学ぶと決心してから、毎日日本語にどっぷりつかって過ごしています。現在、子供達に追い越されまいと必死に勉強に励んでいます。 外国語を学ぶと、自分の言語から、また自分の言語に切り替える必要が数多くあります。子供達に、『それはなんという意味？』と聞かれたら、英語から日本語に変えるのは日常茶飯事です。そうするうちに、自然に翻訳や通訳の仕事を始めるようになりました。しかし、自分の翻訳レベルは大変低くて、翻訳が正・mかどうか全く分からないので、焦ることもよくあります。もっと正しい翻訳が出来たらなと考えたことは何回もあります。 翻訳を正式に学びたいと思い、色んな学校のプログラムを調べました。その際、バベル大学院を翻訳のウェブサイトで初めて知りましたが、最初は学費に戸惑いました。単に翻訳講座をいくつか受けるより、認定された大学院で翻訳を習った方が基礎から徹底的に学べますが、金銭的には不安を感じ・・・。そのとき、バベル翻訳大学院のワーキングスカラシップ制度の存在を知って、早速入学の申し込みをさせて頂きました。幸いに、ワーキングスカラシップ生と認められたので、学費を稼ぎながら勉強ができて、一石二鳥。 これから、医薬の分野に進みたいと思います。息子は医者になるのを目指しているし、医薬翻訳の需要はこれからますます高まると考えていますので、翻訳の出来る人がさらに必要となるでしょう
[:en]
I was first introduced to the mysterious and beautiful country of Japan in 2002. I immediately fell in love with the culture, scenery, and people of Japan. However, at that point I could not speak, read or write Japanese. Determined to understand and communicate with the people around me I began to study Japanese in earnest, and have not stopped studying since. Even after moving back to America two years later, my passion for Japanese has not decreased.
After having children, I decided that I would continue learning Japanese with them. At first teaching them basic vocabulary was easy, but as they got older, I found myself having to study even more diligently in order to keep up with their learning pace! It was at this point that I first contemplated the idea of working in translation. I wanted to be able to explain to my children in Japanese material that I had read or hear in English.
As a volunteer, in 2007 I completed my first work of translation. I was astounded at how difficult translation was, and realized that just being fluent in two languages does not make one successful in translation. At this point I began researching various translation schools, but none of them offered a degree in translation. I felt that merely taking a few classes would not be enough to develop skills as a translator.
Recently, I heard about Babel University of Translation. Babel is an accredited university that offers a Masters degree in translation, which was exactly what I had been looking for. Furthermore, the working scholarship system allows me to earn my tuition while studying. This was the ideal situation for me, so I immediately applied. To my great delight, I was accepted into the university and working scholarship program.
The Babel university classes are challenging and very well organized. Although I have just begun classes, I have already found myself improving in my translation skills.
In the future I hope to work in medical translation. My son aspires to become a doctor, so I have a vested interest in this area. Also, I believe there is a high demand for quality translation in the medical field, which will allow me to be able to hopefully find steady work in the future.
[:]]]>
成田美和さん
