One day I found a Babel University Professional School of Translation (BUPST) advertisement recruiting new students in a magazine I’d picked up at a restaurant. Since childhood, I’ve always loved books and writing! Intrigued by the ad, I checked out BUPST’s website as soon as I got home. The mission and work of a translator BUPST provided on its website perfectly matched what I had been harboring in my heart as wanting to do during my lifetime and what I had been aiming towards. Indeed, translation was work that would employ all I had experienced and learned up to that point; my upbringing, moving to Hawaii, communication with others in English, and other interactions where I’d experienced the richness and difficulties of communicating in English and Japanese. So, without a second thought, I took BUPST’s entrance exam. As a result, I was able to enroll at BUPST and given a chance to study translation, for which I am so thankful.

I chose BUPST for several reasons. First, the learning content is in-depth, and courses are high quality. Also, a counselor is assigned to each student to provide assistance through graduation. What’s particularly reassuring is that BUPST’s program is pragmatic and enables to students receive comprehensive support all the way to finding employment. What’s more, all courses are online making it possible to study from anywhere in the world. There’s no time lost commuting, making it possible to devote limited time each day to what’s truly important. You don’t have to worry about having to lose time if, for example, you’re already working, want to spend time with your children or your children suddenly become ill, or taking care of aging parents. What’s ideal is that you can fit your learning into your schedule, simultaneously studying while managing other commitments. I’m confident that this type of learning style, which meets the various needs of students, is the vanguard of learning in the future.

My goal is to become a literary translator, using my time at BUPST to the fullest to learn both Japanese and English and the history/culture surrounding those languages. I also plan to sharpen my translation skills to provide comprehensive translation of exceptional quality. I want to cherish my encounters with various literary works, employing words when translating that touch the hearts of readers. Since I’m fortunate to live in Hawaii, I plan to be on the lookout for literary works written by local authors.