[JIF2017] Interpreting in the Nuclear Industry 101: Starting from Zero

Nami Hijikata

Nami joined Nikkei Inc. after college, and covered a wide variety of topics as a journalist such as corporate management and asset management. In 2008 she left the company and became a freelance translator. Her translated works include How Google Works, Digital Gold, the Silo Effect, and Peak. She received a Master’s degree in translation from Monterrey Institute of International Studies (now Middlebury Institute of International Studies) in 2012. In September 2014, she started her career as an in-house interpreter in the nuclear energy department of a major power company. She went back to freelancing in September 2016.

Interpreting in the Nuclear Industry 101: Starting from Zero

You may think interpreting in the nuclear industry is difficult. Perhaps an area that you should stay away from. I don’t blame you, because three years ago I had the exact same thought. I had little science background, and even less experience as a professional interpreter. Yet with the help of others and through countless struggles of my own, I managed to find a way. This session will cover some of my early failures and things one should know before stepping a foot in the nuclear industry as an interpreter.

This session is designed to cover the following topics:

-Future of interpreters in the nuclear industry: Job shortage ahead?
-Main topics in the domestic nuclear industry and interpretation demand
-Basics knowledge, what and how to study, where to find work