My background

I have been fascinated by reading stories since I was able to pick up a book, and my father's career dealing with international trading partners inspired me to want to speak English as well as he did. It was this that shaped my life, leading me to a path that would see me studying abroad for two years in England.

 

The Sorting Hat says...

Like so many other people, I was captivated by the Harry Potter books, but the nature of the fantasy universe with its magical beings and imaginary places made me very intrigued with how those things were described in the original English. So one day, I bought the English versions of the books and started to read them side by side, comparing it to how I imagined the English would have been.

It was this moment that got me interested in translation, about how translators decide how to convey not just the words, but the nuance and subtext of the original work.

 

A career in the city

Like most people who leave high school, I chased a career in the big city, working at Anderson Mōri & Tomotsune, a law firm in the Minato ward of Tokyo. However, while I made many friends, and enjoyed my work and had plenty of opportunities to use my English when dealing with international clients, it was not really 'me'. I knew I wanted to be a literary translator, and after 5 years I decided to pursue my dream, and started looking at Master's degrees in translation...

To England

As it was Harry Potter that had inspired me to learn English, it was only natural to want and find my own Hogwarts. I wanted to study in the UK as I had never been to Europe before and it would give me the opportunity to live and visit somewhere new.

 

Living Abroad

It is fair to say that I fell in love with Norwich during my time there. While I expected life abroad to be different, it was often similar in ways I did not expect, yet the differences would often surprise me.

While I was 100% focussed on my Master's, it was my life's passion after all, I still found the opportunity to enjoy myself - continuing my passion for singing by joining as a choral scholar in a choir at Norwich's St Peter Mancroft Church, as well as taking the opportunity to visit other parts of the UK and Europe during the breaks between semesters.

I also met many new friends from all over the world, from Mexico to Poland, from France to Hong Kong, and many many more places. Meeting all these people, experiencing life - both good and bad - in another country, gave me a whole new appreciation of how people from different places see and approach things, which added another dimension to how I approach my translation.

 

The next chapter...

Like I said at the start, I enjoy stories. I enjoy reading about new characters, discovering new worlds, not knowing what could happen next.

That's exactly how translating is. With each project I get to meet new people, discover new ideas, and I never know where the path will take me next.

Hopefully it will take me to you.