映画やドラマなど、日本のコンテンツに英語字幕を付ける映像翻訳者は、何がきっかけでこの道を選んだのか？ また映像翻訳の魅力とは何なのか？ 日英の映像翻訳者としてデビューを果たした二コール・ウィルキンソンさんにインタビューをしました。
 

◆How did you hear about the JVTA Japanese-to-English translation course, and why did you decide to take it?
After moving to Japan I got completely hooked on Japanese dramas. I told myself they would be good way to practice listening, but it wasn’t long before I was simply enjoying them for what they were: entertainment. Entertainment that, despite cultural and linguistic differences, I was able to connect with at some level. It was around this time that I was considering the direction of my life and career, and decided that it would be amazing to put my skills to good use. When I finally came across JVTA, it seemed almost too good to be true. It was literally everything that I was interested in all rolled up into one course, not to mention classes were only once a week, on either a weeknight or weekend, so that I would be able to fit it in with a full time job.
 

◆What was your impression of the JVTA classes and homework?
I loved the line-up of class topics that are offered at JVTA. I was always excited and eager to receive the next homework assignment and to see what new challenge it would bring. The teachers, all professionals in the industry, were what really made this experience so rewarding. By witnessing their individual approaches and techniques, we were really able to learn where and when to be flexible in our translations, as well as how to develop our own personal style of translation. I also particularly liked the amount of communication that we were encouraged to have with fellow students. Being able to see how others chose to translate their work was incredibly eye-opening.
 

◆What opportunities has studying at JVTA given you?
Apart from opening up the doors to media translation and providing me with small jobs, there is one other unexpected opportunity that studying at JVTA has indirectly given me and that is the current job I hold as a subtitle editor. I actually interviewed for this position while I was still enrolled in the beginners course at JVTA. While I was building a foundation, my professional experience was still lacking so I was sure I would not be offered the job, however, I was shocked to find out that my interviewer, and future manager, along with several future co-workers had also gone through JVTA’s program.
 

◆Who would you recommend the course to?
I would recommend this course to anyone who has the slightest interest in pursuing a career in media translation. It is not only a wonderful and comprehensive program, but it also allows you to communicate and network with both those who are currently active in the business and fellow students who may be interested in breaking into the business.
 

◆Did you have any previous translation experience before taking the course?
After realizing I was interested in media translation I felt I had to gain as much experience as possible, so I was helping out a couple of fan sub groups with spot translation and editing for a little over a year before I enrolled in JVTA’s course.
 

◆What is it like working on projects for JVTA while also having a full-time job?
Working on JVTA projects while having a full-time job with unpredictable hours proved to be a bit difficult at times, however ultimately I think that this actually helped with time management. Research is a critical part of the translation process and while sometimes I wished I had more time to dedicate to it, I was able to become more efficient in finding the information that would best assist me in translating.
 

◆Are you thinking of a future career in translation?
As a current subtitle editor and part-time manga translator, this is my career. I still have a lot more to learn and in the future hope to enroll in more courses and attend events hosted by the school, but JVTA has given me a solid foundation in professional visual media translation from which I have been able to confidently grow.
 

★JVTAでは英語字幕の体験レッスンを開催しています。
 
詳細・スケジュールはこちらをチェック！
https://www.jvta.net/tyo/je-taiken/
https://www.jvta.net/tyo/starting-your-visualmedia-translation-studies/