er, in Japan, there is a clear-cut distinction between interpreter and translator, despite the fact that in general conversation the word translator is used synonymously with interpreter. The main difference between these two professionals is that the translator is the person who translates written material, and the interpreter, spoken dialogue, and although my official job title at the BBC Japanese Unit was broadcasting translator, I prefer broadcasting interpreter .people, in general , tend to believe that interpreting is somewhat more difficult than translating. This may be due to the fact that for a long time the main purpose of foreign language education in Japan has been to absorb new information and technology by reading foreign books. As a result, foreign language education in Japan tends to put more stress on reading and writing than on listening and speaking. The Japanese feel that it is much easier to be a translator because they perform tasks which are similar to what they did in school. As they feel that it is more difficult to listen and to speak in English, it is then considered very hard to be an interpreter. When interpreter is combined with the word broadcasting, for many Japanese people it takes on star status.actual fact, the term broadcasting interpreter refers to a professional who performs mainly interpreting for broadcasting, although the job sometimes includes translating as well. It is very common for ordinary interpreters to work only part-time as broadcasting interpreters, because job opportunities are very limited and therefore, few people can make a living by broadcasting interpreting alone. To the best of my knowledge, there are no full-time, in-house positions in Japan for broad-casting interpreters and they are employed on a freelance basis. The only exception is the BBC Japanese Unit, although interpreters then have to work in London.interpreters are usually able to watch beforehand the material that they are going to interpret. They can either prepare the Japanese translation or, if there is not enough time to do so, make rough notes that they will use while on air. Live coverage such as press conferences are interpreted simultaneously.Japan, broadcasting interpreters made their first appearance on public television in 1 969, when Apollo landed on the moon. The event was covered live on TV, and the Japanese audience listened to the simultaneous interpretation. Since top-notch interpreters were assigned to do this job, the performance was very impressive. It resulted in the general perception that broadcasting interpreters are somewhat superior to ordinary interpreters.the 1980s, it became a trend among Japanese TV stations to make use of sound-multiplex broadcast systems to revoice foreign news in Japanese. This trend reached a climax when in +1991 the Gulf War broke out. During this period, TV stations were forced to increase the number of broadcasting interpreters. It had both positive and negative effects. On the one hand, it enabled many young and promising interpreters to acquire experience in broadcasting interpreting. On the other hand, and unlike the case of the Apollo Project, many Japanese viewers are well informed about war issues and jargon. As a result, broadcasting interpreting came to be criticised as inaccurate, with many viewers stating that it was very hard to make out what the interpreters were saying.interpreters at the BBC Japanese Unitthe case of the BBC Japanese Unit, interpreters are employed full-time and work in-house. To be more precise, they work as contract employees of the BBC s contract company. The length of each contract is one year, renewed annually. It offers financial stability for the interpreters and enables them to have a fixed schedule, which means that they do not have to work very late at night or very early in the morning unless they agree to do so. The fact that interpreters work five days a week for a prolonged period of time is beneficial to them, enabling them to accumulate and enhance necessary knowledge and skills. This is a great advantage in terms of keeping the quality of broadcast high., This employment style can be a double-edged sword. Firstly, even if the workload increases, there is no change in salary. For example, when NATO bombed Kosovo in 1999, the interpreters covered the daily NATO press conferences live every day for more than two months. The quantity of simultaneous interpretation at least quadrupled during that period. But since press conferences took place within regular working hours, there was no extra remuneration. In addition, the pay scale is based on seniority, and there was no merit pay.work of the BBC Japanese Unit consists of providing Japanese translation for BBC World TV, which transmits mainly news and documentary programmes. The broadcast in Japan started in 1994 and it was introduced as a successor to BBC World Service radio s Japanese language service, which c...
