New Zealander educated and lived in Japan for 30+ years. speak/read/write like native Japanese. Background in television and video production.

Some parties I have translated / interpreted for;
In Japan (2001~)
NHK BS Showtime (interpreter for overseas artists)
NHK documentary programs (subtitle / voiceover translation)
Regular interpreter for K-1 World Grand Prix Series (Fuji TV. 2006~)
News Station / Hodo Station (TV Asahi)
TV Tokyo
Tokyo Broadcast System
Honda Motor Corp.
Asahi Glass Company (AGC)
Waseda University
Record companies including EMI Music, Sony etc. (translation of lyrics, liner notes etc.)
Star Wars Celebration Japan (official fan convention)
Major US-based International Soft Drink Maker (translation)

In New Zealand (1994~2001)
Air New Zealand, Continental Micronesia Airlines
Frucor Produce Ltd., Levi Strauss (NZ) ltd.
“60 Minutes” (TVNZ), Communicado Ltd.,
Royal NZ Foundation for the Blind, New Zealand Rugby Union
Shiseido NZ, Toyota Motor Corp., NZ
Martelli McKegg: Solicitors
Gekkan NZ (Japanese/NZ magazine. Law article translator (E to J) for 18 months)
Various local government and economic delegations from Japan to NZ
Auckland City Council, Manukau City Council, Ports of Auckland
APEC Small & Medium Enterprises Meeting (Christchurch April 1999)
Japanese Ministry of International Trade & Industry (large translation project)
Various New Zealand government depts. (Customs Service, Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade, Ministry of Research, Science & Technology)
David Lange, former Prime Minister of New Zealand
Jenny Shipley, former Prime Minister of New Zealand
Yoshiro Mori, former Prime Minister of Japan


--EDUCATION & QUALIFICATIONS--
Education:
Secondary Education completed at Japanese public schools (1972-1984).
Graduated Auckland University (1988) with a Bachelors' Degree majoring in
Japanese and Chinese (Mandarin).

Qualifications / Memberships:
* ~2001 Associate of New Zealand Society of Translators and Interpreters (Member of International Federation of Translators)
* Level 1 (highest level) of Japanese Language Proficiency Test (administered by the Japan Foundation and the Association of International Education, Japan)

Languages:
Fluent in Japanese and English.
Able to read/write simple Chinese (Mandarin)


--WORK EXPERIENCE--

May 2005 ~ (Tokyo, Japan)
Freelance interpreter, translator, & narrator.

October 2001 ~ May 2005 (Tokyo, Japan)
Employed by Shibuya Television Co., Ltd. as Executive Producer for outdoor TV screens in Shibuya, Tokyo.

March 2000 ~ September 2001 (Auckland, New Zealand)　
Employed by JPNZ International as Japanese interpreter & translator.

October 1994 ~ September 2001 (Auckland, New Zealand)　
Worked as a freelance video director, Japanese interpreter & translator.

October 1988 ~ August 1994 (Tokyo, Japan)
Employed as a Television director by Big Heart Co. Ltd. (video, commercial and television production company). I was involved in full time TV production on; magazine-type programs; travel guide programs; drama; music & talk shows. Often on these programs I would be the interviewer/ interpreter and then the translator for the subtitles of any English dialogue.

May ~ September 1988 (Tokyo, Japan)
Private English tutoring in Tokyo. Approximately 11 classes / 70 students.

May 1987 ~ May 1988 (Auckland, New Zealand)
Employed by Thomas Cook (NZ) Ltd. as a freelance Japanese-speaking tour guide mainly in the Auckland area.


--BILINGUAL BACKGROUND AND INTERESTS--
Being brought up in Japan as a missionary's son has accounted for an interesting life. Going through schooling in a totally Japanese environment (I did not attend international schools) not only gave me a natural grasp of the Japanese language but also gave me an inside understanding of Japanese culture.
After brushing up my English while studying for my B.A. at university in New Zealand, I returned to Japan, this time starting my career in the television industry. Here I worked as a director, researching, writing, directing, and editing entertainment TV shows in Japanese. Often my subject would be a non-Japanese talent, actor or musician, so here I fine-tuned my skills of interviewing, interpreting and translating.
I interpreted the sermons on a regular basis at a Japanese speaking Christian church in Auckland between 1994 and 2001, and I am currently actively involved in a bilingual church in Tokyo where I often interpret sermons into English and/or Japanese. This experience keeps emphasizing to me the importance of getting the message (or the truth) across accurately, albeit some paraphrasing, which I feel is the essence of interpreting and translating.