Japanese-English Translator
Medical / Education Specialist

Name:		Catherine DAWSON
Date of birth:	6th October 1977

Telephone:  01392 430358
E-mail: catherine@kamoshika.co.uk

Academic qualifications

March 2003			Passed Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level One
April 2002			Certificate in Japanese Linguistics and Pedagogy

October 1996 – June 2000	University of Durham, Van Mildert College.
BA (hons.) Japanese with French	2(i) 	

September 1988 - June 1995	Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School.

Translation experience
10 years of translation experience, both in-house and freelance.
Specialised in literary translation on my degree course: gained essential experience as a translator and proof-reader, both freelance and as a contracted employee during two years’ work in Japan. 

Languages:
Japanese-English	Main language pair
English-Japanese	Local business support service: can provide Japanese business cards, introductory and follow-up emails, website translations etc to assist relationship development.
Japanese – French/ 	For information / reference only: not native speaker
French – Japanese

I am a native speaker of English.
I am fluent in Japanese having been educated at university and subsequently employed in Japan.
I am proficient in French following 10 years of study to university level.
I speak, read and write basic Chinese.

Previous employers / clients (examples):
ThinkSCIENCE Inc
Gifu University
Akita University Medical College
Kansai University of Nursing and Health Sciences
Local businesses in Devon and Cornwall
World Games Akita 2001 Organising Committee (In-house)
Akita Prefectural Government (In-house)
Akita International University Founding Committee

Specialist areas:
Medical 
Education (particularly higher education)

I have 10 years’ experience translating medical abstracts, reports, journal submissions and case studies.
I have been employed in higher education for 5 years and have experience of admissions, marketing and student recruitment, web development, partnership development and contracts. I have 10 years’ experience translating academic abstracts and papers and websites, administrative documentation and information aimed at international students for Japanese universities.

Resources:
Wordfast (Trados-compatible TM software)
Microsoft Office (proficient in Word, Excel, Publisher, Powerpoint)
Dreamweaver
Photoshop / Fireworks

Availability:
As I am employed in the HE sector, I translate part-time on evenings and weekends. My output is around 1-2 pages/day on average, but this is only a guideline as projects vary considerably.

Rates:
By negotiation: guideline rate 7-10 yen / source character, depending on content. 

Language Tuition
I currently teach Japanese privately. Gained a certificate in Japanese linguistics and pedagogy over a six month course, including a week’s residential programme with classroom experience (March 2002). Two years of experience of teaching English in schools and to adult groups in Japan. Constructed a 12-week course in English literature for advanced students. 

Consulting
Experienced provider of cultural briefings / orientations. Can offer workshops on Japanese customs / business manners, Japanese society, and communication and language.

Writing 
Writing ability is as essential to a translator as fluency. I have been employed for 8 years in the marketing sector, mainly in Higher Education, write clear, proficient English and can guarantee professional copy. I have experience in, and understand the distinctions between writing for print or web
I enjoy writing freelance, and have had articles published in local UK and national Japanese (English language) press. 
 
Aims / interests
To continue working to improve cultural relations between the UK and Japan, and towards mutual knowledge and understanding, particularly at grass-roots level.
To improve awareness of the importance of language skills.
To continue my own linguistic education.

I enjoy travel, particularly by bicycle, snowboarding, surfing, world cinema and theatre.

I hold a full, clean driving license.

Referees
Available on request