News

01/28/2024

Interpretation work at the Amsterdam Science Park

Up until this point, I have done interpretation work in many different locations, but a chemistry lab was completely new for me. During a 5-day bioassay training, I helped Japanese researcher Ryo Matsuda from Hiyoshi Corporation with various experiments and procedures in the lab, as well as assisting him with theoretical explanations and calculations. The training was given by members from Bio Detection Systems (BDS) located at the Amsterdam Science Park and focused on new bio detection methods for measuring PFAS levels in e.g. drinking water. Now that I have thoroughly prepared myself for this assignment, I have to say that my Japanese chemistry-related vocabulary has never been in such good shape before!

12/11/2023

Interpreting during a visit of Yamachi Corporation to the Netherlands

This week I'm looking back on two very busy yet fruitful business trip days spent with members of the Japanese Yamachi Corporation (株式会社ヤマチコーポレーション) and BERA B.V. from the Netherlands. BERA B.V. develops sustainable solutions for landscape designing and their products can be found in many gardens and parks in Japan.

During this business trip, I was very happy to enable both parties to overcome the language barrier they normally have, and to see that my work as an interpreter really paid off.

09/12/2023

Starting as a Japanese language instructor at Leiden University

This fall semester, I will be teaching Japanese as a language instructor for the second-year students of the Leiden University International Studies (BA) curriculum, together with Takahide Suzuki, my former Business Japanese teacher, and Yuta Mori, co-author of the brand-new “Tobira 1: Beginning Japanese” (初級日本語とびら). I am looking forward to seeing my students and making sure they have a good time studying the Japanese language.

06/26/2023

Interpreting during an interview with the director of Japanmuseum SieboldHuis

In August 1823, exactly 200 years ago, Philipp Franz von Siebold set foot on Dejima, Nagasaki, for the first time. Siebold is famous for his introduction of Western medicine to Japan, as well as for his studies on Japanese flora and fauna. In line with this event, I assisted Sayuri Kose, foreign correspondent for the Nagasaki Shimbun (長崎新聞), during a special interview with Kris Schiermeier, director of Japan Museum SieboldHuis. Serving as an interpreter during the interview, I was happy to make sure that all the information came across smoothly. A Dutch translation of the Japanese article is available on LinkedIn.

04/25/2023

Japanese business delegation from ASKUL Corp. visits Amsterdam

This month, I was in charge of coordinating a business trip by members of the medical management division of ASKUL Corporation from Tokyo. ASKUL started its business 30 years ago, mainly focusing on office supplies, but has extended its catalogue to include more than 12 million products at present.

As the coordinator of the entire visit, I was responsible for interpreting during all company visits and interviews, schedule management, and chaperoning the delegation members all throughout the Amsterdam area. The purpose of ASKUL’s trip was to visit a wide array of elderly care institutions in the Netherlands in order to gain insights in the type of management and facilities our country has to offer in this field. With each member having their own expertise, the knowledge gained during these company visits will hopefully lead to further development of ASKUL’s private brand products, as well as to further amelioration of the elderly care in Japan in general.

01/17/2023

First 'viewing' of audio movie Nagasaki, produced by NOX

This week, I was invited to the premiere of the audio movie "Nagasaki," produced by Audiocollectief NOX, for whom I provided Japanese language and culture consultation. It portrays a love story taking place in Nagasaki, 1945. As the whole movie is an audio experience, the first 'viewing' took place in a small theater in Amsterdam in complete darkness.

For this project, I made Japanese translations and served as an interpreter during meetings to ensure that the artistic choices from both sides of producer and musician came across properly. The instrumentals were limited entirely to the sound of the hichiriki, a type of Japanese flute, played by Motonori Miura. Mr. Miura is a professional hichiriki player from Hiroshima, known for his hichiriki performance in the soundtrack of Studio Ghibli’s “Kaguyahime no Monogatari” (The Tale of Princess Kaguya).

Having listened to the final result, I found "Nagasaki" to be a thrilling experience for your listening pleasure and imagination. The public release is scheduled for the 17th of January and will be available on most streaming platforms, so make sure not to miss it (Dutch only)!

12/10/2022

Annual meeting of the Dutch Trading Post Heritage Network

This month, I served as a consecutive interpreter during meetings of the Dutch Trading Post Heritage Network in Amsterdam and The Hague. The DTPHT is an international network that aims to re-establish the connections between regions in Asia that were part of the Dutch East India Company’s trading network during the 17th and 18th century, ranging from India to Japan.

In collaboration with DutchCulture, the network’s annual meeting was held in the Netherlands. Participants were able to share their knowledge and current research, and enlighten everyone present about their historic and cultural heritage. Equipped with my microphone and headset, I was happy to ensure that the Japanese members could be involved fully in these discussions.