CEO Introduction
Catherine Eberst (Cathy)
I first became interested in Japan and Japanese at the age of 15 when I watched a series of television programmes about Japan broadcast as part of the Japan Festival held in the UK in 1991.
Having attained A’ levels in French, economics and geography, I went on to study Business Studies and Japanese Studies at the University of Sheffield, graduating in 1998 with an upper second class (2:1) BA (Hons) degree. During the course I focused on management and marketing and Japanese business/management. Japanese was taught through translation and all Japanese language examinations throughout the course were translation based.
After graduating I spent three years in a small town in a rural part of Oita Prefecture, Kyushu, as a Co-ordinator for International Relations (CIR) on the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme. During my time as a CIR I was involved in translating, interpreting and liaising with foreign entrants to both the 4th and 5th Oita Asia Sculpture Exhibitions. I also translated a number of tourism and culture related articles and interpreted for foreign visitors. My other major responsibility whilst a CIR was to organize the group visit by adults from the town to the UK.
I found arranging a tour from scratch to be highly challenging but extremely rewarding. During my tenure I planned, proposed and implemented numerous events such as walk rallies, cooking classes, homestays, cultural events, wrote speeches and newsletter articles in Japanese and visited schools and other institutions to teach English and talk about life in the UK. I also presented workshops relating to the CIR position and life in Japan to my peers. I was responsible for the budget for my CIR activities and during my second and third years I was in charge of organizing social dinners for her colleagues, such as the end-of-year party, new year party, and leaving parties, etc., a responsibility that required me to coordinate with restaurants and to be in charge of all money involved.
Whilst on the JET Programme I passed Level 2 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test and Level 2 of the JETRO Japanese Business Proficiency Test.
I left the JET Programme in 2001 and moved to Ishigaki in Okinawa and it was at this point that I started translating freelance. After five years in Ishigaki, I spent a year in Osaka from 2006 to 2007 and a year in Hong Kong from 2007 to 2008, before moving back to Osaka until 2011. Since March 2011 I have been based in Tokyo.
As a freelance translator I translated a wide range of legal, financial and managerial and business related documents. In 2009 I incorporated and continue to translate a range of legal and managerial documents. My forte is contracts.
Following a change in format, I retook the JETRO exam, now known as the BJT Business Japanese Proficiency Test in 2009 and attained Level 1+ (top level).
Purely for fun, in 2009 I took the 家事検定 “kajikentei” (housework test) and I am now considered a 2-star housewife! In 2014 I took part in a Dale Carnegie course and in 2017 I took and passed the WSET Level 1 Award in Sake.
I am a member of the Japan Association of Translators (JAT).
As a member of JAT I have been involved in the organizing of events for translators and aspiring translators in the Kansai region and I also served on the organizing committee for PROJECT Osaka (in 2009) and PROJECT Tokyo 2010. PROJECT stands for Professional Japanese-English Conference on Translation. PROJECTS are one day events aimed at translators and interpreters working between the Japanese and English languages. After moving to Tokyo in March 2011 I joined JAT's Tokyo Activities Committee, which organizes monthly meetings for translators in the Tokyo area and remained on the committee until 2013. I also chaired the committee that organized the 25th International Japanese-English Translation Conference (IJET), held in Tokyo in 2014, and am currently a member of the JATLAW Steering Committee.
I first became interested in Japan and Japanese at the age of 15 when I watched a series of television programmes about Japan broadcast as part of the Japan Festival held in the UK in 1991.
Having attained A’ levels in French, economics and geography, I went on to study Business Studies and Japanese Studies at the University of Sheffield, graduating in 1998 with an upper second class (2:1) BA (Hons) degree. During the course I focused on management and marketing and Japanese business/management. Japanese was taught through translation and all Japanese language examinations throughout the course were translation based.
After graduating I spent three years in a small town in a rural part of Oita Prefecture, Kyushu, as a Co-ordinator for International Relations (CIR) on the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme. During my time as a CIR I was involved in translating, interpreting and liaising with foreign entrants to both the 4th and 5th Oita Asia Sculpture Exhibitions. I also translated a number of tourism and culture related articles and interpreted for foreign visitors. My other major responsibility whilst a CIR was to organize the group visit by adults from the town to the UK.
I found arranging a tour from scratch to be highly challenging but extremely rewarding. During my tenure I planned, proposed and implemented numerous events such as walk rallies, cooking classes, homestays, cultural events, wrote speeches and newsletter articles in Japanese and visited schools and other institutions to teach English and talk about life in the UK. I also presented workshops relating to the CIR position and life in Japan to my peers. I was responsible for the budget for my CIR activities and during my second and third years I was in charge of organizing social dinners for her colleagues, such as the end-of-year party, new year party, and leaving parties, etc., a responsibility that required me to coordinate with restaurants and to be in charge of all money involved.
Whilst on the JET Programme I passed Level 2 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test and Level 2 of the JETRO Japanese Business Proficiency Test.
I left the JET Programme in 2001 and moved to Ishigaki in Okinawa and it was at this point that I started translating freelance. After five years in Ishigaki, I spent a year in Osaka from 2006 to 2007 and a year in Hong Kong from 2007 to 2008, before moving back to Osaka until 2011. Since March 2011 I have been based in Tokyo.
As a freelance translator I translated a wide range of legal, financial and managerial and business related documents. In 2009 I incorporated and continue to translate a range of legal and managerial documents. My forte is contracts.
Following a change in format, I retook the JETRO exam, now known as the BJT Business Japanese Proficiency Test in 2009 and attained Level 1+ (top level).
Purely for fun, in 2009 I took the 家事検定 “kajikentei” (housework test) and I am now considered a 2-star housewife! In 2014 I took part in a Dale Carnegie course and in 2017 I took and passed the WSET Level 1 Award in Sake.
I am a member of the Japan Association of Translators (JAT).
As a member of JAT I have been involved in the organizing of events for translators and aspiring translators in the Kansai region and I also served on the organizing committee for PROJECT Osaka (in 2009) and PROJECT Tokyo 2010. PROJECT stands for Professional Japanese-English Conference on Translation. PROJECTS are one day events aimed at translators and interpreters working between the Japanese and English languages. After moving to Tokyo in March 2011 I joined JAT's Tokyo Activities Committee, which organizes monthly meetings for translators in the Tokyo area and remained on the committee until 2013. I also chaired the committee that organized the 25th International Japanese-English Translation Conference (IJET), held in Tokyo in 2014, and am currently a member of the JATLAW Steering Committee.