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JAT member Kevin Kirton interviewed Michael Hendry for the JAT website. Michael Hendry is a translator who started his translation career in Nagano, Japan and is now based in Newcastle, Australia.
Thanks for agreeing to be interviewed –
Can I just start by pointing out that this article isn’t about me and my successful life. Unlike other interviewees, I haven’t written best-selling translations of novels, or made my name famous through my works. I guess I was chosen for this interview because I’m in a slightly unique situation in my work life—a situation that might be interesting enough for other translators to consider for themselves. In that light, I will answer these questions about myself.
1. Fair enough. I believe you were an in-house translator at a company in Nagano for a number of years. May I ask about your career before that and what led up to your Nagano job?
My past lives include bar worker, teacher and tour coordinator, with several other miscellaneous jobs such as steel foundry laborer in between. I majored in French and English at university, and had a German minor for good luck. It was only after I finished my education that I really stopped to think about it, and realized that (to me) French is a useless language for Australians to learn. One day while pulling beers, I made the momentous decision to “retrain” myself as a Japanese teacher so I came to Japan to work and learn the language. Several years in Japan and a longish stint at JTB in Australia later, I started a small English conversation school in a bad location in Nagano Prefecture. It was during that time that a friend introduced me to Honyaku and a future that I’m at last happy with. Someone at that time pointed out on Honyaku that an in-house position was the best way for a beginning translator to get grounding in the job. With this thought in the back of my mind, I was doing a round of the local companies with my Japanese wife and trying to sell my skills as an English teacher, when one of the people I was talking to offered me a job as an in-house translator/interpreter cum general dogsbody (that last bit wasn’t pointed out at the original interview though). The decision was made in the instant my wife’s and my eyes met. It was close to our home in Japan, and offered a secure income that in an instant took away all the financial stresses of the previous year. The importance of financial security is something that cannot be underestimated for a married man with children. This need for security was a major contributing factor to me arriving in my current work situation, as well.
2. How was it settling into the in-house position? Was there anything difficult in particular? Any highlights?
Nothing difficult in particular, just everything difficult in general. :-) OK, I had had several years living in Japan or working with a hybrid Japanese company that had prepared me for life as a “seishain” in a Japanese company in Japan, but actually being in the situation wasn’t exactly easy. I’ve read books “after the fact” that I smile at nodding, thinking, “Yes, that’s it. That’s exactly what we have to go through.” But don’t get me wrong – I really enjoyed the five-something years I spent as an in-house translator. The company I worked for was a machine manufacturer with about two hundred and fifty staff that sold most of its products overseas. I spent the first year just learning the technologies involved. This task was a duel learning experience for me in that I had to learn the technology in Japanese and English at the same time. I was treated just like any other employee in this company. In fact, I can’t think of any concessions that were made for me as a foreigner. Things that were a little difficult for me to accept originally included the cigarette smoke; having to work on a Saturday if a public holiday fell on a weekday; being docked half a day’s pay for being one minute late to work because of the snow; a whole department working together for a day to clean out a warehouse that could have been cleaned out by two capable people in two days; and having to do jobs that were not part of my “job description.” (I complained, as did my Japanese colleagues, but it didn’t get us anywhere!) I suppose these are the things that were difficult initially, but really I enjoyed the whole learning experience. It’s all one big highlight to me.
3. So after your five years as a “seishain” you started a new arrangement, which you’ve called a “hon’yaku hodai” arrangement. What exactly is that?
We’ve all been to an izakaya where you can drink and/or eat as much as you want for a set price. “Tabe hodai” or “nomi hodai,” right? Well, basically that’s the arrangement that I’ve contracted with my previous employer. For a set monthly fee, the company sends me anything they want me to do. I translate English into Japanese, Japanese into English, proofread for publication, I do HTML design and layout, all necessary DTP, and I translate in whatever format/software is required (including CAD as necessary). Finally, as the expression indicates, I accept absolutely everything that this company sends. Delivery is something that is negotiated for each job, and because of my relationship with the company I have considerable leeway with deadlines. This is all done for a set monthly fee that the customer is happy with (much cheaper than an agent) and that I am happy with (I can survive on the money even without any other work coming in). I’m run off my feet some months (doing these and other jobs), while other months are more relaxed. The reason I negotiated this deal with the company was, as I stated earlier, financial security. This was to be my first venture into the unknown world of freelance translating, and I had to have some ammunition to convince my wife of the possibilities. Well, I’ve done that. I’m into my second year (and second contract) of hon’yaku hodai and I’m currently content to continue the relationship as long as the company wants. I suspect that when I was in-house my actual role was so varied that many people in the company put off asking me to translate something, or did it themselves, as they didn’t want to impose. Now that my only role as far as these people are concerned is translating, they are happier to send me work. It’s a good thing, I think, because the more they come to depend on me doing what I do, the harder it will be for them to sever the ties and try a different arrangement that excludes me. I suppose if this arrangement were not in place, I’d be able to fill my time productively, but having security, while at the same time having the autonomy that being a freelancer offers, is a heady drug. <g> One possible concern that you might have with this arrangement would be that the company sends so much work that you don’t have time to do jobs for other companies to supplement your income. It’s a gamble you either take or don’t, I suppose. If you know the company, you’ll usually be able to estimate expected demand, though. That’s basically what I did when I set the monthly fee.
4. How did you go about convincing your employers at the time of the efficacy of your proposed arrangement?
It wasn’t easy. To start with, it was a new arrangement for them. I had been their full-time walking dictionary for over five years, and they were used to the idea of having someone always on tap to do their language bidding. Firstly, I had to convince the company that they really didn’t want to get rid of me. (I suspect I’m the only Japanese-to-English translator in the world who can not only operate their machines, but also can troubleshoot problems with the machines and the manuals, and train new operators.) Secondly, I had to convince them of the ease with which we would be able to continue doing business. (The company was already a heavy user of the Internet and email, so it was just a matter of pointing this out to them and of stressing the closeness of the Australian and Japanese time zones.) Thirdly, I had to negotiate the terms of the contract. (This was easier than I had expected, but I did have to make some compromises.) And finally, I had to keep them on track. (Until the budget was allocated, and the contract was approved and signed, nothing was guaranteed. During this time, I received third-hand news that the company was fishing around for a replacement for me. My job was to convince them that the replacement wasn’t necessary.) As with all businesses, I’ve had to work at the relationship though. I take jobs any time of the day, night or weekend, and try hard to meet even the tightest of deadlines. Nothing unusual there, I suppose, except no penalty rates for tight deadlines.
5. Do you have any advice to anyone who might be considering a similar arrangement?
A little, yes. The following is in random order, and the numbering doesn’t signify importance.
6. One last question. How’s the surf back there in Newcastle?
Surf’s up! Actually, the weather’s beautiful and the living’s easy. Japan is great, but Nagano is just too cold for me. I’m happy here at the moment, and I’m happy with the security that my hon’yaku hodai arrangement gives me. The money could be better, but my philosophy is always that happiness comes before wealth.