JAPANESE LANGUAGE DIVISION (JLD) 2013 ELECTION CANDIDATES

The Nominating Committee of the Japanese Language Division is pleased to announce that the
following Division members have been nominated as candidates in the upcoming election of
officers:

Administrator: Mr. James (Jim) Patrick
Assistant Administrator: Ms. Nadine A. Edwards

Please take a few minutes to read the following statements from the candidates.

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CANDIDATE STATEMENTS
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CANDIDATE FOR ADMINISTRATOR
Mr. James (Jim) Patrick

I am honored to be nominated to serve as the Administrator of the Japanese Language Division for the upcoming two years. For the past two years I have enjoyed serving as the Assistant Administrator, working with Masae Sullivan (Administrator) and Hiroki Fukuyama
(Secretary/Treasurer).

I have been involved in Japanese/English translation and interpretation for over thirteen years. I studied abroad in Kyoto as a junior in college, and after graduating from Boston University with a minor in Japanese, I returned to Japan on the JET Program. I worked in Aichi Prefecture for five years, interpreting and translating first in Toyohashi City Hall and then the Aichi Prefectural Government. I returned to the United States and received a Masters in Japanese Translation and Interpretation from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. For the past five years I have been working in Ohio for Honda R&D Americas, interpreting and translating about all manner of new vehicles, devices and technologies.

My first ATA Conference was in San Francisco in 2007, and I have enjoyed the great opportunities provided by the ATA and JLD to interact with and learn from fellow language experts. I have benefited from the strong conference presentations from the JLD and the chance to sit down and talk to other members face to face. I raised my hand two years ago to become the Assistant Administrator because I like being an active part of the JLD and giving back to the profession. It has been a pleasure working with the JLD leadership, Conference Planning Committee and general membership these past two years. I have made many new friends and learned a lot.

Over the next two years, if elected, I will continue the work I have done as Assistant Administrator. I will continue to emphasize strong conference presentation and activity planning. I want to make sure JLD members have a fun and valuable conference every year. To this end, I think maintaining strong two-way communication with ATA Leadership is also critical. I think maintaining good communication with the JLD membership is crucial as well, and to that end I would like to strengthen the JLD blog and website. In general, as Administrator I will work to enhance communication and camaraderie among JLD members, new and old, promote professional and social networking and seek to raise the level of professionalism and excellence in our field.

Sincerely,
-Jim Patrick


CANDIDATE FOR ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR
Ms. Nadine A. Edwards

First, I am very appreciative of the network of colleagues we have inside and outside of the various organizations around the world. It is the writings and notes from these colleagues that have helped me to avoid several mistakes as a newcomer to the profession. In that regard, it would be a privilege for me to serve the members and the administrator of the Japanese Language Division as their assistant administrator.

For a bit of background, I graduated with a Bachelors degree in Computer Science, and lived and worked in Kyoto, Japan for seven years.  I am a member of my local ATA chapter, the National Capital Area Translators Association (NCATA), as well as the Japan Association of Translators (JAT). I am also serving as the secretary for my local Toastmaster‚s club. I have always been actively engaged in sports and I am currently enjoying the benefits of practicing Aikido.

Before returning to the USA and starting my own business, I worked for a Japanese electronic components manufacturer at the company‚s headquarters in Kyoto. More specifically, I was hired as a native English speaker with a technical background to work in their intellectual property department. After some years with the company, my department tasked me with finalizing a system for and actually evaluating the outsourced patent document translations we received. I had to make sure I understood the needs of the department, gather information from veterans inside the department, as well as get advice from outside the department. Because of this experience, I became intrigued with the art of translation. I also learned that trying to come up with all the answers is quite limiting. You have to listen to what is needed, pay detailed attention to what has already been tried and experiment with new methods in an effort to find the solution.

After returning to the USA and for the past three years, I have been actively learning the intricacies of managing my career and business as a sole practitioner, and more specifically as a Japanese to English translator and interpreter specializing in patents. I feel my experiences both in Japan and for these past years have taught me how to prioritize between the things I would like to be done and the things that I must do.

My experience has taught me that listening closely to the needs at hand and gathering information through whatever networks and resources I have available, as well as prioritizing what needs to be done will help me perform effectively as an assistant administrator for the JLD.

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ADDITIONAL CANDIDATES
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Additional candidates may be added to the ballot. Additional candidates must be voting members of the Association.

Deadline for objections to the slate and/or receipt of nominations to add candidates to the slate is September 29 (45 days after publication of slate); each nomination must include a written acceptance letter and candidate statement from the candidate to be added, and sent (mail or fax) to:

Attn: Jamie Padula
225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Fax: +1-703-683-6122

For questions, please contact Jamie Padula, ATA Chapter and Division Relations Manager, by email to jamie@atanet.org

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ELECTION PROCEDURE
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If no further candidates are received, then this is an uncontested election and officers will be
declared by acclamation at the Japanese Language Division's annual meeting during ATA's 54th Annual Conference (November 6-9, 2013, in San Antonio, Texas).

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ATA CONTACT INFORMATION
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American Translators Association
225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590
Alexandria, Virginia 22314 USA
Phone: +1-703-683-6100
Email: ata-hq@atanet.org
Online: http://www.atanet.org


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