jf wrote:
> Hey guys,
>
> don't post here too often but I lurk occasionally.  Sorry, I know the
> subject  is a little disjointed...anyway, I'd appreciate some
> advice....any.
>
> I'd say I have an intermediate ability in Japanese.  I'm just about
> to go on the JET program and I plan to get that ability as fluent as
> possible (if at all possible) and then come back to the US and
> utilize that ability in a job.

There are a number of ex-JETs on this newsgroup, so hopefully you can get a
good sample of different opinions. I am one of them. JET is what you make of
it as far as improving your Japanese goes. Almost every person I have ever
met who has been a JET has told me how much Japanese they thought they were
going to learn while they were living in Japan. IME, those JETs who actually
do learn much more Japanese than what is needed to order drinks are pretty
rare. Those who come over on JET with a few years of Japanese under their
belts tend to do a bit better as far as language learning goes, but they
also have a tendency to rest on their laurels. JET tends to encourage the
ALT to live inside an English bubble. Most of the JETs I knew of tended just
to hang around each other. If you want to improve your Japanese, you will
not only have to avoid living in the English bubble (do not misunderstand me
and proceed to avoid English environments, though) but you will also have to
actively study Japanese. Most of those JETs who told me how much Japanese
they thought they were going to learn never put in the effort; they acted as
if simply by living in Japan that they would learn Japanese by some sort of
magical osmosis.

> How many of you here are "fluent" in Japanese or are close to it? Of
> those, how many of you are living in the US, using that "fluent"
> ability for your current job?

I am confused as to why you put quotes around "fluent", but I digress. I am
not exactly sure what "fluent" means for the purposes of your question. If
you mean to ask if Japanese flows from our mouths without awkward pauses,
drawn out hesitations, and other marks of "broken" language, than I am
pretty sure most in here fit the bill. Most of the folks in this newsgroups
are native speakers of English who have lived in Japan for well over the
maxium period allowed by JET. Most are also married to Japanese nationals,
are parents to Japanese children, and basically live in a Japanese-only
environment 24/7. If such folks didn't have pretty damn good Japanese in
these circumstances, something would be seriously wrong.

Only a few regular posters here live outside Japan and even fewer live in
the US. I am one of the ones living in the US. I am a 3rd year law student
and am currently using my Japanese in my studies, my current part time jobs,
and my job search. I do comparative research in certain areas of Japanese
law for journal articles (no pay, of course). I do receive pay based on my
Japanese abilites on two fronts: I am a paid research assistant at my law
school and I also do J-E translations for a small consulting firm in Japan.
Obviously, neither of these are careers but simply jobs I do to brush up the
resume (research assistant) and get some extra money so I don't have to take
out so many loans (both jobs). Careerwise, I am planning to work in a
US-Japan related field that would take advantage of my Japanese proficiency
and law degree (specialized in international law).

> I originally wanted to do translation/interpretation, but I see that
> more often than not, the qualification of speaking Japanese is not
> enough. Companies and customers want translations/interpreters in
> specified fields i.e. IT,OEMS, automotive engineering , etc.  I'm
> just wondering if I come back from Japan with a "fluent" ability,
> will it be impossible to get a job or to preform translation work
> without specializing in a specific field?

Translation would be much easier than being an interpreter. Interpreters are
extremely well-qualified individuals, and simply having native-speaker
proficiency in two languages is not enough to be a competent interpreter.
Therefore, it is unrealistic to think a few years on JET would qualify you.
Translation is another story. A number of the regular posters to this
newsgroup make their living at it, so I will defer to them; I'm just a
schmuck who does it for a few hundred bucks a month. However, they all live
in Japan AFAIK.

> I have B.A. in English
> which I know probably means nothing in the context of this email.

Well, it means you get to come to Japan to work.

> Any advice? Thanks

I don't know how helpful I've been, but I think it is safe to say that
having been a JET in itself does not particularly qualify you for any job in
the US or anywhere else. Most employers have ever heard of it. Same goes for
the Japanese proficiency tests that students are always cooing over.

-- 
Kevin Gowen
"The US economy accounts for about one-third of global GDP-greater than
the next four countries combined (Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom
and France)."
- "Advancing the National Interest: Australia's Foreign and Trade
Policy White Paper", Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade