Originally
from the UK, Ben started Japanese studies at Sixth Form College in
Southampton in 1995. After a few weeks, he heard that a student in the year
above had been selected to represent the UK as one of ten scholarship
students on the YFU Encounter: Japan programme. Showing a keen enthusiasm
for Japanese already, Ben applied for the following year’s intake and after
an interview process of 6 months or so, Ben was selected for the 1997
scholarship, where he was placed with a host family in Osaka prefecture. He
spent a year at Doshisha Kori High School.On his return to the UK, Ben enrolled in a four year BA in Japanese Studies with Second Asian Language (Korean), at the University of Durham, an institution perhaps more famous in Japan as an on-screen location for Hogwarts than for its academic programmes. Ben’s experience in Osaka came into play again in 1999, when Durham decided to foster links with Osaka University and Ben spent his second year as an audit student in the Faculty of Economics, where he took a range of modules in Japanese economic history, Japanese literary traditions, contemporary visual culture, Japanese linguistics, and Korean language.
On completing his BA in Durham, Ben was posted to Yamagata Prefecture as a Co-ordinator for International Relations on the JET Programme. Initially more of a teaching role, over two years Ben changed the position and fostered links with primary schools in both Yamagata and the UK, and with schools and music groups in Yamagata’s sister state Colorado. After a successful exchange visit by his town’s Junior High School to Stratford upon Avon in
the
UK, and then through his involvement with the successful hosting of the
Colorado Springs Children’s Chorale in Yamagata, the following year Ben
organised for his region’s junior marching band to represent the prefecture
at the Pikes Peak International Music Festival in Colorado Springs, ending
his two-year JET stint with a two-week 80-child trip to the USA.Ben cemented his progress in Japanese by undertaking the CLAIR (Council of Local Authorities for International Relations) Translation/Interpretation course, which involved an intensive residential course in simultaneous and conference interpreting, provided by the Simul Academy, one of the field’s leading training providers in Japan.
Ben then travelled to New Zealand in late 2004 and took up a post with a translation and interpretation company in West Auckland, and as a result was granted a Work Permit by Immigration New Zealand which then allowed him to apply for, and be granted New Zealand Residency under the Skilled Migrant Category. Translating and interpreting skills continue to be in high demand by the New Zealand labour economy, and such skills give potential migrants a path to residence in New Zealand. During his time translating, Ben specialised in media monitoring for offshore clients including major fashion houses, financial multinationals and major Japanese automobile companies.
Ben
now works for Immigration New Zealand – Department of Labour, based in
Auckland. His work ranges from verification, investigation, border
operations, document and identity examination, to police and airline
liaison, employer education and in-house translator/interpreter for
Japanese. (profiled by Anita Douglas, October 2006)