A former interpreter for a wedding company, Sarah now works as a primary
school teacher, where she endeavours to incorporate Japanese culture and
language into her classroom. Sarah actively encourages students to learn
more about Japan, and is currently running a Japanese language class at her
school.
After graduating from the Christchurch Polytechnic with a Bachelor in Japanese language, Sarah continued to work at her part time job in a tourist shop and searched for a job that would further capitalize on her Japanese skills. A few months later Sarah began working for a wedding company as an interpreter for Japanese couples coming to New Zealand to get married. In her second year Sarah was promoted to an organizational role as well as interpreting. Sarah found this work interesting and had the opportunity to meet a wide range of people.
The study of Japanese has been a major part of Sarah’s life, having studied it since Form Three (Year Nine) at high school. Studying Japanese opened up a huge range of job opportunities for her, both while she was a student and after graduating. For instance, being able to communicate in Japanese meant that Sarah could find part time employment at a local tourist shop to help support her while studying.
Sarah mainly uses her knowledge of Japan now to foster a deeper understanding about Japan and to encourage her students to learn more about it.
profiled by
Michelle Lodge, 2004