Ohio Honyaku Group Winter 2006 Meeting Report
John Stroman
The Ohio Honyaku Group held its 2026 Winter Meeting on January 10 at the Hilliard branch of Columbus Metropolitan Library. Due to the weather and other commitments, several regular members were unable to attend, and the meeting was attended by three veteran members.
During the open discussion, one currently active Japanese–English translator noted a recent downturn in workload. He observed that technical writing appeared to be the job category most closely aligned with his existing skill set. In contrast, a veteran interpreter reported that demand for interpreters remains strong, including demand for ad hoc interpreting—interpreting for everyday or situational contexts—which does not require the same level of specialization as conference interpreting and may be immediately accessible to translators with sufficient language proficiency.
The interpreter further noted that translators are often able to transition into interpreting, whereas the reverse is not always true. This was attributed to interpreters’ professional tendency to summarize information to convey the core meaning in a limited amount of time, practices that are not acceptable in written translation, where completeness and precision are required.
The group also discussed the decline in foreign-language enrollment at universities across the United States. It was noted that language expertise is increasingly perceived as less essential due to advances in AI and instant translation tools, such as Apple’s automatic interpretation features. However, participants emphasized several areas where AI continues to fall short, including appropriate emphasis, emotional nuance, and contextual judgment, often resulting in robotic or unnatural output.
As a result, interpreting continues to be in high demand. The veteran interpreter expressed little concern about a lack of work, instead citing a shortage of qualified interpreters willing or able to take on available assignments—a notable contrast to the current translation market. She also mentioned her YouTube channel, which focuses on Japan–U.S. cultural differences and has been growing rapidly in popularity: https://www.youtube.com/@ariametalk
As one-time JAT members, we also talked about how the earlier leaders in JAT, such as Bill Lise and Fred Uleman, were extremely influential in guiding us to establish ourselves as a professional “brand” when selling our translation services in order to secure higher-value translation work.
The discussion also covered professional certification as a means of expanding job opportunities. In addition to the well-known ATA certification, participants noted other respected credentials, such as JTF certification, which may be equally acceptable depending on the client or market.
Carl K. gave a presentation on his experiences in Japan during the March 20, 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack. He shared copies of the Yomiuri Shimbun from that evening, as well as a newspaper distributed by Aum Shinrikyō at train stations in the aftermath of the attack, which declared the group’s innocence. He also discussed cultural aspects of the incident, including public surprise that many cult members were graduates of Japan’s elite universities. This topic is also documented on his personal website: (https://japandude.com/aum-shinrikyo-and-the-subway-gas-attacks-recollections-from-a-tokyo-resident/).
John S. gave a presentation of 5 updates in online information about translation/interpretation since our Fall meeting: (1) An AARP newsletter states: " While AI translation technology is improving, it hasn’t eliminated job opportunities for real people. Even where AI is used for initial translations, multilingual humans are essential for verifying the accuracy of what the machines produce, particularly in technical fields such as medicine, science and law." Moreover due to America's 250th anniversary celebration and the World Cup, "there will be an increased need in 2026 for bilinguals in German, Mandarin, Arabic, French and Japanese in descending order." (2) An online article ( https://www.sciencealert.com/our-brains-can-still-outsmart-ai-using-one-clever-trick ) demonstrates that the human brain still holds a clear advantage: adaptability across tasks. (3) There is a reddit thread entitled "Translation Studies" with many comments about work volume, etc. ( https://www.reddit.com/r/TranslationStudies/comments/1ih7c5h/how_are_you_holding_up_in_20242025_regarding_work/ ). (4) Regarding Item (2) above, adaptability is defined as making an assessment of the jobs we have held in the past and how that experience can be utilized in a an in-house or remote job to supplement income. (5) An online article ( https://theconversation.com/more-than-half-of-new-articles-on-the-internet-are-being-written-by-ai-is-human-writing-headed-for-extinction-268354 ) in which the author demonstrates through research that despite the increase in AI generated text in many areas, " texts that display originality, voice and stylistic intention are likely to become even more meaningful within the media landscape," and that " thoughtful, original, human-generated writing will become even more valuable. Put another way: The work of writers, journalists and intellectuals will not become superfluous simply because much of the web is no longer written by humans."
Finally, in light of the low attendance, participants discussed the future direction of the group, including what it can offer members and the importance of maintaining flexibility in scope, for example, positioning the group more broadly as professionals working between Japan and the United States.
The group scheduled its Spring Meeting for April 11 (second Saturday) at the same location (Hilliard Branch Library).
Prepared by Carl K. and John S.