Are there any schools that strictly teach japanese?

Question

I am fresh out of high school and have dreams of studying japanese and becoming a translator for the government. I'm currently enrolled in a community college, which I hate because it doesn't have japanese but I will soon be transferring, with japanese as my major. I recall a time when my friend said that he was going to join the marines and then attend a school that focuses only on teaching chinese. I then start to question, are there schools similar to that, that teach japanese? And if so can I become a government translator through that school?

Answer 1

Most translators who aren't native speakers probably have a master's degree in Japanese. Translating a whole Japanese novel to English is considered equivalent to the work for a master's degree, so that would a real life measurement of what's involved there.

The Monterey Institute of International Studies is considered to be one of the top schools for translators, so it's exactly what you're hoping for. It's a graduate school, so you want to finish college with a degree in Japanese to get there.

Most US government translators are probably contractors and not government employees, so that's something you might want to keep in mind. Employment tends to be for agencies that need some form of security clearance, so that would be FBI and State Department. Even the military uses a lot of contract translators.

Answer 2

My alma mater, San Francisco State University offers a four year degree in Japanese.  You will learn to speak, read and write Japanese.  How well you do each of those is up to you and your motivation.  

Most of us went on to the private business sector after graduation.  Only one from my class is in education.  None of us went into translation as a profession.

Answer 3

I'm sure that there are japanese schools out there. They are mainly for children but you can probably go to the school and ask for them to tutor you one on one. Don't take the classes with the kids. It distracts you. Ask the teacher to teach only you. A private tutoring.  

Answer 4

I do not know which city you live in, so I can not answer your question as to the closest location of such schools near your residence.

However, in Vancouver, Canada there is a school, called Ninagawa. There are lots of schools in Japan that teach Japanese on-line. However, these programs are VERY expensive.

To get your dream on the right track, I suggest that you first try to pass 4-kyuu(easiest level) of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test,

then Level 3, 2 and finally the most difficult one, level 1.

Answer 5

Do you even realize how hard / long it will take you to learn Japanese to a native level ? You're talking years.

You need a four year degree to work in Japan.And a job offer to qualify for a work visa.

I'm not saying not to go for this. But this is going to be at least 5 years in the future. A lot can change in that time period.