AIS stands for Akita Interpreting Service. It is the name of a group in Akita interested in learning and improving interpretation skills (between English and Japanese). Naoto Sato in Noshiro heads the group. Mr. Sato is an excellent interpreter.
We hold a meeting on the first Sunday of every month. There are two sessions on the day -- morning session (10:00AM to noon) and afternoon session (1:00PM to 3:00PM). The venue is Joinus, which is right in front of Senshu Park in Akita City. Joinus in Akita City
AIS interpreting training session
Picture Album: 19
the schedule for the comming months in 2010:
October meeting on October 3rd, the first Sunday
November meeting on November 7th, the first Sunday
December meeting on December 12th, the second Sunday
Mark your calendar, please.
Upcoming!
Sunday, September 5th, 2010
Afternoon session:
Guest Speaker: Ron Adcock (Seirei Women's Junior College)
Topic: Music and Social Change
where: Joinus in Akita City Joinus
room: kenshushitsu #6
time: 10:00AM - 12:00PM (morning session) 1:00PM - 3:00PM (afternoon session)
Sunday, August 1st, 2010
Morning session:
1) current English words often used in July 2010
2) shadowing: Learning Revolution
3) translation from Japanese to English using a movie "Guess who's coming to dinner"
4 people attended.
Afternoon session:
Guest Speaker: John McLaughlan
the venue: Yugakusha this month
Topic: The Treaty of Waitangi
This is the foundation document of New Zealand which was signed between the native Maori and the British Crown.
Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi is the foundation document of New Zealand. It was signed between the British Crown and Maori Chiefs.
February 6 is a national holiday in commemoration of the signing of the treaty in 1840.
It is a good case study of the colonial era as it highlights the difficulties in treaty making.
The Treaty of Waitangi is written in both English and Maori but the translation is not accurate for various reasons.
For example, the treaty was translated overnight by only 2 missionaries.
The major differences were the translation of the words sovereignty, possession, and property.
All are very important when founding a new nation between 2 peoples. This has caused much controversy
and debate ever since. The treaty is still valid today, and many Maori tribes have successfully sought compensation
for historic breaches of the treaty, such as unfair land confiscation.
6 people attended.
Sunday, July 4th, 2010
Morning session:
1) current English words often used in June 2010
2) shadowing: Learning Revolution
3) translation from Japanese to English using a movie "Guess who's coming to dinner"
5 people attended.
Afternoon session:
Guest Speaker: Guita Ram Youssefian and her son, Shafa
Topic: the British legal system
Guita-san wrote to me, "I will attend with my son who is in his last year of
Law School in UK. I have asked him to talk about the British legal system."
8 people attended.
Sunday, June 6th, 2010
Morning session:
1) current English words often used in May 2010
2) shadowing: Learning Revolution
3) translation from Japanese to English using a movie "Guess who's coming to dinner"
3 people attended.
Afternoon session:
Guest Speaker: Guita Ram Youssefian & her daughter Adora
Adora spoke about Guyana, Africa and her experiences there and the social and cultural points.
7 people attended.
Sunday, May 9th, 2010
Morning session:
1) current English words often used in April 2010
2) shadowing: Learning Revolution
3) translation from Japanese to English using a movie "Guess who's coming to dinner"
5 people attended.
Afternoon session:
Guest Speaker: Associate Professor Kola Olagboyega (AIU)
Topic: The three short stories
namely:
(a) Nigeria - Gods on the Highway; (b) Oman - Learning Behind the Veil; and
(c) Cyprus - The Tragedy of a Paradise.
The three stories were published in a book last year entitled Windows to Other Cultures
- a joint publication with 14 other authors mainly from Akita University.
5 people attended.
Sunday, April 4th, 2010
Morning session:
1) current English words often used in March 2010
2) shadowing: Learning Revolution
3) translation from Japanese to English using a movie "Guess who's coming to dinner"
6 people attended.
Afternoon session:
Guest Speaker: Tim Ernst
Topic: Some artists and their works I love and appreciate
Tim came to us on short notice and showed us some artists and their works he loves and appreciates.
He told us he had just come back from Tokyo where he visited his son and took in an exhibition
of one of the artists he spoke to us about. Her name is Tamura De Lempicka 1898-1980, a Polish aristocrat
who studied art in Moscow until the Russian revolution broke out which forced her to move to Paris
which was the center of art at that time. There she flourished as a portrait painter and Avant Guard Art Deco artist.
Tim says that Lempicka's talents lie in the very highly stylized way she painted the human figure.
She was often classified as a "Human Cubist."
Tim went on to show us the works of other artist with completely different ways of expressing the human figure.
From the whimsical illustrations of Paul Davis, to the very tightly- drawn works of Andrew Wyeth.
He also showed us works by Alphonz Mucha, another Art Deco artist of that era. Tim rounded out
his collection of artists with a couple of fantasy illustrators, Frank Frazetta and Michael Parkes.
Lastly, he share a book of his favorite artist of all time, Johannes Vermeer, the Dutch Renaissance painter.
All in all, it was an enjoyable lesson in art appreciation and Tim's passion for art.
We hope that Tim will come back and share more of his passion and introduce us to other artists
who have influenced his life and work
7 people attended.
Sunday, March 14th, 2010
Morning session:
1) current English words often used in February 2010
2) shadowing: Learning Revolution
3) translation from Japanese to English using a movie "Guess who's coming to dinner"-the first episode
4) translation from English to Japanese "Master of the Game"
5 people attended.
Afternoon session:
Guest Speaker: Kiera Waldron
She's an international student at AIU.
Topic: healthy lifestyles
Introduction:
Today, in our world of fast cars and fast food, finding time to exercise and eat healthily is
becoming harder. Our busy lives keep us using the quickest mode of transportation
possible, which results in us relying on our cars more and walking less. New computer
games and the like also keep children indoors instead of playing outside. On top ofthis,
activities such as smoking and eating unhealthy foods are becoming more frequent,
especially as stress levels rise due to our hectic everyday lives. In this speech I will look
at issues such as food, exercise, smoking and stress; things that affect out ability to lead
healthy lives.
8 people attended.
Sunday, February 7th, 2010
Morning session:
1) current English words often used in January 2010
2) shadowing: Learning Revolution
3) translation from Japanese to English using a movie "Guess who's coming to dinner"-the first episode
4) translation from English to Japanese "Master of the Game"
No morning session was held because nobody was able to come in the morning.
Afternoon session:
Guest Speaker: Tim Ernst
Topic: I will be talking about a the book that asks questions
about such things as, why the color Blue is for boy babies, Why donuts have
holes. why we get goose bumps, why stoop signs are red, why people say it is
raining cats and dogs. If they want to know the answers to these and some
more interesting things come and participate.
8 people attended in the afternoon.
Sunday, January 10th, 2010
Morning session:
1) current English words often used in December 2009
2) shadowing: Learning Revolution
3) translation from Japanese to English using a movie "Casablanca"-the last episode
4) translation from English to Japanese "Master of the Game"
6 people attended in the morning.
Afternoon session:
Guest Speaker: Wayne Malcolm
Topic: 2010 and Beyond - What Should Be A Boom Time For Japan
This will be part opinion essay for direct translation, and part open discussion for practicing interpretation. My essay will be discussing what I think Japanese people can do to rejuvenate the domestic, and international economic structures within Japan, and how Japan can be a dominate force for global development. It is my underlying belief that Japan has all the tools necessary to really push the global environment in good and healthy directions, if it is willing to take some risks, change a few things at home, and channel some ancient spirits. It can be done, and quite frankly, it must be done. That said, only Japanese people can cause this to happen. The alternative, I believe, is a steady decline into mediocrity.
7 people attended in the afternoon.
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