Editing Work

[space man]

I was just wondering if anyone could tell me how much editing work is available over there in Japan and what kinds of qualifications one might need to get a job that pays a decent salary (enough to pay the bills and save a little each month)? I've been doing editing work (mostly just editing business materials for corporations) in another Asian country for about 4 years now and would like to try my luck at Japan, but I wonder if my lack of experience there, as well as my lack of Japanese language skills, won't be a big hurdle for me. Anyone have any information or suggestions?

[trip_hop]

You're on your own with this...

No-one is going to give away contacts and connections to you, as this (and proofing/ re-writing/ acting/ modeling/ etc.,) is the kind work that a lot of the teachers here aspire to, and those that do it do not want any more competition.

Have a look at SWET - Society of Writers, Editors and Translators - for some guidance, but it is all about connections and contacts. Having Japanese helps of course, for client contact and general business communications, as well as a speciality.

Also search this website - a lot has been written over the years on the topic.

The market is tight, economy is down, so many clients try to do it themselves in-house, with a local who speaks English, with obvious results.

[Glenski]

I am with Trip Hop on this one (as I do proofreading/editing/copyediting myself).

However...

I was just wondering if anyone could tell me how much editing work is available over there

Lots.

what kinds of qualifications one might need to get a job that pays a decent salary (enough to pay the bills and save a little each month)?

Friend of mine did translation for ECC as a FT job, and he had no previous experience or training. He had a master's degree and claimed to have JLPT2 fluency. The pay was similar to eikaiwa work (250,000 yen/month, plus more during busy times). It's not editing or proofreading, but I'd say the average English proofreader here is an eikaiwa teacher doing stuff in his spare time at cut rates.

Look up Forte (sometimes advertises in The Japan Times or here on Gaijinpot) for their rates. It's pretty similar, I think.

I've been doing editing work (mostly just editing business materials for corporations) in another Asian country for about 4 years now and would like to try my luck at Japan, but I wonder if my lack of experience there, as well as my lack of Japanese language skills, won't be a big hurdle for me.

Nope. Just lack of contacts. Hit the pavement!

[nemo_delfino]

Hit it full on and back up ur words with hard copies of work and clients. It's tough to crack it coz Japanese don't know how to handle gaijins.

[space man]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. It seems like there's more editing work around than I expected, but I also get the impression that a lot of it is of the freelance variety. Does that sound about right, or are there also a fair amount of full-time positions out there as well? Also, the contacts thing is completely understandable, but I do appreciate the SWET recommendation as there seems to be a lot of good information on their site. I guess I just need to keep doing my research and see if I can't work out a plan for getting there and set up quickly without blowing too much money.

[Glenski]

Editing/Proofreading/Rewriting/Copyediting work is also genre-specific. If you are not able to do medical terminology, for example, you probably wouldn't want to tackle such documents. Some editing companies handle specific clients.

Do you have a specialty?

[space man]

Editing/Proofreading/Rewriting/Copyediting work is also genre-specific. If you are not able to do medical terminology, for example, you probably wouldn't want to tackle such documents. Some editing companies handle specific clients.

Do you have a specialty?

Well, I was a Lit. major in university, so I started off doing general and academic writing - but since then, I've had the opportunity to do extensive work with several large steel companies and that (along with other kinds of industry-related editing) has become the type of editing work that I deal with most. I would hesitate to call it my specialty, but it is an area that I have a lot of experience in.

[ロールケーキ]

I also do some part time rewriting and proofreading, and in most cases one of the job requirements has been a reasonably high level of Japanese- a) to be able to read the source material when necessary, and/or b) to be able to communicate with the other staff at the company.

With no contacts in Japan and little to no Japanese language ability, I'm afraid your chances of being able to land here and find a full time job in this field with an employer who will actually sponsor your visa are pretty slim, especially in this economy. I'm not trying to scare you off because I think you'll take all the work (I have plenty to be getting on with), just pointing out the realities.

I would say that most people start out part time, with another job that will provide them with a visa and steady income. You may want to look at getting a teaching job just so that you are here with the visa and an income- I even know people working in IT and finance who came over as English teachers to start with, for the visa and to be physically in Japan and not broke while looking for a job in their fields.

[trip_hop]

With no contacts in Japan and little to no Japanese language ability, I'm afraid your chances of being able to land here and find a full time job in this field with an employer who will actually sponsor your visa are pretty slim, especially in this economy.

Good point on the issue of residing and working in Japan legally.

The advice to start as a "teacher", and then gradually do more and more editing work is sound, and will also give you a chance to see if you actually like living and working here, as well as to develop connections.

It'll take at least 6 months to source enough work for a half decent income, you'll be paid in arrears too, and you should have payment/ estimate and invoicing systems in place if you choose the freelance option.

[Glenski]

It'll take at least 6 months to source enough work for a half decent income, you'll be paid in arrears too

Yup! I used to take overflow proofreading/editing work from 2-3 employers, and I got paid the month after the job was done, or 45-60 days later. If you're trying to actually live off that income, it's going to be tough in the early going.

To say your specialty was the steel industry doesn't really help much. A lit major is also so generic that it may not be recognized as useful to lots of companies (if you get work directly from the place that needs the editing, as compared to an editing company). Did you do mail, meeting minutes, company prospectuses, marketing brochures, product specs documentation...?

I bumped into a lit major poring over a medical journal article that he told his private lesson student (a doctor) that he'd tackle. Poor guy could barely make out what was being said, and admitted to me that he was only going to get past some (not all) of the spelling and some (less than half) of the general grammar. Don't fall into that trap. Return business is crucial, and even if it's a one-off project, word-of-mouth advertising is golden.

[PanicInducingGaijin]

I bumped into a lit major poring over a medical journal article that he told his private lesson student (a doctor) that he'd tackle. Poor guy could barely make out what was being said, and admitted to me that he was only going to get past some (not all) of the spelling and some (less than half) of the general grammar. Don't fall into that trap. Return business is crucial, and even if it's a one-off project, word-of-mouth advertising is golden.

Sounds like both of them are at fault for believing that a native speaker of English is a priori qualified to edit anything written in English, and they're both going to lose because of it.

[space man]

Well, I can't say everything I'm hearing is what I wanted to here, but I really do appreciate the candid responses. One thing I've been worried about is start-up costs and losing money in the beginning, so hearing that it might take 3-6 months to get set up with a full-time gig concerns me. Would it be fairly easy to get (and then leave) a teaching job there while I got set up and tried to find "better" work?

Yup! I used to take overflow proofreading/editing work from 2-3 employers, and I got paid the month after the job was done, or 45-60 days later. If you're trying to actually live off that income, it's going to be tough in the early going.

To say your specialty was the steel industry doesn't really help much. A lit major is also so generic that it may not be recognized as useful to lots of companies (if you get work directly from the place that needs the editing, as compared to an editing company). Did you do mail, meeting minutes, company prospectuses, marketing brochures, product specs documentation...?

I bumped into a lit major poring over a medical journal article that he told his private lesson student (a doctor) that he'd tackle. Poor guy could barely make out what was being said, and admitted to me that he was only going to get past some (not all) of the spelling and some (less than half) of the general grammar. Don't fall into that trap. Return business is crucial, and even if it's a one-off project, word-of-mouth advertising is golden.

I admit the steel thing is not really a specialty, but I have been doing on-going work (everything from speeches, brochures, and PowerPoint presentations to in-house reports dealing with product and equipment specs, etc.) for the companies I mentioned for almost 3 years now, so I just hope it will indicate that I at least have the potential to deal with more technical types of writing and, since a couple of them are very large companies, show that I'm somewhat competent at what I do. At the same time, though, I'm skeptical about my ability to compete with people who have been in Japan for years and have better connections. In any case, I guess we'll see what happens...

[trip_hop]

Well, I can't say everything I'm hearing is what I wanted to here, but I really do appreciate the candid responses. One thing I've been worried about is start-up costs and losing money in the beginning, so hearing that it might take 3-6 months to get set up with a full-time gig concerns me. Would it be fairly easy to get (and then leave) a teaching job there while I got set up and tried to find "better" work?

Companies/ people are trusting you to produce materials that will market/ sell/ develop their products/ services/ knowledge, and they don't give that trust easily. It's a world of introductions and connections, credibility and confidence. Fresh off the boat/ plane people do not have that. Do you have a pricing structure for your work? What is your self-promotion strategy?

Bear in mind that as well as doing the actual work, you must market and promote yourself, as well as administer and run your business.

People quit jobs everywhere for greener pastures, just search these forums and others for advice and anecdotes. Bear in mind visa requirements, the need for sponsorship, and in the case that you are successful, the need for visa renewal.

This and other forums are full of stories of people who have quit jobs and need further sponsorship.

[Glenski]

Well, I can't say everything I'm hearing is what I wanted to here, but I really do appreciate the candid responses. One thing I've been worried about is start-up costs and losing money in the beginning, so hearing that it might take 3-6 months to get set up with a full-time gig concerns me. Would it be fairly easy to get (and then leave) a teaching job there while I got set up and tried to find "better" work?

Getting one might be easy and it might not. Market is flooded now. Besides, some teachers would give you the advice NOT to bail out like that, for the sake of the students if nothing else. Think of it.

I admit the steel thing is not really a specialty, but I have been doing on-going work (everything from speeches, brochures, and PowerPoint presentations to in-house reports dealing with product and equipment specs, etc.) for the companies I mentioned for almost 3 years now

That's all well and good, and it might serve you well. Keep in mind, though, that if your previous work was only with an English-speaking-country's company, you are going to face quite a difference in the English here in Japan.

[edin日本]

How about this, I have some copywriting and SEO projects for which I will pay Y700 for 500 words. I will check them using copyscape for plagarism and check for style and grammar. Payment will be after acceptance by the client and I require fifty 500 word articles a week.

Will that be acceptable? Since you sound so desparate I'll give you this work instead of handing it off to the Indians and Pakistanis on Elance.

[space man]

More good information - thank you all.

Getting one might be easy and it might not. Market is flooded now. Besides, some teachers would give you the advice NOT to bail out like that, for the sake of the students if nothing else. Think of it.

I understand what you mean. I was thinking more along the lines of building up contacts while working as a teacher for six months or so, and then moving on after giving a month or two of notice. I'm not very familiar with how the language schools work there, however, so I guess that might be harder on the school and students than I thought.

How about this, I have some copywriting and SEO projects for which I will pay Y700 for 500 words. I will check them using copyscape for plagarism and check for style and grammar. Payment will be after acceptance by the client and I require fifty 500 word articles a week.

Will that be acceptable? Since you sound so desparate I'll give you this work instead of handing it off to the Indians and Pakistanis on Elance.

Sounds good, thank you.

[sing_or_die_1818]

awwww mannnnnn!

sounds like spaceman found the garden of edin. would that i could find the same... (thanks, though, to glenski for giving some very sound constructive advice in the past when i needed it. i have yet to really move on it, in search of some supplemental income however irregular, but it provided a useful reference point...)

[edin日本]

Now I'll have to line him up some work and work him 24/7 like a Hindustani.

[sing_or_die_1818]

edin, if the line forms on the left, count me in. i'll be the overworked, underf***ed college prof.... oh, but how will i distinguish myself from all the OTHER overworked, underf***ed college profs? (and perhaps this is for another thread for another day? lol)