List of Japanese interpreting and translation associations

The translation/interpreting profession and industry in Japan is very fragmented, with a plethora of associations, many funded by tests marketed as 'qualifications'.

Primarily translation

Japan Society of Translators (JST) ja:日本翻訳家協会

Founded in 1934, backed by the Ministry of Education (Japan) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan). Primarily literary; original/official representative of the International Federation of Translators.

National Translation Institute of Science and Technology ja:日本科学技術翻訳協会

Founded in 1966, foundered in 1995. Had 13,000 “Licensed Technical Translators”.^[1]

Japan Translation Federation (JTF) ja:日本翻訳連盟

Founded in 1981, backed by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. Despite a perception that members are primarily agencies, it has 130 corporates and 300 individual members.

National Council of Professional Translators ja:全国職業翻訳者協議会

Founded in 1993 by Itagaki Shinpei, also a director of JTF, and winner of Asahi Shimbun, Japan Times and Itabashi Bologna Book Fair prizes. Apparently inactive from around 2012 due to Itagaki's ill health.

Society of Writers, Editors and Translators (SWET)

Formed in 1980. Gave birth to JAT, but still has its own translator members, with a bias towards translators working for publication (somewhat like JST, but mainly Gaijin). Publishes the well-known Japan Style Sheet.

Japan Association of Translators^[2] ja:日本翻訳者協会

Formed from SWET in 1985. Over 700 members, predominantly non-Japanese. Organizes biennial IJET International Japanese-English Translation conferences, monthly meetings and social events.

Japan Translation Association (JTA) ja:日本翻訳協会

Founded in 1986, backed by the Ministry of Labour (Japan). Connected with the BABEL university and publishing group.

Japan Association for Interpretation & Translation Studies (JAITS) ja:日本通訳翻訳学会

Founded in 1990 as the Interpretation Research Association of Japan (IRAJ) ja:通訳理論研究会, later becoming the Japan Association for Interpretation Studies (JAIS) ja:日本通訳学会 in 2000 and the current name in 2008. Around 350 members.

Nippon Intellectual Property Translation Association (NIPTA) ja:日本知的財産翻訳協会

Founded in 2004 by private company Chizai Corporation, focused on patents.

Wycliffe Bible Translators Japan ja:日本ウィクリフ聖書翻訳協会

Founded in 1968, following on from the ja:日本聖書翻訳協力会 (founded 1966).

Asia-Pacific Association for Machine Translation (AAMT) ja:アジア太平洋機械翻訳協会

Founded in 1991, originally as ja:日本機械翻訳協会.

IT Software Translator Certification Association ja:ITソフトウェア翻訳士認定協会

A collaboration between 5 private translation agencies.

Primarily interpreting

Medical Interpreters & Translators Association (MITA)

Organized at Tokyo Medical University by J.P. Barron and Raoul Breugelmans, 1993-2012. It was an offshoot from JAT, focused on helping Japanese doctors communicate in English, with links throughout the world and some government funding. It created training resources such as actual video interviews with patients in Leicestershire (having various accents), and a 3-way glossary (Japanese, doctors' English, patients' English).

Japan Association for Health Care Interpreting in Japanese and English (J.E.) ja:日本英語医療通訳協会

Founded in 2006, but website apparently defunct as of around 2010.

International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA) ja:国際医療通訳士協議会

Has a Japan Chapter and West Japan Chapter, founded in 2008. The parent body was founded in 1986 in Massachusetts, and went 'international' in 2007; it has around 2000 members in total, and incorporates the (American) National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters.