Are you a translation “ninja” ?
Recently the Wall Street Journal had an article about a trendy new term for specialized workers in the San Francisco Bay area. The new term is “ninja”. Back in the 1990s, it was common to refer to specialized, passionate, dedicated, and well-trained workers as “evangelists”. From the late 1990s to quite recently, it was common to use the term “guru”.
Does the term “ninja” have any relevance for translators, and if so how? Let’s reflect on this little bit. According to Jinichi Kawakami, who is regarded as one of the last ninjas in Japan, a ninja has the following attributes: stealth, intelligence, a “righteous heart”, and patience.
Does this just apply to Japanese translators only, or to all translators? Let’s review each attribute, and how it might apply to the translation industry and translators:
Stealth. Stealth means not being seen, but still being effective. It means “flying under the radar”. It means not being needlessly visible and ostentatious, it means perhaps listening before speaking. Stealth also means identifying things that others don’t see, and then being effective in those “hidden” areas. Identifying new opportunities that others don’t see. Identifying one’s own weaknesses. Identifying the weaknesses of the competition, perhaps.
Intelligence. This attribute is of course very very important for translators. All translators that I know are intelligent people. They generally are very well educated, inquisitive, curious, and always willing to learn new things. It seems that translators uniquely possess this “ninja” virtue. I think that it is at the core of what it means to be a good translator. It also means social intelligence in how to deal with people, for example, when problems arise.
A “righteous heart”. What does this mean? What does it mean to have a righteous heart ? I think that it means having what the Buddhists refer to as “right attitude”. The right attitude toward one’s work. The attitude that a Japanese sword maker in medieval times brought with him to his craft. Love of the craft. The love of the work itself. The love of the customer. The right attitude toward service and having a service orientation to others. Not being egotistical and self-centered. Seeing one’s work in a larger context, as serving a greater community, or even perhaps “the entire universe”.
Patience. This is absolutely required for translators. Patience is required to know one’s own limits. This is why I only translate up to 2500 words per day, maximum. It is because I need the patience to do the job right. Rushing through one’s work and not recognizing one’s limitations seems to me a very “un-ninja” attitude. And yet how many translators are guilty of rushing through, or promising too much ? How many agencies operate in an “un-ninja” manner ? As they say, “patience is a virtue”. One also needs patience when one encounters problems with technology, or with, for example, a customer. One needs to be patient with oneself.
After reflecting on this topic, I do think that even though the term “ninja” is sometimes misused or overused and is the new “trendy” word in business, upon reflection, we translators can indeed learn something when we reflect on the “ninja mentality”.
