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My CIP was volunteering as an interpreter at the Kyoto Museum of Crafts and Design. I met with many craftspeople giving demonstrations at the museum, and translated their explanations of their crafts to English-speaking visitors, and any questions that a visitor might have, into Japanese.<\/p>\n
I am an art history major, and I have always had an interest in traditional crafts and folk art, so I wanted to develop more familiarity with the world of Japanese crafts and use my Japanese to do so.\u00a0 I had to switch back and forth between English and Japanese, which turned out to be easier than I thought it would be. The act of interpreting across languages made it easier for me to connect the two cultures that I had to fuse as well. Shaking off habits I had in the U.S. to better fit my lifestyle in Japan, I also found that my Japanese and English also ebbed and flowed to fit each other\u2019s existence in my brain (if that makes sense lol). By using so much Japanese, my English has also changed! This process also taught me a lot about Japanese work culture. I was essentially doing a part-time job at a Japanese museum, and I loved getting to know my coworkers and even translate a few wall labels into English for lacquerware exhibits.<\/p>\n
I am super grateful to have had this opportunity while in Kyoto. While volunteering was difficult at times, it gave me a great opportunity to learn more about crafts, meet artisans who have made craft their life, and use my language skills to connect people from across the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
My CIP was volunteering as an interpreter at the Kyoto Museum of Crafts and Design. I met with many craftspeop … \u7d9a\u304d\u3092\u8aad\u3080