From rock bottom to 130K-usd/year interpreter
At age 20, with only 6 yen and a TOEIC score of 280,
I worked three part-time jobs, attended English school for half a year with only one hour of sleep, and obtained a TOEIC score of 805.
I was selected as the chief instructor at a major English conversation school. At 21, I managed six Japanese and native English instructors.
After doubling the number of students in one year and achieving a TOEIC score of 950, I passed the entrance exam for an interpretation school.
While working as a full-time instructor, I studied intensively for a year and a half, passing the top-level English proficiency test. I debuted as a dedicated interpreter for a foreign company at age 23.
In an era when it was said to take ten years for even bilingual individuals to become interpreters, I achieved my debut in just three and a half years.
However, as a purebred interpreter, I found it challenging to excel in the casual business English demanded by foreign companies, compared to interpreters with overseas experience. I decided to focus on a more specialized field. I attempted technical interpretation at a Japanese communication research institute. I achieved an annual income of 10 million by the age of 27.
Subsequently, I honed my skills further as a technical interpreter for a US-based manufacturer, formed an interpretation group, and excelled in a managerial role.