MA Sociolinguistics English Literature Personal Statement

A Japanese woman, I spent my childhood in Hong Kong and Taiwan, surrounded by people whose native language was different from mine. Thus, I have English when I was nine years old. My first English teacher was an Indian woman whose mother tongue was also not English. Although a solid Indian accent marked her English, her enthusiastic attitude to teaching English contributed enormously to my passion for English.

I majored in English American Literature at XXXX University, thus having the golden opportunity of learning English as part of the study of many different subjects such as English grammar, reading, speech, and composing. My dedication to English continued to blossom; after graduation from Chuo University, I decided to go to the United Kingdom to study interpreting and translation, spending two years in the UK.

Since then, I have worked as a translator and proofreader at XXXX Corporation. At XXXX, I learned how to translate legal documents and came to gain increased knowledge of the law. I realized that translation is not only the replacement of words, but background or knowledge of the area is essential, perhaps, especially in direction. This long-term experience of translating documents in many places is, perhaps, my greatest treasure. I look forward to continuing to develop and grow in English through lifetime education and personal/professional advancement. The most effective way to use my knowledge is through teaching others. How to face people and tell them about my experiences is still very challenging, but, unlike my translation job, I now have become addicted to the sheer joy of human interaction with world citizens, addressing educational needs through face-to-face communication in our global language. I am fully dedicated to education since it is here where both teacher and student can grow without limits other than the level of one's energy and dedication.

My fascination with intercultural and multi-cultural relationships has grown in leaps and bounds when studying interpretation and translation. I see these cultural aspects as being of foremost foundational importance to learning second languages, coming to better understand the basis and nature of social rules and the artistic value of languages in any given context; I would especially like to study sociolinguistics at SLA. In particular, I look forward to having the profound privilege of learning from Professor XXXX XXXX.

After completing your program, I intend to continue to develop as a freelance translator and educator, devoting my life to teaching the art and science of translation; then, I would like to teach people who want to be a translator. My long-term goal is to create a textbook that would be most useful for learning basic translation skills appropriate to Asian-Western dialogue. And I dream of teaching English to children, primarily through call, so that they learn English while they think that they are playing. I want to thank you for your consideration of my application.