Graduate profile

Catriona Aramaki

Catriona lives in Kunisaki city, Oita prefecture teaching English and doing freelance translation.

Japanese language education

  • Five years at high school including a 10-month visit to Japan followed on a New Zealand Institute for International Understanding (NZIIU) exchange.
  • Bachelor of Arts degree (Japanese major) at Massey University, including a one-year exchange at Kyoto Sangyo University

Motivation to begin Japanese language studies

Catriona chose Japanese studies at her first year at high school simply because the classroom was new and they had to take off their shoes. Hosting two short-term Japanese home-stay students the following two years spurred her interest in Japan. Catriona studied Japanese via the Correspondence School for her last three years of high school as by then she had moved to a school that did not offer Japanese.

Use of Japan/Japanese language skills and knowledge in employment

Cationa gained an indepth understanding of the Japanese language, that provided a solid base for being employed in Japan upon graduation. She had sound knowledge of Japanese history and literature at the time but has not used much of that knowledge in her employment.

Catriona worked for three years as a Coordinator for International Relations (CIR) on the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) programme for four years at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific Univeristy, an international university in Oita Prefecture. She remained in Japan and after marrying and having children she turned to freelance translating and English teaching, both things she can do from home while meeting the needs of her young family.

Catriona teaches 21 students English conversation per week, using some conversational Japanese to explain exercises etc. Her freelance translating is mainly of documents for higher tertiary institutions – student handbooks, accreditation reports, speeches and so on. Catrioina lives very rurally so has found this type of work suits her situation and has not really considered other careers to date. Although her Japanese language is near native enough to be able to get a normal Japanese job this would still not be as lucrative as teaching and translating.

 Time spent in Japan

Catriona has this to say about her life in Japan:

I have lived here for over 17 years so have lived here longer than I have lived in New Zealand. Wow. That’s kinda crazy. The reasons? I love living here. I then married a Japanese man and had three children. My husband is a government employee and does not have good English so moving or relocating back to NZ or another country has never really been an option.