Here at the Japan Visualmedia Translation Academy (JVTA), we offer the only course in Japan where you can study Japanese-to-English translation specifically for visual media. You can master the skills you need to translate fun, entertainment-related content such as films, TV shows, anime, manga, websites, and more!

Throughout this six-month Comprehensive course, the first of two, you’ll develop your ability to fully understand the meaning and nuance of Japanese content and translate it into clear, concise English aimed at a global audience. This introductory course includes twenty-one 140-minute lessons and a personal consultation at the end.

● What does our course offer?

☆Learn the skills you need to translate all types of media genres

The J-to-E Media Translation Course is open to anyone interested in learning how to translate Japanese visual media content for a global audience. Working with a wide variety of fun and interesting genres such as film, television, anime, manga, video games, and more, you'll learn the basics of visual media translation. The course also looks at current trends in the foreign and domestic markets for Japanese visual media content. While subtitling makes up the majority of the assignments, the course also covers dubbing, manga, corporate videos, entertainment-related text translation, and much more.

☆A curriculum taught by active professionals in the field

All instructors in our J-E course are translation professionals with several years’ experience working at the top of their fields. Through lively class discussions, you'll receive feedback on homework assignments to help you develop the skills and expressive ability that are essential for visual media translation. We are focused on creating a positive, discussion-driven atmosphere where you'll find it easy to voice opinions and share ideas.

☆A Fully Online Experience

As of April 2020, our translation program is taught entirely online ? you can participate from anywhere in the world! You’ll feel like you’re right there in the classroom. To complete the remote learning experience, we have implemented a convenient learning platform that we developed called JVTA Online where you can download and submit your assignments, access lecture materials, and more.
It is also integrated with Slack, which allows you to chat with your classmates and course advisors in real time!

● Course Name

Japanese-to-English Media Translation: Comprehensive Course

● Time and Day

Weekday class: Tuesday nights (19:00 - 21:20) JST
Weekend class: Saturday afternoon (13:30 - 15:50) JST

● Course Length

6 months (21 classes total)

● Course Offered Twice a Year

Spring term: From April to September (6 months)
Autumn term: From October to March (6 months)

●  Prerequisites

• Ability to follow a lecture/discussion in Japanese (Around 20% of the J-E classes are taught in Japanese)
  At least JLPT N2 level Japanese is recommended to get the most out of this program
• Ability to read kanji and write in Japanese (a small number of assignments are to be written in Japanese)
• Ability to read and understand documents in Japanese regarding class policies and sign-up procedures
• Ability to follow English conversation at native speed and freely communicate in English discussions
• Ability to write in English without major errors in grammar and syntax
• Previous J-E translation experience not required

●  Interested in Learning More? Join our Open School event first!

We strongly encourage everyone interested in learning more about our translation courses to join our Open School events held out our Tokyo School held throughout the year. At these events, we offer an English Subtitling Trial Lesson, a Media Translation Industry session, and a School Orientation all in the same day. This is a great way to learn everything you wanted to know about visual media translation and experience our classes firsthand.

For more information about our next Open School event and to sign up, please check out the following page (only in Japanese):
https://www.jvta.net/tyo/open-school/

If you are unable to attend our Open School events, you can also sign up for a one-on-one trial lesson and consultation here: https://www.jvta.net/tyo/trial-lesson/

● Course Fees

Revised for April 2024

－All prices listed include taxes－

※ Students are responsible for any fees related to course materials outside of handouts and videos (such as subtitling software related fees), as well as any fees for extracurricular classes or seminars that they choose to take.

※ Payment can be made by credit card or bank transfer.

※ Current or past students of JVTA's main translation courses (the English-to-Japanese Media Translation and Japanese-to-English Media Translation courses) do not need to pay an entrance fee when signing up for other JVTA courses. However, JVTA students who take other courses may need to pay a full or partial entrance fee if they wish to take one of the main translation courses. Please contact the school staff for more details.

※ Cancellation Policy
-If the course you have applied for is over two months long, and the total payment made is more than 50,000 yen, then it is possible to cancel your participation in the course halfway through. -If the course you have applied for is less than two months, and the total payment made is less than 50,000 yen, then it will not be possible to cancel your participation in the course halfway through.

※ Please be sure to inform us if there will be any delays in payment. If we do not hear from you, your application will be voided.

● How to Sign Up

Join any of our Open School events, free trial lessons, or personal consultations HERE!