MEET OUR TEAM
JASON KHOH – Managing Director / Senior Japanese Translator
Jason is the Managing Director of Mochiwa Mochiya Pty Ltd. He has over a decade of experience helping clients in a broad range of specialties such as sports, film, finance, life sciences, politics, the environment, and technology.
His passion for Japanese translation, language and culture comes from his 12+ years spent in Japan, which saw him start off as a law student at the University of Tsukuba and along the way he was even a medical communications specialist at Nihon University School of Medicine in Tokyo.
He has a proven track record of promoting Australian expertise and innovation throughout the Asia-Pacific region and has been invited to speak and mentor on a number of topics like global entrepreneurship, cross-cultural communications, translation, ethical publications, business in Asia, and medical communications.
Jason volunteers his time as President of the Friends of Sydney Town Hall Committee (a not-for-profit organisation affiliated with the City of Sydney), is studying to become a colour-puncturist, and is a self-confessed aficionado of Japan's national brew - sake.
JAMIE KUDO – Senior Japanese and Thai Translator
Jamie is a columnist on Japan-related topics with over twenty years of experience as a professional translator to boot. Her translation experience includes comics, anime, games, management, finance, human rights, government and non-profit projects. Many of her translated non-fiction books have become best-sellers in Thailand.
She was born and raised in Thailand but has lived in Australia, Japan, and now the USA. Ask her about funny moments she encountered while living in different cultures. She has a lot to tell :)
Jason is an old friend of mine. I have seen how he brought his personality and good-hearted nature into his work. He is a trustworthy person who takes pride in his work and treats people with respect. And that’s why you can always rely on his agency to deliver quality work.
MAYUMI TOYOTA – Senior Japanese Translator (NAATI Accredited)
Mayumi embarked on a career as a professional translator in 2008. She started off as a medical translator, but over the years she has acquired the skills and knowledge to expertly handle a wide range of specialties from healthcare, market research and marketing copies to food, drink and tourism. Her main clients include pharmaceutical companies, healthcare publishers, and market research enterprises.
She studied translation at the University of Western Sydney and is a NAATI accredited professional translator (English to Japanese).
Mayumi is a yogini full of worldly desires, who is particularly fond of a glass (or two!) of wine.
I am always grateful for working with Mochiwa Mochiya because I can be truly independent. I don't have to compromise of price or working conditions. They have the best interest of both clients and translators at heart.
COSMIN FLORESCU – Senior Japanese Translator
Cosmin is an Eastern European kid, an Australian young bloke and a Japanese old man (oyaji). You might think that suffering from multiple personality disorder may impair one’s function in any society, but it turns out that's handy when one is working as a translator (or interpreter) waltzing back and forth between texts (or people) with various cultural backgrounds and assumptions.
Cosmin has specialised in translating technical manuals for manufacturing machines and user manuals for industrial equipment. He also has experience doing medical translations, creating documentary subtitles, proofreading and editing research papers. He is now applying his considerable skills and talents as a medical communications specialist at the University of Tsukuba.
After working for five years inside large Japanese companies (including as official interpreter for Nissan Motors in Tokyo), Cosmin became convinced that the key to bringing together Japanese people and more-international-minded ones lies with the kaizen (continual improvements). Applied in the context of a Japanese traditional corporation, Cosmin's kaizen proposal changed the way employees learned how to communicate in English through his weekly coaching sessions.
In his spare time, Cosmin enjoys pondering world-changing ideas, spending time with his lovely wife and kids, and treading ungainly on the ki-merging path (aikido).
Here's the challenge: Is it a handicap or a competitive advantage to have a diverse team comprising members with different sets of translation or interpreting skills, spread out across several time zones?
The years I've spent working with Jason and the other team members at Mochiwa Mochiya make my answer biased towards the latter option. My experience of being able to communicate effectively with other team members is, to a great extent, thanks to our shared commitment to deliver work according to a simple principle that's been around for millennia: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you When we review our work, we look at it from our client's perspective and ask ourselves if we'd be happy with it.
It also helps to have a team leader who is making sure everyone is comfortable with, and given a voice in, formulating the framework (payment-wise, deadline-wise, etc.) of negotiation with the client.
DR TETSUYA OKADA – Senior Japanese Translator (NAATI Accredited)
Tetsuya has been a NAATI-accredited translator since 2008, following from his Masters degrees in translation and interpreting at Macquarie University and conference interpreting at University of Western Sydney. In April 2017, Tetsuya also completed his interdisciplinary PhD research into local community development and disaster recovery in Australia and Japan at Macquarie University.
Since 2014 Tetsuya has delivered a number of courses in English-Japanese translation and Japanese language at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels at Macquarie University. He has also worked for a natural hazards research centre in Sydney as a translator/interpreter and researcher since 2007.
Over 11 years working in the insurance industry in Japan in both urban and rural environments, Tetsuya gained a deep understanding of the business and cultural aspects of Japanese society along with critical communication skills and practical knowledge in insurance. He has wide-ranging knowledge, experience and interests in languages, cultures, social issues and businesses.
Mochiwa Mochiya is an excellent translation agency I work for. It is genuine and communicative. Regardless of the size or type of the project, Mochiwa Mochiya always prioritises quality over anything else.
This is developed and maintained through precise and sophisticated quality control based on teamwork and the network of experts assembled at Mochiwa Mochiya.
Also, Mochiwa Mochiya's strength is in communication. Its flexible and respectful approach ensures that its projects deliver outstanding solutions for all stakeholders. I am very grateful to be part of Mochiwa Mochiya - a translation agency that allows me to make a positive contribution on the world stage.
TORU SAKURADA – Senior Japanese Translator / Illustrator
Having come to Australia by himself when he was still in junior-high school as an overseas student, Toru spent over 25 years in Australia through high school, university and further by obtaining his permanent residency.
Toru graduated his Commerce degree at Macquarie University, then achieved his full membership of CPA Australia. Toru is currently active at the frontline as a professional accountant, contributing to the Japanese Community in Australia by serving Japanese clients, including translating topics such as finance, accounting and tax on a daily basis.
Although Toru had been in an English speaking environment most of the time since at his early age, he always found Japanese fascinating as a language and kept it to himself as a precious gift. That is the reason Toru puts his effort when translating English to Japanese to keep the context clear without loss of its beauty.
The steady support Jason provides as a front-line negotiator and behind-the-scene commander makes Mochiwa Mochiya a pleasant place to work for translators like myself.
There are many passionate and enthusiastic translators at Mochiwa Mochiya (including Jason himself) -- with expertise over a diverse range of specialties -- working collaboratively as either translators or reviewers to create an environment conducive to high-quality translations.
I really appreciate how Jason respects each translator's views and approach while offering appropriate advice whenever needed.
CHRISTOPHER RATHBONE – Senior Japanese Translator
Christopher Rathbone is an attorney working with the law firm City-Yuwa Partners in Tokyo, and is also a professor at Temple University Japan Law School.
He has worked as a legal translator since 2000 and has taught classes and provided seminars on legal translation and legal writing for Japanese, Korean, Cambodian and US universities, as well as the Tokyo offices of many top US law firms. As a long term resident of Japan who is fluent in Japanese, Christopher’s classes and seminars provide both practical information and cultural insights.
In addition to legal writing and translation, he frequently gives presentations on diverse topics including Plain English, the legal profession in Japan and the US, and the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (indoor smoking ban). Christoper graduated with honors from the University of Saskatchewan and earned a JD from the College of Law of the University of Saskatchewan and an LL.M. from Hokkaido University as a Monbusho Scholar. He is admitted as an attorney in Massachusetts.
Mochiwa Mochiya is an excellent translation agency. I have known Jason for years in various business transactions and he is very reliable and always committed to the best outcome.
NATALIE HAMILTON – Writer, translator and lecturer in Translation Technology
Natalie turned her focus to Japanese study while living and working in Japan’s rural Oita Prefecture on the JET Programme. She was awarded a Master of Japanese Translation in 2014, which included a linguistics dissertation entitled Cracking the ON Yomi Code. Her new kanji textbook The Kanji Code is a #1 Amazon Best Seller.
ALICE GIBSON – Associate Japanese Translator (NAATI Accredited)
Alice began studying Japanese in primary school and it’s been a passion of hers ever since. She is currently studying a Masters of Translation and Interpreting Studies at Macquarie University and recently received her NAATI Translation accreditation (Japanese into English). She enjoyed a brief break from university to do an internship at the Australian Embassy in Tokyo to learn more about Australia and Japan’s trade relationship.
Alice has spent a lot of time in Japan, travelling all around the country to try and learn as much about Japanese language and culture as possible. She spent a working holiday in Tokyo in 2014, and when she wasn’t at work, you’d find her in the kitchen learning more about Japanese cooking or outdoors on a hike.
I cannot speak highly enough of Jason and any business venture he puts his name to. I have been a translator as part of his agency Mochiwa Mochiya for over a year now and the experience has taught me invaluable lessons on how this industry works and how I can find my place in it as a new graduate. Jason mentored me through my Masters degree and has supported me at every step on my journey to becoming a professional translator.
Jason has created an agency that provides people like me the opportunity to meet like-minded people in what can be a lonely business. He has gathered a team of intelligent and passionate people who are motivated by him to deliver only the highest quality work.
AKIFUMI SAITA – Associate Japanese Translator (NAATI Accredited)
Aki graduated from Keio University in Japan with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental and Information Studies. In this cross-disciplinary course, he studied second language acquisition in applied linguistics, as well as delving into various other fields including economics, sociology, psychology, design and information technology studies.
Aki has completed a Masters of Translation and Interpreting Studies at Macquarie University, and has received NAATI accreditation as a professional translator (English into Japanese) and paraprofessional interpreter. He is currently working as a translator and interpreter based in Japan.
He is passionate about movies and football, and has experience making his own film. He’s passionate about fostering international exchange through movies and football and hopes to show that both can be enjoyed despite linguistic and cultural differences.
Jason mentored me throughout the course of my university degree and even after I graduated and returned home to Japan.
As Jason is a translator himself, he really understands the job of a translator and always has the best interests of his team at heart. He has been a very helpful professional connection for me.
Mochiwa Mochiya is not just a simple translation agency, but a team of dedicated professionals who share a passion for the Japanese language.
Jason’s keen attention to detail is not only evident in the work produced by both him and those in his agency, but also in the way he conducts himself in business. I am excited to continue working with Jason’s agency in the future.