NEWS

A Uiversity Graduate and a Student Win First and Second Places in JACI Simultaneous Interpreting Grand Prix 2024

Update: June 27, 2024

On Sunday, June 16, 2024, the Japan Association of Conference Interpreters (JACI) held the JACI Simultaneous Interpreting Grand Prix 2024, and Ms. Aloha Komatsu (1st year, Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey; graduated from College of Liberal Arts in July 2023; Major: Media, Communication and Culture) won the first place, and Ms. Nao Ihara (Senior at the College of Liberal Arts, Major: Media, Communication and Culture, Minor: Environmental Studies) won the second place.

The JACI Simultaneous Interpreting Grand Prix is a contest held with the aim of providing an opportunity for students and working adults studying interpretation, as well as interpreters who have been working as simultaneous interpreters for less than three years, to improve their simultaneous interpretation skills and to compete with each other in a friendly manner.
There are two categories, one for students and one for working adults, and in the preliminary round held on May 19th, four finalists were selected in each category. The final round was held on June 16th, with the themes being: "My experience living in Japan from an LGBTQ perspective" for the English speech and "Local areas are Japan's treasure (local revitalization)" for the Japanese speech.
After judging based on factors such as "speed and tempo," "poise, voice tremor, etc.," "accuracy," and "expressiveness, ability to translate freely, etc.," Ms. Komatsu was declared the winner and Ms. Ihara was declared the runner-up.

Comments from Aloha Komatsu:
Ever since I discovered a passion for interpreting during my freshman year of college, I have dreamed of winning first place in this contest.
It has almost been a year since I graduated from ICU--time flies. I was interviewed by "Humans of ICU" at graduation and talked about my view on interpreting. When the interviewer asked about my future goal, I said, "Winning first place in the JACI Simultaneous Grand Prix" without hesitation. The fact that I was able to accomplish this goal in less than a year will give me the confidence to pursue the path of becoming an interpreter.
I was able to win this award thanks to the professors at my graduate school, classmates who practiced with me every day, Professor Tamura, who taught me the foundations of interpretation during my time at ICU, and the members of Tamura Semi who always supported me. I would like to express my gratitude to those who supported me to become who I am today.

Comments from Nao Ihara:
I am very honored to receive the second prize in the 6th JACI Simultaneous Interpreting Grand Prix. It was at ICU that I encountered interpreting. I have undergone Japanese and English interpreting skill training through my university classes and learned about skill enhancement and interpreting studies. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my instructor, Professor Tomoko Tamura. Winning this award has motivated me to hone my skills and strive to further enhance my interpreting performance.