Approved Case 4 (Japanese Vocational School Graduate working in Translation/Interpretation)
Approved Case 4 (Japanese Vocational School Graduate working in Translation/Interpretation)
This page provides examples of cases involving international students who have graduated from a Japanese vocational school and have been granted the title of “Specialist” for engaging in translation and interpretation work.
(The following is a document released by the Immigration Services Agency.)
Examples concerning international students who have graduated from a Japanese vocational school and been granted the title of “Specialist” (Examples related to “translation and interpretation” work, excluding those for graduates of accredited specialized courses).
A significant number of applications for a change of visa status to “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” are for individuals who will be engaged in “translation and interpretation” work. Therefore, this document will outline the relevance of studies at a vocational school to these duties.
In addition to the relevance of a vocational school major, it is a matter of course that applicants must meet the following criteria:
- You must have the aility to perform the translation or interpretation work.
- The hiring company must have a sufficient workload that requires translation or interpretation.
Therefore, the Immigration Services Agency may require applicants to provide explanations regarding the following:
- Proof of your ability to perform the work.
- Which languages you will be translating or interpreting between.
- The specific duties involved in the work.
Regarding the relevance of your vocational school major, even if a significant number of your courses were related to “Japanese,” it will not be considered a relevant major if the courses were for:
- Acquiring specialized vocabulary needed to study your professional field.
- Improving basic Japanese skills such as conversation, reading comprehension, listening comprehension, and kanji.
- Taking Japanese classes that Japanese students in the same specialized course were exempt from or not required to take.
These types of Japanese classes are not considered to be a relevant major for translation and interpretation work.
The following are examples of approved cases:
Approved Cases
(1) An applicant who majored in the Translation and Interpretation Department, taking core subjects such as principles of interpretation, linguistics, interpretation practice, interpretation skills, and translation techniques, was approved for a visa to perform publication translation at a publishing company.
(2) An applicant whose major was in the International Business Department, primarily taking subjects related to business administration, such as trade and marketing, also completed specialized subjects in translation and interpretation, such as business interpretation practice, business translation practice, and interpretation techniques. The applicant was approved for a visa to perform negotiation interpretation and contract translation in the overseas business division of a trading company.
(3) An applicant who majored in the International Liberal Arts Department, where 70 credits were required for graduation, earned a total of 30 credits in courses related to written expression, including Japanese, English, business documents, and business communication, in addition to subjects like business administration, economics, and accounting. The applicant, who has also passed the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N1, was approved for a visa to perform interpretation during external coordination for a company.
[Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan website, as of September 2025]
Approved and Rejected Cases – Yokoyama Daisuke Administrative Scrivener Office (Tokyo/Shinjuku)
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