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It's gona take you a hell of long time to get there, I'd suggest looking for another job right now but keep taking your Japanese lessons!

The guy above me is wrong. Translations are done in whatever location the books are published (it's more important that the translators know how to express nuances in the local dialects than it is for them to know Japanese - as long as they ALSO know Japanese very well lol). Also, the translations are usually done by freelancers - not direct employees of the publisher - who are working in tandem with the local editor for that particular series. For manga translated to English, most of that is done in the US (by VIZ, Tokyopop, Del Rey, etc). I also know that VIZ has a European branch (I think it's just called "VIZ Europe"?). My suggestion would be contacting them & asking them directly how you can get a freelance gig translating the tankobons for a particular series (tankobons are the original Japanese editions) into French or Spanish. Having a translation portfolio would definitely help... but because the market is so young over there, you might be able to make it in without one. But be warned that you're not going to be able to fully support yourself only with just freelance manga translation gigs. It's not exactly a high-paying job. You'll probably want to set up your own portfolio website & try to get 'regular' book or corporate presentation translation jobs as well if you want to make a real career change -- otherwise just moonlight while you teach. Whatever you do, good luck! _ EDIT: Whoa chill out dude lol. Don't take it personal. You said "From what I know they choose translators that are from Japan. Just translating words isn't what they are looking for. They need cultural references and people that have lived their and understand the slang and popular memes going on over there." And that's really not the case. None of the translators freelancing for these companies currently live in Japan, and most of them never have. (It's the editors who are usually the Japanese ex-pats that help the translators work through the Japanese cultural references if they need an assist). What they want are people who CAN speak Japanese but moreso people that are experts on the LOCAL dialects & customs (meaning French, Spanish, Greek, whatever else BESIDES Japanese) of the area the translation will be distributed. Obviously they also need to know what Obon week is or what a Yukata is, etc. But it's more important they be able to communicate it in a language so that the locals (meaning French, etc) can understand & relate to the story. Your answer was very helpful & it's all love. But the main point you were making - that translators need to be from Japan or at the very least have lived there for a long time - is not true. The vast majority of overseas translators & editors aren't Japanese. They're white guy otaku who studied Japanese in school. That's all I was saying. What say I buy you a beer and we let bygones be bygones?

lol your funny, no way someones gonna hire a little 14 year old brat to translate

You need years of experience and also you need to actually be mature