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Best Online Master’s Degrees in: Japanese

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Explore a Master's Degree in Japanese

An online master's degree in Japanese provides students further training and exposure to Japanese literature and the different ways the modern language is used. A master's degree in this field is ideal for students who want to work as translators, interpreters, or teachers at a secondary or post-secondary school. Although the length of the program may change by institution, a Japanese master's degree program may require the successful completion of at least 30 credit hours of academic course work.

Class Curriculum

Students of a Japanese master's degree program may enroll in courses designed to expose them to the literature of Japan, while also broadening their understanding of the language. These courses may include modern Japanese, masterpieces of classical Japanese literature, research in Japanese source materials, and problems and methods of translation. Read on for a closer look at three Japanese courses:

  • Modern Japanese. The modern Japanese course helps students to read and comprehend high-quality Japanese texts of different genres. The class includes oral and written discussion and is often conducted entirely in Japanese.
  • Masterpieces of Classical Japanese Literature. This class studies classical Japanese grammar as an introduction to the literary language of the country. Students conduct linguistic analysis poetry and short prose and critically read and analyze major Japanese literary masterpieces.
  • Problems and Methods of Translation. A problems and methods of translation course trains students in practical techniques used to translate modern Japanese. Students will become familiar with appropriate translator's tools, including glossaries and dictionaries. They may also practice translating different styles of Japanese writing, such as political, commercial, literary, and journalistic prose.

These courses may require students to complete reading assignments from a textbook or other sources chosen by the professor and short essays done in Japanese. Students may be graded by their performance on quizzes, exams, and individual project work. The objective is to force students to immerse themselves in the language while improving their written and oral communication skills.

Building a Career

Graduates of an online Japanese master's degree program prepares students for careers as interpreters, translators, or foreign language teachers at the secondary and postsecondary level. Interpreters and translators change information from one language to another. Japanese interpreters translate the spoken word while translators convert books and other written works from Japanese to English. Meanwhile, foreign language teachers teach courses, develop lesson plans, and grade their student's work.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, interpreters and translators earned a median annual salary of $43,300. Employment of interpreters and translators is expected to increase 42%, or much faster than average for all occupations, from 2010 to 2020.

Demand will be strong for these professionals because of growing international trade and broadening diplomatic ties between countries. The median annual salary of a foreign language teacher on the postsecondary level was $66,720, according to the BLS. However, these statistics are no guarantee of salary or employment opportunity, which is determined by employer, location, and the condition of the economy.