BA (Literature and Japanese)
Role Languages Associate
Since 2010
Based at Tokyo, Japan (but still calls Australia home!)
Originally high school student then filing clerk at a law firm to finance an overseas trip (Hong Kong, London, Paris Marseilles, Edinburgh and did we mention Hadrian’s Wall?), scholarship for final BA semester at Hijiyama University (Hiroshima, Japan), then teaching English for a term in Costa Rica before two years teaching in Kochi, Japan while upgrading his own Japanese language skills.
Lately A Japanese Government scholarship to undertake a masters in media and governance at Keio University, Tokyo. Despite COVID-19, graduated September 2020.
Coffee yes, but what is there to eat?
Email alan[at]thinkevans.com.au
Since he started hanging out with the team for work experience back in Year 10 of high school, Alan has shown himself to be a great team player, diligent and well directed, and a model of probity in protecting the confidentiality of our work.
While completing his degree studies, Alan developed his editing skills as part of his literature major and became the resident linguist for the team from his major in Japanese – he has since added to this with skills in other languages such as German, Spanish and Icelandic.
With a travel grant from the Australian Catholic University and a scholarship from the Japanese Government, in late 2011 Alan undertook a semester at Hijiyama University in Hiroshima, Japan. This allowed him to complete his major in Japanese while immersed in the culture and arts of Japan.
Returning from post-study travels, Alan successfully undertook a Cambridge University certificate in teaching English as a foreign language to build on his degree studies. Selected for the JET programme operated under the auspices of the Government of Japan, Alan was offered a one year placement with Kochi Prefecture on the east coast of the island of Shikoku, from July 2014. A successful year led to the offer of another year on this contract, now also completed with a further invitation to continue – but Alan had other plans.
After a six month break spent working and studying in Germany to crank up his German language skills, Alan returned to Japan after being awarded a Japanese Government scholarship to undertake a Masters program at the School of Media and Governance, Keio University in Tokyo.
Alan graduated in September 2020. Fortunate to have an internship with them while studying, he is now with the Meehan Group in Tokyo as a translator (Japanese to English) and continues to do projects with us on a case by case basis.