Position: English–Japanese Translation Skills Instructor
Employment Type: Contract / Part-Time
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Institution: Upper Madison College (UMC)
Position Overview
Upper Madison College (UMC) is seeking a qualified, dynamic, and highly proficient English–Japanese Translation Skills Instructor to teach a specialized language and translation skills course.
The ideal candidate will have advanced proficiency in both English and Japanese and the ability to teach students how to transfer meaning accurately, naturally, and appropriately between the two languages. This course is designed to develop practical translation skills across listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, and sentence structure.
The program follows a structured three-period instructional model, with each period lasting 1.5 hours. The successful candidate will be responsible for delivering engaging, practical, and student-centered lessons that help learners understand not only what words mean, but also how meaning, tone, context, grammar, and sentence structure differ between English and Japanese.
Key Responsibilities
The successful candidate will be responsible for:
• Planning and delivering engaging lessons aligned with the established course structure
• Teaching translation skills in both English-to-Japanese and Japanese-to-English directions
• Developing students’ listening, speaking, reading, and writing abilities
• Teaching grammar and sentence structure through contrastive analysis of English and Japanese
• Selecting and adapting authentic materials appropriate to student proficiency levels
• Providing clear explanations of linguistic, grammatical, and cultural differences
• Designing practical individual, pair, and group translation activities
• Providing constructive feedback on oral and written translation performance
• Identifying recurring student errors and providing targeted instruction
• Monitoring student progress and maintaining accurate academic records
• Preparing and administering assessments, assignments, and translation tasks as required
• Creating an interactive, respectful, and student-centered learning environment
• Communicating regularly with the Academic Manager regarding student progress, academic concerns, and course development
• Participating in meetings, professional development, and other academic activities as required
Qualifications and Requirements
The ideal candidate will have:
• Advanced or native-level proficiency in Japanese
• Advanced or native-level proficiency in English
• Strong knowledge of English and Japanese grammar and sentence structure
• Demonstrated ability to translate accurately between English and Japanese
• A strong understanding of linguistic and cultural differences between the two languages
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills
• The ability to explain complex language concepts clearly and practically
• Strong lesson-planning and class room-management skills
• Experience working with adult language learners
Preferred Qualifications
Preference will be given to candidates with one or more of the following:
• A bachelor’s degree in Translation, Interpretation, Japanese Studies, Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, TESOL, Education, or a related field ( is an asset)
• Professional experience in English–Japanese or Japanese–English translation or interpretation
• Previous experience teaching translation, interpretation, Japanese, English, or ESL/EFL
• TESL, TEFL, CELTA, or another recognized language-teaching qualification (preferred-not mandatory)
• Experience developing translation activities, assessments, or curriculum materials
• Familiarity with communicative and task-based teaching approaches
Ideal Candidate Profile
We are looking for an instructor who is more than simply bilingual. The successful candidate should understand how meaning changes across languages and be able to clearly explain why a direct or literal translation may not always be accurate, natural, or culturally appropriate.
The ideal candidate will be enthusiastic about language, attentive to detail, culturally aware, flexible, and able to create practical learning experiences that prepare students to communicate meaning effectively between English and Japanese.
How to Apply
Interested candidates are invited to submit a current résumé and brief cover letter outlining their relevant teaching, translation, interpretation, and language experience.
We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
Email Address: info@umcollege.net
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