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A couple weeks ago, one of my coworkers, Tsutsui-san, invited me to an photography exhibit where some of her work was on display. All I really did was show up, but she was really nice to me about it. She gave me some cream puffs on the day of the event to take home and share with my family, then she followed up with more snacks at the office the following week, and now she sent me this picture she took of me standing in front of one of her prints. 

Naturally, there’s a measure of give and take in all working relationships, but so far I think I’ve been taking more and giving less, comparatively. (I have also been relying heavily on her—and many other people at the office, thank you all!—to get settled in this new job.) As my work and family life starts to settle into more regular patterns, I’ll have to think of ways to give back to all the people at the office who have been helping me out so much. 

For the time being, I hope my heartfelt gratitude will suffice. Thanks Tsutsui-san—and everyone else! 

Ever buy an expensive product only to be surprised at how much accessories for it cost? (This happens a lot with consumer electronics.) Ever find yourself tempted to save some money by going with third-party equivalents instead of their brand-name counterparts? Yeah?

Don’t.

You may be able to get away with it for some things, but where electronics are concerned, you’re more likely to get burned--perhaps literally.

I spent this afternoon translating documents related to cases where people have (sometimes unwittingly) purchased third-party substitutes for the brand-name accessories their electronic products require and found out the hard way that the “savings” ended up costing more in the long run--a lot more. In some cases, this “cost” amounted to nothing more than embarrassment for the user, but in others it ranged from irreversible damage to the product itself to loss of other property that just happened to be nearby when something went wrong. This goes without mentioning the possibility of injury, which is the ultimate misfortune.

When purchasing electronics, bear in mind that only the manufacturer really knows the internal workings of the product in question--and only that manufacturer is in a position to make accessories that will work reliably with that product. The makers of no-brand “equivalents” or imitations can guess, but do you really want to trust your precision electronics to some unaffiliated party’s guesswork?

Also, consider the fact that no-name makers are just as likely to knowingly sell unsafe products as safe ones, knowing that they will be difficult to track down in the event of an accident (in which case the user is likely to approach the maker of the main product--which will probably not be at all liable for the damages caused by another company’s products--before, or even instead of, considering other options). 

Manufacturers, on the other hand, have an obvious vested interest in making sure your accessories work safely and seamlessly with the products you purchased them for. In most cases, the manufacturer will only guarantee the operation of your product if you use the accessories its recommends. Use anything else and you’re on your own.

Play it safe. Always buy the recommended, brand-name accessories for your electronics. If necessary, factor the cost of accessories into the total purchase price before you buy, so you are not hit with sticker shock when you see how much the extras cost. The prices you see might seem higher than those of similar, supposedly compatible products, but the difference in the knock-off products’ prices is often accounted for by the absence of safety features your product requires.

Be smart. Don’t let your toys blow up in your face.

This has been a (generalized) public service announcement from your friendly neighborhood corporate translation cog. The opinions and values reflected herein should not be construed as those of anyone other than the author. Your mileage may vary.

About six months ago, a young Japanese woman working at my company came to me and requested some help brushing up her resume. “I’m thinking of leaving the company to intern at an NGO,” she confided. I made a few suggestions about her resume and cover letter, then promptly forgot about the whole thing.

A few weeks later, she sent me a message letting me know that she got the position she had applied for. She was really ecstatic; I was happy for her.

Not long after that, I heard from her again. She had received an assignment to go to Iraq to assist in humanitarian work.

She sent occasional e-mail to the people in our office, letting us know how things were going. We were glad to hear that she was okay and that things were going well.

Then the U.N. headquarters in Iraq was bombed, killing several people and injuring many others. We were a bit worried after that, because we knew that her work took her to the U.N. building almost daily.

Fortunately, we have received word that she was unharmed in the attack. Although a bit shaken by the experience, she is okay. She’s even put up some pictures in her online album.

I cannot help but be touched by her commitment to her purpose. She could easily come back to the relative safety of a company job in Japan, but she stays in the war-torn city of Baghdad, fulfilling the responsibilities she signed up for.

Her resume looked great before, but this will really stand out.

Recently, I mentioned that I had been offered a job that I really wanted, but wasn’t sure if I could risk taking it. I also related how my experiences as a student seeking internships had left me with a strong sense of regret about taking positions that weren’t really what I wanted because they paid better than the ones I did want (but couldn’t afford).

In large part because of those experiences, I have decided to take the risk. In spite of the short-term cash-flow problem it will create for me, I have accepted the position—and the lower montly salary it entails—because it is the job I want, not the “safer” one I have now.

This will be my last month with my current employer. Next month, I start working at Canon.

I am quite pleased to have this opportunity, but I have to acknowledge that the risks now are higher than when I was a student. I was paying for an education then, but now I’m supporting a family—a growing family—so I hope I have made the right choice. Much more depends on it now.

The next few months are going to be tough (and I don’t think my wife is very happy about that), but if we can make it until the first bonus comes, we should be okay from that point onward. The problem, of course, is that our child will be born between now and then, so that puts an even greater strain on our already precarious situation.

Thanks to those who offered advice and suggestions. In the end, it was Luis who was right. The solution was to compromise on the student load repayment plan in order to use our savings to offset the pay cut. I won’t be able to pay off my loans as soon as I had hoped, but in exchange I get the job that I want. That’s fair enough for me.

I have recently been offered a job at a company I greatly admire, but I am having a difficult time deciding whether I can accept the position. The main sticking point is that, although the overall salary is slightly better, the monthly pay is considerably less than what I earn now. (The difference is made up in bonuses, which I don’t get at my current job, but are pretty generous at the prospective one.) This sharp difference in monthly pay, however, would probably create a significant cash-flow problem.

The situation reminds me of my college years, when I couldn’t afford to take unpaid internships because I had to support myself and pay my way through school while working for the experience I would need to land a job in my field. Ultimately, my financial needs forced me to turn away some very good opportunities in favor of paid internships in areas not directly related to my career goals. Those were tough decisions to make, but in the end my financial needs left me with no choice, which is precisely what I am worried about in this situation: Can I afford to accept a job that pays “less” (even though the estimated annual pay is somewhat better) in light of my current financial needs?

To shed some light on the question, I have made a list of the pros and cons of accepting this position, along with some circumstantial information that has a large bearing on my considerations.

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Pros

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• Desirable position

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• Good career move

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• Nice benefits

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• Saner working environment (presumably)

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• Longer contract, more stability

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Cons

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• Lower monthly pay!

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• Longer commute

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• Could destabilize short-term financial planning

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• Would require much more financial discipline

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Considerations

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• New child coming soon

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• Student loan repayment plans leave no financial cushion

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Go for it!

The position itself excites me, I know I can do the job well, and the company offering it is a major player in its market, so I’m strongly motivated to go for it. If nothing else, the work environment will be significantly better (that much I can tell just from the interview, which was far better organized than the interview that landed me my current job).

On the other hand...

As much as I want to accept this job, I can’t help but feel that it could lead to a financial train wreck—at least in the short term. One of the reasons is that I have recently made arrangements to pay off all of my remaining student loans in one large payment. Although this will free me of the burden of making monthly loan payments (which is very good), it will completely wipe out my savings, leaving me with no financial cushion to rely on when switching jobs (which is not so good). When you combine the absence of a comfortable cushion with the fact that my wife and I are expecting our second child to be born in November, it creates a very strong sense of trepidation.

At this point, I’m still undecided about whether to accept the position. My heart and my ambition are urging me to grab this job and make the best of it, but my head and my sense of family obligations are advising caution.

Suggestions and advice are most welcome.