The Moment I Wavered Between 'Love' and 'Work' for Sign Language

I am Iori Arakawa, a sign language interpreter.
I share a wide range of information related to sign language.
I have currently published five books,
and I am writing to publish ten books on sign language by the end of 2026.
For those working in fields with a strong volunteer aspect, like sign language interpreting,
earning supplemental income, primarily through platforms like note,
can help them dedicate themselves even more to their work.
I am striving to become a role model for that.
If you search for 'Sign Language Iori Arakawa' on Google,
you can learn about my activities.

Today, I found myself reflecting on the time when I became a full-time sign language interpreter.

When I first encountered sign language, I simply 'loved' it.
I continued because it was fun. I learned because it was a joy to be understood.
There was almost no sense of obligation or responsibility there.

That is precisely why that time was so free.

Even when I took early retirement from my job, to be honest,
I had absolutely no resolve to say,
'From now on, I will make a living solely as a sign language interpreter.'

Rather, I was lost somewhere along the way.

Should I continue to be involved in this casual way?
Or should I connect with society in a different form?

For a while, I could not find an answer.

After much deliberation, I decided on one thing.

'For the rest of my life, I will live in a way that is useful to others.'

At that moment, sign language interpreting naturally came to mind.

Something I had continued because I loved it.
But something I had never faced head-on as a 'job'.

That is exactly why I chose it.

Before I retired, I mainly used weekends to do sign language interpreting.

Events, lectures, local gatherings.
These were settings that felt somewhat glamorous, with an atmosphere of once-in-a-lifetime encounters.

Of course, there was responsibility,
but it was interpreting within a somewhat 'extraordinary' space.

However, when I started working full-time, including weekdays,
the world changed completely.

Medical settings.
Corporate training.
Situations where continuity is required.

There was a weight there that could not be resolved in a 'one-time' interaction.

Interpreting does not end with just that moment.

In a medical setting, it directly impacts lives and well-being.
In a corporate setting, any gap in understanding directly affects operations.

In other words,
'It's fine if it's vaguely understood' simply doesn't cut it.

You are forced to face that reality head-on.

When I started working professionally,
the 'naivety' within me clearly vanished.

What used to be,
'knowledge that is good to have,' has,

before I knew it,
turned into 'knowledge that is expected to be known.'

You cannot get by with 'I didn't know.'
Lack of preparation directly results in a disadvantage for the other party.

Such severity became my daily life.

To be honest, I thought about it many times.

'You can't make a living on love alone.'

This is not just a platitude.

I love sign language.
There are situations where that alone is simply not enough to face.

In fact, precisely because I 'love' it,
I can see my own immaturity painfully clearly.

Even so, strangely enough.

I don't dislike that tension now.

In fact,
there are moments when I feel it is actually a little comfortable.

A feeling that makes me straighten my back.
The time spent engaging seriously with each individual situation.

The process of what I 'loved' turning into,
'work with responsibility.'

It is by no means easy, but,
I certainly have the feeling that it is becoming the axis of my life.

'Love' and 'work' may seem the same, but they are completely different.

However, it is precisely because I had that time of wavering,
that I am who I am today.

And surely, I will continue to waver from here on out.

But perhaps, it is within that very wavering,
that the truly important things reside.

#SignLanguageInterpretation #SignLanguage #SignLanguageInterpreter #InterpretingWork #LoveAndWork
#CareerChoices #TurningPointInLife #EarlyRetirement #SecondCareer
#WorkThatHelpsOthers #MedicalInterpretation #CorporateTraining #Professionalism
#KeepLearning #ResponsibleWork

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