| Guide-Interpreter Business ＞ Voice of Licensed Tour Guides |
Now, let the voices of guide pros brought
to you so that you can understand the guide-interpreter business
more profoundly.
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 "If
your life is rich in experience, it would be a very big help to
your job. So, I think that it would be better for you to start working
as a guide-interpreter after you have experienced another job. Because
there is no age limit to this job, it won't be too late for anyone
to start working after that, and actually my experience as an office
girl is reflected on my career as a guide-interpreter. And if you
are a lady, it would be encouraging to know that you can come back
to this business as far as you have the license even after you once
have a break because of your marriage or childbirth." A.O.,
Kanagawa, Pref., English
"You have to try hard to find the way to enhance your customers'
satisfaction. When you guide a group of tourists, there are usually
both young people and old people. Some are interested in history
but some are not. So, the question is how to find the way to satisfy
all of them." S.Y., Tokyo, English
"If the weather suddenly gets nasty at a scenic spot and your customers
can't enjoy a bit of the scenery that they have been longing to
see, they get in a bad mood and tend to take it out on you. When
I had such an occasion, I talked about my pet subject, the Japanese
history and people, in a very amusing way in the bus on the way
back. I succeeded in changing the atmosphere from the dark and blue
one to the bright and cheerful one. My talk gained the customers'
favor, so some of them even enjoyed the bad weather saying that
my talk was more of a fun." K.A., Kanagawa
Pref., English
"When you pass the Diet Building, somebody asks you a question about
the election system in Japan, but in no time someone else asks you
to help him buy the most popular CD in Japan now. And at times such
a simple question as "Why do the Japanese people polish cars gleaming?"
emerges. Because you never can tell what sort of questions your
customers would ask you, you have to acquire truly wide-ranging
knowledge to prepare yourself for those unexpected questions. Y.N.,
Kanagawa Pref., English
"It is essential to study a lot about the customers' home country
as well as Japan itself. If you can compare the area or the population
of both countries, your speech would be more interesting. You could
make yourself feel familiar to them if you are versed in what's
happening now in their country." N.O., Tokyo,
English
"The French become terribly demanding when it comes to dining. You
never can take them to McDonald's for lunch. When the main course
is sukiyaki or shabu-shabu, they demand that sashimi(sliced raw
fish)should be served as well. When they ask for what they want,
they don't mince matters but they say outspokenly. Now I understand
such a disposition of the French and I'm used to it. But at first
serving them was so afflictive that I could cry." T.A.,
Chiba Pref., French
 "What
do I think the difficult part of this job is? Well, one case is
that though I designate the time and place for reassembly, they
never show up. Every time the group moves, I have to search for
the lost. Latin people especially are bad at getting organized,
I think." M.S., Tokyo, Spanish
"Suddenly one of your customers gets ill. Someone's passport is
missing or has his money stolen. A tour-interpreter deals with human
beings, you know. That's why these kinds of affairs always happen
from the beginning till the end of your tour, I think. But he has
to be able to cope with any kind of trouble. Suppose something wrong
occurs to your group, and then you work very hard to get your customers
out of trouble and finally you thread the needle. Then they all
start giving thanks to you. At that time, though you've had a hard
time, you yourself are deeply relieved that you've overcome a difficulty
and can feel really happy T.O., Saitama Pref.,
English
"The moment I am impressed most is when I take leave of my customers
at an airport. When I see them full of emotions and their eyes full
of tears, I realize that they are really happy with the job that
I have done. It makes me forget all the trouble I've had from the
trip with them. As I am easily moved to tears, I feel myself compelled
to shed tears when I see them cry. If you collect all the tears
I cried at airports, it might fill a whole glass. A job that can
give you such a great impression as could make you shed a glass
of tears. That is the guide-interpreter's job. K.Y.,
Kyoto Pref., English/Spanish
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