Okay, I know some of you prospects and novices want to enter the dojo because you know that translating is a good way to become best friends with your favorite mangaka.

What you know is wrong.

What being a translator gets you:

Free books (which usually get pretty dog eared during the translation process), a small paycheck, and (most of the time anyway) credit on a front or back page. As far as contact with the artist goes, if you have a vitally important question, you'd send it to your editor. The editor forwards it to the licensing department. If the licensing department thinks it's an important enough question to bother the artist with, they send it to the Japanese publisher's licensing department. If it passes the Japanese publisher's licensing department, then it gets forwarded to the mangaka's editor. And if the editor decides that the mangaka isn't too far behind on his/her deadlines to consider it, he'll pass the question on to the mangaka. The reply goes backwards through the same channels. Even as Director of Editorial, I've only dared this process three times. A large number of questions will get the Japanese publishers, editors and mangaka to question your (the translator's) qualifications.

Oh, if you're a translator of a certain mangaka's book, then you have the excuse of handing him or her your card during conventions and introducing yourself. I guess that's something.

No, translation is not a good way to meet your favorite mangaka. If that's your ambition, then how about licensing? Licensing people have a certain degree of contact with the mangaka. But if you're not completely fluent in business Japanese, then marketing might be a better "in" to meet them. Certainly upper management of a manga company is best, but that's not quite an entry-level position.

I've met quite a few of the mangaka that I've worked with, but none of it had to do with being a translator -- and everything to do with representing my company (Viz at the time) at conventions. I was Toshihiro Ono's bodyguard, Rumiko Takahashi's chauffeur, the babysitter for Kia Asamiya's daughter, and I got interviews with Chiho Saito and Masakazu Katsura. I doubt any of them remember me. Still, I have to admit, it was fun to meet them. But meeting them is not why I went into translation.