LISA: What was your first commercial interpreting assignment?

MM: For the US Occupation Force officials' visit to Japanese local authorities in 1950, when Japan was rebuilding itself from the ashes of the Pacific War.

LISA: What do you consider to be your greatest professional success?

MM: That for more than three decades, I have helped train a cadre of the finest professional Japanese-English simultaneous interpreters, who have in turn called me their mentor.

LISA: What was your most embarrassing professional moment?

MM: When I translated a Japanese journalist's question to a German-speaking head of state visiting Japan about his "world view," I proudly used the social scientists' favorite English word (borrowed from the German a long time ago), enunciating it the best I could, Weltanschauung, the statesman looked at me incredulously and asked me "What did you say?" I was crestfallen, only to whisper, "I mean, your world view."

LISA: What do you like most about the profession of interpreting?

MM: That through my skills, I can help the most learned minds in the world exchange their views about matters often beyond my grasp, to their complete satisfaction.

LISA: What do you least like about the profession of interpreting?

MM: That otherwise perfectly intelligent people can be utterly insensitive to cross-cultural communication: for example, someone who says "I don't think the interpreter can translate it but..." Not very nice for the person who is there to help him/her, and extremely rude to the listeners, as it is tantamount to saying "I don't care if you follow me or not."

LISA: Who do you most admire and why?

MM: The willingness and ability of speakers to break the ice and reach out to people from different cultural backgrounds, through the deft use of anecdotes, humor, etc.

LISA: What is the sine qua non of a professional interpreter?

MM: First, professional ethics, and safeguarding confidentiality. Second, total dedication to the cause of communication, which includes conveying every nuance and the speaker's tone, mood, and personality. Third, trying to be inconspicuous yet audible.

LISA: What do you think is the most striking change in the profession of interpreting since the time you started?

MM: The explosion of the television interpreting market, with very mixed results. Interpreting simultaneously the news you have never heard before is extremely difficult if not impossible. Due to market pressure, too many young interpreters are unable, or rather unwilling, to improve their basic speech skills.

LISA: What is your view on language technology in relation to the role of human translators and interpreters?

MM: Machine or computer translation will never be able to faithfully reproduce human emotion, especially humor. And we should not allow it to happen. If, however, one day an MT system manages to translate a clumsy joke, I would, as a listener, laugh out loud to save my neck.

LISA: You gave a keynote speech at the recent LISA Yokohama conference. How does localization fit in with your professional area of interests?

MM: It presents the exciting challenge of finding cross-cultural interfaces in languages, local idiosyncrasies and above all humor.

LISA: Could you describe your vision of interpreting in five years' time?

MM: Only the best and the finest of the interpreters will survive, as more and more Japanese people will be able to communicate reasonably well in English. Only the most difficult and taxing assignments will be there for professional interpreters.

LISA: In view of your future vision of the profession, what are the key issues for interpreter education and training?

MM: A thorough education in cultural literacy and sophistication, and especially an well-developed sense of humor. We need more native-English-speaking interpreters with a complete command of Japanese language and culture.