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When translated correctly, the term Samurai means “those who serve”. Most of us have read something about the great Samurai warriors who lived and ruled in Japan during pre-industrial times.These brave men had a code of honor that remains the center of conversation among business professors, motivational speakers and top personnel managers today. Business executives often wonder how they could get their subordinates to become more like the Samurai. Having worked for many years in the translation and interpretation industry, I am also curious how I could go about developing Samurai employees. But if I could mold them into Samurai like Japanese or Korean Translation employees, I would not want them to wear armor to work and show up a horse. For instance; I would like them to be like the Samurai because the Samurai held very strong and respectable values and beliefs. Instead, my idea Samurai Translation worker is one who was fearless about taking on new and extra projects, accurate and complete in every detail and could exert powerful force of fighting warriors that allowed him to go for days at high octane power with little or no rest and still ask for more. Not really, but it sounded good. Since this is really starting to go somewhere, I am going to further explore my idea of the modern day Samurai in the following editorial.

In feudal Japan, the ruling class was known as the samurai warriors. The fundamental virtues of the Samurai code were loyalty to the emperor, to the feudal lord (daimyo), to the nation, and to one’s self. After many generations, the non-verbal code of the Samurai was later transcribed and contained seven chief virtues. This Bushid code was a true testament to the moral behavior exhibited by these warriors. The seven chief virtues of the Bushido placed great emphasis on loyalty, rational decision-making and fearlessness. In devotion to cause, they served; in good judgment, they saw the value of human life and dignity; in bravery, they put admiration and respect over pillage and plunder. To engrain these values into the Samurai, the training programs were developed helped them to not fear death and to keep up the fight at all cost. Regardless of what you might be thinking, for a Japanese Translation worker maintaining this type of life would be extremely taxing because it would mean always doing the right thing or making the right decision, not because it’s easy, but because it’s ethically and morally correct. In other words, it would be difficult to envision ourselves leaving our flat screen televisions, cell phones and wifi internet connections.

Wouldn’t it be great if all Legal Translation employees would try to model themselves after the great Samurai? If only all university and college students knew that achieving greatness in a job could work towards delivering on commitment, building new skills and achieving mental clarity then we could all be stronger. But in terms of the Samurai, this means hearing the call and taking the path devoid of the normal pleasures, instant gratifications, and admiring cheers from the crowd. It’s this determination that allowed the Samurai warrior to seize the moment and use it to its fullest potential.Always remember, mental bearing, not skill, is the sign of a matured samurai.