Hello everyone! My name is Yumi and I live in Melbourne, Australia for 4 and a half years now. I have my advanced diploma as a natural therapist, but since I wanted to expand my knowledge I am now in bachelor course to study natural and holistic therapy.
Like in European and American countries, natural therapy is a very popular study in Australia. It is available at organic supermarkets or pharmacies, and you can also find natural therapists at some hospitals.

From China to Australia

After graduating from university in Japan, I entered a metal manufacturing company, assigned to the overseas sales division. It was the second year since the equal employment opportunity legislation came into force. After I got married, I moved to China with my husband who was assigned to work there. China was right in the midst of making a big leap forward. I was surprised and excited to see the changes China was going through at the time. I had an image of Chinese people being controlled by the government, but I was impressed when I knew that the Chinese would in fact think and act freely in their unique ways.

I learned Chinese language in China, and then studied at an interpreter training school so I was able to work as an interpreter. I also worked for a company running a website posting news of China in Japanese language. And in 2010, I became the head of its Shanghai Office. During that tenure I had an opportunity to take part in many exciting events such as Expo 2010 where Japanese and Chinese people could interact and communicate. After working as a conference interpreter and a simultaneous interpreter, I made a career change as a subtitle translator. I also became the head of Dalian office when I joined a subtitle translation company.
After that, I moved to Melbourne, the place I always wanted to visit. It was the very place where my deceased husband had fond memories of. The fact that I was able to work as an interpreter/translator helped me decide my move to Melbourne.

My life in Melbourne

China has a large population. There are people everywhere at any time of the day. On the contrary, there were times I didn’t meet a single person while I was out when I first came to Melbourne. And that made me feel very lonely. Now that I am getting used to the life in Melbourne I am loving the kindness of the local people, the sound of the birds, and the amazing natural surroundings.

Melbourne is not quite “the Wonderland” Japanese people would often imagine. For me it is the city of art, coffee shops and wine. Half of the year is winter with too many rainy days. Melbourne looks more like a city in the European countryside with offices, schools, hospitals, and many salons, rather than a city rich in nature.
Just like many other countries you can find many Chinese communities in Australia, so being able to speak Chinese was very useful. It helped me a great deal especially in the beginning when my English was not very good, as I often spoke Chinese instead of English while shopping or eating out.

Currently I go to university three days a week. I have a lot of assignments and preparation to do. My university life here is very different from the one I had in Japan, which was far more relaxed and easy-going. During my free time or vacations, I run workshops on astrology or work as a Japanese-Chinese translator.

How I discovered Workshift

My friend introduced me to Workshift, so I decided to register.
I think the service Workshift offers is very convenient because I can choose to work on a job that suits my skills whenever I want to. In addition, overseas remittance from Japan can be troublesome but I can receive payments I earned via Paypal, so that is convenient.
Japanese clients are very polite, and I appreciate the fact that they always keep their promises. They never ask me unfeasible requests. When I got a job through Workshift to act as a local guide for a group of clients from Japan, I was able to learn and discover many new things about the Melborne.
Furthermore, I like translation jobs because I can work from anywhere online. And if I work efficiently, I can then make the best use of my free time!

Freelancing does not offer steady income, but it enables you to explore new fields and utilize your free time to improve your skills. If I can continue to enjoy my life in Melbourne and contribute to the Japanese clients at the same time, that is the win-win game for sure!