Riding it out

May was a ridiculously slow month at Honyaku Plus, which I attribute to the earthquake and companies reevaluating their situations and budgets. The earthquake occured at the end of the fiscal year for many companies, in March, and companies could not afford to stop everything at that time, but they could stop to catch their breath in April and May. June seems to be returning to business as usual, so I believe we’ll be back to normal by September at the latest. Though I wonder how the freelance translator is fairing, as he or she may not have the resources to overcome the slump, Bill Witherell says that natural disasters often have less effect on a country’s GDP than expected, and it is my feeling that this is going to be the case. Though everyone is shaken, either literally or figuratively, the wheels will keep turning. Those who push forward and continue to service their Japanese clients while reaching out to new clients will reap the benefits of the short hiatus of foreign interest in Japan created by the disaster.