Film Translator/Interpreter Natsuko Toda

Natsuko Toda
Film Translator/Interpreter
Anaheim University Executive Advisory Board Member
My Career as a Film Translator

Renowned film translator and Anaheim University Executive Board Member Natsuko Toda launched the International Communications Lecture Series co-hosted by Sophia University and Anaheim University by giving the first presentation to students at Sophia University's Yotsuya campus in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday, December 7, 2002. Over 500 students turned out for the 90-minute seminar featuring Natsuko Toda who spoke of her career in film translation and subtitling. Ms. Toda answered questions from the audience which ranged in topic from movie translation and life as a career woman to the internationalization of Japan.

After graduating from Tsudajuku University in 1958, Natsuko Toda became a secretary for a life insurance company for a year before leaving to find employment related to the movie industry. She began working as an interpreter in a cinema company and became a pupil of Shunji Shimizu who was experienced at subtitling. She made her debut as a translator in 1970 and has been responsible for subtitling over 1000 movies since then. Natusko Toda is the most renowned translator of foreign films in Japan, single-handedly creating the subtitles for 50 major Hollywood movies a year, and serves as an interpreter when foreign celebrities come to Japan for publicity.