Open to opportunities

Miki Bessler

@mikibessler

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Localization specialist and Japanese translator bridging cultural accuracy with efficient, tool-driven workflows.

Japan

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What I'm looking for

I’m looking to continue delivering Japanese/English localization with cultural precision—improving workflows with localization tools, partnering with QA and content teams, and supporting customer-facing work while meeting tight deadlines and maintaining quality.

I’m a Japanese translator and localization specialist with over six years of experience bridging cultural and linguistic gaps across technical and non-technical industries. I deliver precise translations and culturally nuanced localization that resonate with target audiences, while managing multiple projects under tight deadlines without compromising quality.

I’ve translated, edited, and proofread e-learning, curriculum, marketing, and customer support materials—collaborating cross-functionally with QA, content, and curriculum teams to ensure linguistic accuracy and cultural relevance. I also improve localization workflows and terminology consistency using tools and best practices like MTPE (Machine Translation Post-Editing) to keep quality high and delivery efficient.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Japanese Translator & Proofreader

Current

Upwork

May 2022 - Present (4 years 2 months)

Completed diverse Japanese translation and proofreading projects across multiple client needs, including website content, marketing materials, email/campaign copy, and children’s book and presentation assets. Managed projects within deadlines and supported localization for surveys and websites/apps.

Japanese Translation Proofreading Localization Website Translation Children’S Book Translation Slack Content Localization Google Docs Google Drive Microsoft Excel Microsoft Word Google Sheets Zoom Asana WordPress

Current

Japanese Teacher

Current

Minot

Jan 2022 - Present (4 years 6 months)

Teach beginner-level Japanese and introduce Japanese culture at local daycare, elementary school, and library settings. Create lesson plans and materials aligned to individual student needs.

Japanese Culture Education Lesson planning

Translation Editor - Japanese

Airbnb

Mar 2025 - Dec 2025 (9 months)

Localized, edited, and proofread e-learning curriculum and video/caption assets from English to Japanese for customer support teams, supporting the launch of 100+ courses. Built localization workflows, collaborated cross-functionally for linguistic and cultural accuracy, and used translation tools to maintain consistency.

Localization English To Japanese Translation Editing Proofreading Captions MateCat Rise Adobe Premiere Pro Cross Functional Collaboration Quality Improvement Vendor Proofreading Feedback

Japanese Language Specialist

Google

Dec 2022 - May 2023 (5 months)

Reviewed and localized content (articles, photos, videos, landing pages, and listings) to meet policies and guidelines, maintaining high accuracy. Translated, proofread, and edited text across Japanese, English, and Spanish, including AI dataset training support.

Content Review Localization Translation Proofreading Japanese English Spanish Localization Quality Assurance MemoQ SimpleLocalize

Bilingual Japanese Customer Support

BodePro

Jun 2021 - Aug 2021 (2 months)

Provided bilingual Japanese customer support by handling phone inquiries, placing/confirming orders, updating customer information, and coordinating shipment. Supported English-to-Japanese translation and proofreading for new-release and advertising documents, and analyzed service issues and trends.

English To Japanese Translation Proofreading

Bilingual Japanese Customer Support

George P. Johnson

Oct 2020 - Dec 2020 (2 months)

Supported an international event (Autodesk University 2020) by responding to attendee/customer inquiries via email and phone. Translated and transcribed English↔Japanese in-house documents and event materials, documented requests and solutions, and handled troubleshooting/escalations.

Customer Support event support English To Japanese Translation Japanese To English Translation Transcription Documentation Request Tracking Troubleshooting Escalation Management

Bilingual Japanese Customer Support

Elekta

Jan 2020 - Jun 2020 (5 months)

Processed Japanese equipment orders and arranged domestic/international (including urgent) shipping. Prepared CRM reports, managed warehouse transactions/stock, and translated documents and communications between Japanese and English to support logistics and customer requests.

Order Processing Logistics Coordination CRM Reporting Customer Service Document Translation

Customer Support Representative

Cataloghouse Sendai Ltd.

Feb 2014 - Mar 2015 (1 year 1 month)

Provided customer support for a Japanese online shopping business by handling product inquiries, web-navigation questions, and order processing via email, phone, and FAX. Tracked shipments, resolved customer/account issues, supported payment plan setup, and escalated concerns to supervisors.

Customer Service Order Processing Shipment Tracking Customer Account Management Escalation Management

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Wharton University of Pennsylvania

Introduction to Operations Management (Coursera), Operations Management

Completed the online course Introduction to Operations Management hosted by Wharton University of Pennsylvania on Coursera.

Sendai city, Miyagi, Japan

Teaching Certification (Japanese), Japanese Language Teaching

Qualified for a teaching certification for Japanese for junior/high school students.

Sendai Shirayuri Women’s College

Bachelor's degree, Education (International Studies focus)

2010 - 2014

Activities and societies: Teaching training; taught Japanese in a local language exchange volunteer group; volunteered in a sister school and supported local events for multiple years.

Earned a bachelor degree with a focus on Education/International Studies, including Japanese and English linguistic classes and teaching methods. Completed teaching training and received certification to teach Japanese and English for junior/high school students.