A gateway to the meeting with Founder & President of Sonora Technology : Haruko MINAMI, Advisor

When I started working as an interpreter between Sonora Technology in Tokyo and a Swiss company at a weekly one-hour web meeting, I struggled to learn the technical terminology. I had never heard of “anechoic chamber (acoustic)” even in the Japanese term, which is also used as an English translation of “anechoic chamber (electromagnetic)”. I had no choice but spent my days writing down the new technical terms that came up one after another in my notebook.

On the other hand, Mr. C, who’s in charge of sales and who initially asked me “Do you understand technical terms?”, and Mr. H, who’s in charge of design, kindly helped me a lot in terms of technical terminology whenever I got stuck on translation during meetings.

I was also often impressed by Mr. C’s strength to say “No” to the Swiss company and his “confidence backed by technical skills” when he said something back at them.

Although I started this task at the request of the Swiss company, I gradually became more and more interested in Sonora Technology.

Then one day, maybe six months later around, a sudden cancellation of the web meeting occurred at the last minute due to an urgent customer service on the Swiss company’s side.

As Mr. C and I were already online in the web meeting room, I suggested that we should have a casual conversation. Because I wanted to ask Mr. C, who has outstanding technical skills, why he is working in such a small company, not in a major company.

However, Mr. C gave me an unexpected answer that I have never imagined.

“Because Sonora Technology was one of the closest companies to my house at the time.”

I was so surprised by his honest reply, but at the same time it reminded me of Reinhold Niebuhr’s famous quote, “Bloom where God has planted you.”

Do the best you can where you are.

We tend to make up a plausible pretext for applying for a job, and plan how to get into a major, well-known company.

But I realised that the essential reason why people work for a living is much simpler, and that is what supports Japan’s manufacturing “Monozukuri” industry. In turn, it also supports SMEs accounting for 99.7% of all enterprises in Japan.

Moreover, Mr. C’s unexpected proposal surprised me again.
“Why don’t you talk with our Founder & President sooner or later?”

“Maybe something will go forward. Maybe nothing will happen.”

“But I think it could be a chance to break through the current situation where we receive enquiries from all over the world but have to turn them down because we don’t have people who can speak foreign languages, and where we may be missing out on opportunities to win projects.”

I was very pleased to receive his proposal, but I also felt a little hesitant about talking with the “Founder & President” of Sonora Technology, who’s playing the most important role in the company.

However, my expectation was totally different from what would later happen.

(To be continued)