Wolfgang Hirth (formerly known as Christopher) is a full-time freelance Japanese-to-English translator, editor, and copywriter with over 20 years of professional experience.

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Born in Michigan and raised in San Diego, California, Wolfgang first began learning Japanese at the age of 21, when he became a church volunteer in Japan.

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After spending 16 months in northern Japan in mostly rural areas, he returned to California to continue his education. Having become enamored of Japan and its people and culture, he changed his college major, and in due course, graduated with a BA in Japanese from California State University, Los Angeles.

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Wolfgang spent his senior year in a study-abroad program at Waseda University in Tokyo. He subsequently spent the following six years living in Tokyo. During that time, Wolfgang worked as (in chronological order) an English teacher, an environmentalist, a translator, and an editor while also beginning to freelance on the side.

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He relocated to Oregon, USA, to pursue a PhD in political science, but withdrew without a degree after completing his coursework. He decided to remain in Eugene for the quality of life and turned the occasional part-time translation work he'd done for years into a full-time job.

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His hobbies include walking his dog, art, and writing about himself in the third person.