What Is an IT Comtor? Role, Skills and How It Differs from a BrSE
Contents9
An IT Comtor is the interpreter and go-between who connects Japanese clients with a software development team in Vietnam. The role exists almost only in companies that run offshore projects for Japan, and it is one of the most common ways for people with strong Japanese to start a career in IT without being programmers.
Key takeaways
- "Comtor" is short for communicator (コミュニケーター): the person who carries information between the Japanese client and the Vietnamese team.
- The core work: translating documents, interpreting meetings, running the Q&A list and reporting progress.
- Unlike a BrSE, a Comtor's strength is language, and they do not own technical decisions.
- Typical requirements: Japanese at JLPT N2 or above, IT fundamentals and great attention to detail.
What is an IT Comtor?
"Comtor" is short for communicator (Japanese: コミュニケーター). In an offshore project the client in Japan writes requirements and asks questions in Japanese, while the engineers in Vietnam work in Vietnamese. The IT Comtor sits between the two:
What the Comtor carries in each direction:
| Direction | What the Comtor passes on |
|---|---|
| Client → Team | Specifications, requirement changes, answers to Q&A, feedback after demos |
| Team → Client | Clarifying questions, progress reports, bug reports, risks and schedule changes |
More than an interpreter
Unlike a general interpreter, an IT Comtor has to understand enough about software to translate its terms correctly and to notice when a requirement is being misread, whether it concerns a screen, a data field or a business rule.
Why IT Comtors are in demand
Demand for Comtors follows Japanese companies' demand for offshore development, and Vietnam is the destination they consider most:
790,000
IT workers Japan could be short of by 2030, in METI's high-demand scenario
No.1
Vietnam remains Japanese companies' most-considered offshore destination (Offshore Development White Paper 2025)
2hours
Time difference between Japan and Vietnam, so working hours overlap almost all day
What an IT Comtor does day to day
Translating documents
Specifications (仕様書), screen designs, test cases, bug reports and minutes, in both directions between Japanese and Vietnamese.
Interpreting meetings
Status meetings, requirement clarification and demos with the client, usually over Zoom, Teams or Google Meet.
Running the Q&A list
Collecting the team's questions, following up until they are answered and passing each answer to the right person.
Progress reporting
Writing and translating daily and weekly reports (日報・週報) and flagging risks or schedule changes.
Supporting the PM and BrSE
Preparing meeting material and keeping tickets current in Backlog, Redmine or Jira, Chatwork, Slack and email.
Bridging cultures
Helping the team work the way Japanese clients expect, from 報連相 (report, inform, consult) to the detail and politeness a report needs.
A typical day
Every project is different; this is one example (Vietnam time; Japan is two hours ahead):
- Read the client's email and Chatwork messages, translate them and pass each one to the right team member.
- Translate the new part of the specification and add the team's questions to the Q&A list.
- Interpret the weekly status meeting with the client (15:00 in Japan).
- Translate the minutes and update tickets and the schedule with what was agreed.
- Send the daily report (日報) before the client's working day ends in Japan.
How a Q&A round works
Q&A is where a Comtor's value shows most. One good question, translated well and followed up, can save a team days of rework:
- The team finds something unclear
A developer or tester meets a requirement that could be read two ways.
- The Comtor rewrites and translates it
Adds context, a screenshot or proposed options so the client only has to choose, then logs it in the Q&A list.
- Send it and follow up
Through the agreed project channel, with a polite reminder when the question is blocking progress.
- Translate the answer for the right person
Pass it back to whoever asked and confirm the whole team reads it the same way.
- Update documents and tickets
Record the result in the specification or ticket so it does not live only in a chat message.
IT Comtor vs BrSE
Comtors usually work alongside BrSEs (Bridge System Engineers), so the two roles are often confused. Adding a general interpreter to the comparison shows where the Comtor fits:
| IT Comtor | BrSE | Interpreter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main strength | Language and communication, with IT knowledge | Engineering and system design, with Japanese | Language |
| Typical background | Japanese studies, economics, study in Japan | Software engineer who speaks Japanese | Languages, interpreting |
| Responsible for | Accurate communication between both sides, tracking Q&A | Requirement analysis, design and the technical solution | Accurate translation of speech and text |
| Software terminology | Must understand | Deep knowledge | Not required |
| Makes technical decisions | No | Yes | No |
Comtors and BrSEs complement each other
Many BrSEs started as IT Comtors and learned the engineering side later; on small projects a BrSE often covers the Comtor's work as well.
Skills you need
- Japanese: most job postings ask for JLPT N2 or above; for live meeting interpretation, N1 or experience living in Japan is a strong advantage.
- IT fundamentals: how software is built and tested, what front end, back end, database and API mean, and how to read a design document.
- Business Japanese: honorific language and the conventions of Japanese business email and reports.
- Precision and initiative: asking rather than guessing when something is unclear.
- Tools: Excel (used heavily for Japanese documentation), Backlog/Redmine/Jira and online meeting tools.
The JLPT has five levels, from N5 (easiest) to N1 (hardest). For a Comtor, the top three mean:
| Level | Official JLPT description (summary) | For Comtor work |
|---|---|---|
| N1 | Understands Japanese used in a variety of circumstances | Live meeting interpretation and demanding clients |
| N2 | Understands everyday Japanese, and Japanese in a variety of circumstances to a certain degree | The level most Comtor job postings ask for |
| N3 | Understands everyday Japanese to a certain degree | Usually needs more study before translating project documents |
One wrong word, a whole team reworking
One mistranslated term in a specification can send a whole team in the wrong direction. The best Comtor is not the fastest translator, but the one who asks when something is unclear.
Career path
After a few years, IT Comtors move in different directions depending on their strengths. Pay depends mostly on Japanese level, IT knowledge and how much responsibility the client trusts them with.
Senior Comtor
Leading a Comtor team, or handling large projects and key clients.
BrSE
Learning programming and system design to own the technical side too.
Business analyst
Analysing the business and requirements of Japanese clients.
Project manager
Running schedule, quality and the client relationship for a whole project.
QA / tester
Testing software for Japan, where test documents in Japanese are the norm.
Working in Japan
Moving to a role in Japan once they have project experience.
Frequently asked questions
Does an IT Comtor need to know how to program?
No. A Comtor needs to understand basic software concepts to translate correctly, but does not write code. Programming is a plus if you want to become a BrSE later.
What level of Japanese do I need?
Most job postings ask for JLPT N2 or above. In Vietnam, the JLPT is held twice a year, in July and December.
How is a Comtor different from an interpreter?
A Comtor stays with one software project for a long time, understands IT terms and follows information through until it is resolved, rather than translating one meeting or one document at a time.
I have no IT background. How should I prepare?
Learn the stages of a software project (requirements, design, coding, testing), get familiar with Japanese IT vocabulary such as 仕様書, 不具合 and 画面設計, and practise writing business email in Japanese.
Can a Comtor become a BrSE?
Yes, it is a very common path. A Comtor already knows the clients and the process and only needs to add programming and system design.
IT Comtors at Digi Dinos
Digi Dinos builds software, websites and mobile applications for Japanese companies, with offices in Hanoi and Yokohama. Our Comtors work directly with Japanese clients alongside the project's PM and BrSE.
Strong Japanese and want to work in IT?
See the Comtor, BrSE and engineering roles open at Digi Dinos. Companies looking for a development team that communicates well in Japanese are welcome to contact us too.
See open positions Contact usSources
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