Mark McCracken

MARK MCCRACKEN
日本語

5-12-205 Yamazaki Cho, AXIS 2, Kita Ku Osaka, 530-0024 Japan (streetview)
Cell Phone 0908-193-3225
mark@markmccracken.com (primary)
markmccracken@gmail.com (back up)

Education

Master of Arts in Education (M.Ed.) in Adult Education and Distance Learning, University of Phoenix. GPA 3.89/4.00
Japanese Language Program, YWCA Senmon Gakko, Osaka, Japan.
Bachelor of Arts, Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois, USA.

Publications

McCracken, M.E., "ATR Innovates," J@pan Inc. Magazine (January, 2004)
McCracken, M.E., "Too Dangerous to Document?," J@pan Inc. Magazine (December, 2003)
McCracken, M.E., "Young Japanese Men Pay Big Bucks for Vanity," J@pan Inc. Magazine (September, 2003)
McCracken, M.E., "Robots That Can Follow the Bouncing Ball," J@pan Inc. Magazine (July, 2003)
McCracken, M.E., "The Low Cost of Living in Japan," J@pan Inc. Magazine (May, 2003)
McCracken, M.E., "日本語.com," J@pan Inc. Magazine (April, 2003)
McCracken, M.E., 25 Business Skills in English, 1st edition (2003), Delta Systems Co, Inc., McHenry, Illinois. USA.
McCracken, M.E., 25 Business Skills in English Teacher’s Edition, 1st edition (2003), Delta Systems Co, Inc., McHenry, Illinois. USA.
McCracken, M.E., "Feeding that Foreign TV Habit," J@pan Inc. Magazine (January, 2003)
McCracken, M.E., "Drowning in Support?," J@pan Inc. Magazine (July, 2001)
McCracken, M.E., "Besides Bit Valley," J@pan Inc. Magazine (September, 2000)

Corporate Training - 13+ years experience. Able to adapt training to either stand and deliver detailed content, or employ adult learning theories to facilitate group learning experiences.

Finance Trainer - Taught financial concepts including the time value of money, annuities, perpetuities, kinds of interest rates, future value of an uneven cash flow, probability distribution, standard deviation, the capital asset pricing model, the security market line, bond valuation, stock valuation, the cost of capital, the balance sheet, and capital balancing. Clients included Procter & Gamble Far East, Inc., Kobe, Japan, and Goldman Sachs, Osaka, Japan.
Accounting Trainer - Taught accounting concepts including GAAP, the balance sheet, the income statement, and double entry accounting, and taking a trial balance.
English Language Trainer - Taught a wide variety of TOEIC, ESL and Business English classes. Vendors included Sumikin-Intercom, Excel International, The Japan Times, Century Educational Services, ALC, CTS, Interschool, and TCLC, Osaka, Japan. Selected results: Increased TOEIC score of a native Japanese speaker 180 points from 350 to 480 after 17 hours of classroom lessons. Increased TOEIC scores of a group of 10 college graduate native Japanese speakers by an average of 91 points after a one-week intensive. Formats included:
- 11 one-week, full-day intensives
- 3 two-week, full-day intensives
- 1 three-week, pre-departure, man-to-man, full-day intensive
Instructional Design - Developed new training materials including a four-week intensive English program for Sumikin-Intercom, Osaka Japan. Able to perform needs analysis, create measurable performance objectives, determine performance gap, consult with special material experts to create learning materials for online or classroom delivery, evaluate material effectiveness and alter materials as needed to improve return on training investment.

Sales Management - 2 years full-time experience. Sears and Roebuck Co., Phoenix, Arizona and Odessa, Texas, USA. Accountable for gross profit, sales volume, and motivation, evaluation, training and management of 15 salespeople. Managed reconstruction of sales area resulting in 10% sales increase. Won cash award for first place in district sales contest. Annual area sales volume - $3.8 million.

Webmaster - Able to write HTML, maintain and update website.

Author and Owner of: TeachMeFinance.com SalarySearcher.com, CrimeNumbers.com, JapaneseFile.com
Applications - Microsoft Office Suite, FTP, dirhtml, Search and Replace, some Flash 8 sample.

Japanese English Translation and Rewriting

Rewriting - Able to take poorly constructed and unclear sentences written by native Japanese translators and rewrite them into clear, concise, understandable English. Material included annual reports, operation manuals, maintenance manuals, sales brochures, and business letters. Vendors include Business Associates Co., Ltd., in Tokyo, PROV in Tokyo, Crossroads in Osaka, and Intergroup in Osaka.
Translator - Working with a native Japanese-speaking partner, able to provide accurate and clear J/E or E/J translation. Vendors included Mother Voice in London. Clients included United Airlines.

Japanese Hospitality Industry (1500 hours of part-time employment, 2000 to 2007). Speaking only in Japanese, able to meet with high profile clients, confirm details, lead groups of up to 70 guests in activites. Able to confer with and direct hotel staff as necessary to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction. Clients included Hilton Hotel Osaka, Hankyu International Osaka, and Himeji Royal Classic.

Japanese Language Ability 2-Kyu

Speaking - Able to give 20-minute prepared speeches and answer commonly asked questions on a specialized topic at a native Japanese speaker speed. Able to discuss any topic with occasional use of a dictionary. Able to translate simple instructions into English or Japanese at a fast pace.
Listening - Able to understand and participate in most day-to-day office conversations. Able to understand conversations on any specialized topic if given time to study vocabulary.
Reading - Able to read and understand nearly all Japanese email.
Writing - Able to write understandable, though non-native Japanese using a computer.

Employability

Japan - Working Visa, Specialist in Humanities and International Service until 2009
United States - United States Citizen

2008 Schedule
Now - October 9 Osaka, Japan
October 10 Chicago, USA
October 11 - 16 Culebra, Puerto Rico
October 17 - 21 San Juan, Puerto Rico
October 22 Chicago, USA
October 23 - December 31 Osaka, Japan

Travel Pictures Thailand Hong Kong Singapore USA Japan

Other Things I've Done:

Flown 375,223 miles. (map)
Passed through immigration 67 times
Rang in the year 2000 in New York's Times Square
Walked over the Bridge Over the River Kwai

Places I've visited.

Media and Acting Experience

2008 Actor, US Military Police Sergeant, Nikutai no Mon, TV Asahi, Kyoto.
2008 Voice, GTR Tech Promotional DVD, Kyoto, Japan.
2007 Voice, FM802, From A and From A Navi commercial, Osaka, Japan.
2005 Extra, German Prisoner, Bart no gakuen Toei. Kyoto Japan.
2005 Extra, Rubber Power Telebi Shopping video. Osaka Japan
2005 Extra, 40 year old man, NHK Documentary - Sawamura Eiji. Nara, Japan.
2001 Live Talent, Hello Kitty Gakuin, Asian Trade Center Hall, Osaka Japan.
2001 Voice, Koa Oil Company Ltd. Corporate Video, Osaka Japan
2000 Voice, Tokusen Engineering Corporate Video, Osaka Japan
2000 Voice, NeoGeo Pocket Audio's MP3 Demonstration, Osaka Japan
2000 Voice, Yanmar Heat Pump Maintenance Video, Osaka, Japan.
1996 to 2007 Voice, FM802, Osaka Japan, Occasional transitional voices and characters. Sample 1 2 3 4 5
1995-1997 FM802 News Announcer, Osaka, Japan. Read English headline news live on-air. sample
1996 Producer, Host, Arizona Home Watch, Radio Station KXAM, Phoenix, Arizona. sample
1995 Actor, Foreign Businessman, Promotional Video, Tsuka-hon, Osaka, Japan. view
1988 and 1989 Producer, Promotional Video - Procter and Gamble, Ft. Myers, Florida.
1987 Actor, Student, AT&T Promotional Video, Peoria, Illinois.
1986 Actor, Husband, Television Commercial, Steigers Furniture, Pekin, Illinois. view
1986 Actor, Son, Television and Radio Commercial, Pekin Memorial Hospital, Pekin, Illinois.
1982 to 1984 Radio Announcer, Radio Station WDGC, Downers Grove Illinois.

You might know me from: Daikin, Downers Grove South High School, O'Neill Junior High School, Pilgrim Park, IAJHSC, Panasonic, Pumpkin