I came to Hokkaido for the winter to take a job in medical translation. I work in Niseko, the powder snow Mecca to skiers and snowboarders. And when they face plant in the powder, ski into a tree, or huck a cliff and land improperly, I go to the hospital and help interpret between doctor and patient.

I also translate medical documentation for the patients. This means taking difficult Japanese words, such as tokotsuenitankossetsu and turning them into the more comprehensible English words distal radius fracture (broken wrist).

But since I've started this job, only half the accidents have been related to skiing or snowboarding. It turns out that walking around town can be far more dangerous. And I'm not talking about crime.