ブリッジSEとは?仕事内容や必要なスキル・年収からキャリアパスまで解説What is a Bridge SE? Explanation of the job description, required skills, annual salary, and career path.

Engineers have many different ways of working, and one of them is called bridge SE. Many of you have probably heard of them, as their fields of activity have been expanding in recent years. However, on the other hand, there are many people who do not understand the specific roles, job descriptions, and career paths. In this article, we will explain a wide range of bridge SEs, from basic knowledge to career paths.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

First, let me introduce what a bridge SE position is.

Bridge SE is an SE who also acts as an interpreter

A bridge SE is a system engineer who also acts as an interpreter. The literal translation of the term is “bridge system engineer,” and they support communication when dealing with overseas corporate representatives and overseas engineers. The scope of their activities is wide-ranging and includes projects in the U.S., Europe, and other countries, as well as possible offshore development in Asia.
Unlike most interpreters, we are only system engineers. Therefore, they are more knowledgeable about system development than interpreters or translators, etc. It is important to understand that they have both IT skills and skills as an interpreter/translator.

Main Role of a Bridge SE

The main role of a bridge SE is to bridge communication gaps. The detailed job description will be explained later, but understand that the general framework is to facilitate system development.
Basically, they are in charge of either “interpretation work” or “translation work” to bridge the communication gap between Japan and other countries. In addition, overseas cultures are different from Japan's, and depending on these differences, ways of thinking, etc. are also different. Therefore, they also assume roles such as taking care not to antagonize people in unintended ways.

Issues to be solved by the bridge SE

We have explained that the role of a bridge SE is to solve communication issues. Among them, they must resolve communication challenges, especially those that are language-dependent. For example, the following situations can be considered
 

• Inability to communicate the contents of requirement definition in meetings
• Inability to translate specifications such as basic and detailed designs
• Cannot respond to inquiries from overseas
• Can send e-mails, but not engage in conversation

As described above, language issues arise when outsourcing development overseas or promoting a project with overseas members. If system engineers and programmers solve these problems on their own, they may end up wasting man-hours. Therefore, a bridge SE participates in the project from the beginning to solve these language issues.

Difference from System Engineers

The difference between a bridge SE and a general SE is the scope of work and expertise. First, a bridge SE does not focus primarily on development, but rather on management and communication support. Although the term “engineer” is included in the name, the actual development work is limited to a few cases.
In contrast, general system engineers have their own specialties and develop independently. For example, as a network engineer, database engineer, programmer, etc., they are responsible for the development work assigned to them.

The following is an explanation of what exactly bridge SEs do.

Preparation of work requests and task allocation

Bridge SEs are in charge of advance preparations such as submitting work requests to overseas vendors and related parties and allocating tasks. When promoting a project in Japan, the project manager is in charge of this task. However, the bridge SE is in charge of overseas coordination.
For example, let's consider the case where system development is outsourced overseas. In this case, the bridge SE, apart from the project manager of the entire project, is in charge of work requests and task allocation. This includes deciding what specific members to assign and which tasks to assign to which person.

Preparation of various deliverables

In some cases, we work with domestic and overseas members to create various deliverables. For example, if Japanese and English versions of a design document are to be created, I may be in charge of translation. If detailed explanations are required for the creation of deliverables, the role may also include supporting communication.
However, since this is a supporting role for communication, it rarely involves taking the initiative in the creation of deliverables. Regardless of whether you are in Japan or overseas, please understand that your role is to create deliverables in areas that are language-dependent, such as translation work.

Review of various deliverables

You should consider that there are more cases in which you review deliverables than create them. For example, we review English-language documents created by overseas vendors to evaluate whether there are any problems with the content. Since language skills are required to review materials, bridge SEs are in charge of this task.
However, even if the bridge SE can review the linguistic aspects, the bridge SE may not be able to determine the technical aspects. In such a case, the bridge SE will deploy the material to the relevant parties for review. It is also my job to translate the content and request the work to be done, rather than reviewing it myself.

Management during project progress

In addition to the advance preparation of the project, we are also responsible for the ongoing management of the project. For example, they evaluate the contents of daily reports provided from overseas to ensure that the development schedule is not delayed. If the schedule is likely to be delayed, management may also include reviewing resources.
There are various risks involved in the progress of a project, and the bridge SE must avoid these as much as possible. Although not the manager of the entire project, management tasks tend to increase when dealing with foreign countries.

Communication Support

From the beginning to the end of a project, there are many communication support tasks. You can think of it mainly as interpretation and translation work to ensure smooth communication between domestic and overseas members.
For example, to communicate requirements, a system engineer in Japan may give a presentation to an overseas programmer. At this time, if the translation is not done properly, something unintended will be developed. To avoid such a situation, the bridge SE will use his/her high language skills to properly convey the intent.
It is also possible that questions may arrive from overseas members in the course of a project. These need to be translated into Japanese and provided to the domestic members, and the responses obtained need to be translated again and sent back to the overseas members.
 

This section picks up and explains some of the most important skills that bridge SEs need to fulfill their duties

Language Skills

In the IT industry, English is necessary, and in addition to English, bridge SEs should learn Vietnamese or Chinese. Depending on the nature of the work, having language skills other than English will broaden your field of activity.
For example, if you use offshore development, there is a good chance that the client may not speak English as their native language. Therefore, it is important to acquire language skills appropriate for the client. English is a must, but we recommend learning a language that you will use more frequently as an added bonus.

Communication Skills

High level communication skills are necessary to deal with domestic and international parties. The key is to be able to communicate not only in Japan but also overseas.
For example, communication in Japan tends to emphasize between the other party. In contrast, many overseas countries place more emphasis on keeping communication at a high tempo. They are not expected to communicate in the way that Japanese people do, which is to ask how each other is doing and to be silent, even if only for a moment.
Cultural differences and other factors affect the way we communicate, and there are significant differences in the way we communicate. Bridge SEs need to have communication skills that take these factors into account.

Design and development skills

Skills to engage in design and development and to review documents are necessary. If you don't have a grasp of technical terms, you will not be able to interpret or translate them to capture the nuances.
However, since you will not be developing the software independently, it is sufficient if you can communicate with the system engineers who understand the specifications and the programmers who are in charge of development. Since it is difficult for bridge SEs to perfectly understand even complex specifications, they should confirm those contents internally and communicate them to the other side.

Management Skills

In many cases, we are in a position to coordinate overseas parties involved. Therefore, although you are an engineer, you need to have management skills like a project manager. It is important to consider that management skills are required more than those of a general system engineer.
For example, when offshore development is requested overseas, progress management of development status and cost management are required. If left unchecked, development may be delayed, so you will need to communicate and manage regularly. You also need to have the skills to catch risks early and be able to take preemptive action before major problems occur.
 

In order to help you consider your career as a bridge SE and the career path ahead, here are some possible annual salaries.
First, referring to multiple job sites as of November 2024, we can see that bridge SE jobs are available with annual incomes ranging from 6 million yen to 8 million yen. Some of the jobs are offering annual incomes of 10 million yen or more, indicating that the annual income market is soaring due to high demand.
Although a bit old, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) released a document titled “IT関連産業の給与等に関する実態調査結果” in 2021, which indicated that the average annual salary for engineers as a whole was approximately 5.4 million yen. Although there is a big difference in average annual salary depending on the position, compared to the whole, bridge SE is a position where high annual salary can be expected. Because of their highly specialized language skills, they are highly valued and can aim for a high annual salary.
 

If you hone your skills as a bridge SE, you should also understand what career path you can achieve.

Manager of overseas projects

Since you will be dealing with overseas vendors many times, you can use this experience to advance your career to manager of overseas projects. To begin with, bridge SE is probably one of the easiest career paths to imagine because of its project manager aspect. It can be paraphrased as specializing in project management, whereas until now you were also in charge of development work.
Especially if your language skills have increased, as bridge SEs do, it will be easier to participate in projects where demand is high and supply is low. For example, projects in Asia tend to require Chinese, Cantonese, or Vietnamese rather than English. If you can master these languages, you can work on different projects from project managers who can only speak English. This is an attractive career path in terms of being able to compete in a different language than other engineers.

IT Specialist Translator

Because the IT industry has many technical terms and unique expressions, a possible career path is to become a translator specializing in these areas. Industry-specific documents cannot capture the nuances of the industry unless they are based on IT skills. Therefore, it is difficult to translate appropriately with simple language skills alone, and specialized translators are needed.
However, if you are active in the field as a bridge SE, you can smoothly interpret the nuances of the written content. As a result, appropriate translations can be achieved smoothly. Having experience as a bridge SE differentiates you from ordinary translators, and it is a career path that allows you to utilize your own strengths.

General IT department of a foreign company

Another possible career path is to become an IT staff member of a foreign company. Like Japanese companies, foreign companies are promoting systemization and DX. Experienced bridge SEs are valued as “in-house SE” positions that promote such activities and respond to inquiries from within the company.
Such a position requires extensive knowledge of IT. In many cases, bridge SEs are engaged in a wide range of tasks, from design and development to testing and operations, and their experience is easily valued.
In addition, they are often required to have the skills to handle communication in languages other than Japanese, such as when inquiries are received from within the company. With a bridge SE, language skills are sufficient, and it is an easy career path to choose from in terms of both operational experience and language skills.

IT Consultant

A possible career path is to become an IT consultant, which is a position that examines “what kind of system can be built to solve a problem” by utilizing experience in a wide range of development. The role of an IT consultant is to formulate IT strategies prior to the definition of system development requirements, and to make recommendations and proposals to management on which areas should be addressed first in order to achieve the best cost performance.
IT consultants can also be selected from system engineers, which is a common career path in the IT industry. However, unlike ordinary system engineers, bridge SEs have the advantage of sufficient language skills. In addition, the fact that they have actual experience in dealing with overseas vendors differentiates them from other engineers.
 

Finally, for those who want to work as a bridge SE, here is a description of the type of person who would be suitable for the position.

Confident in coordination and communication

Because you will need to deal with domestic and international stakeholders, we recommend you to be a confident organizer and communicator. Bridge SEs are required to play an active role in a wide range of activities from the project planning stage to the actual promotion and closing of the project. Each step involves communicating with the parties involved and organizing the project based on the content of the communication, so it is important to be able to handle it with confidence.
To begin with, if you are not confident in organizing and communicating, it will be difficult for you to be active as a bridge SE. For example, if you are not good at communication, you will not be able to communicate with overseas vendors as you would like. This is because if you cannot assert your own opinions overseas, you will be overwhelmed by the other party's arguments. This is just one example, but it can be said that people who are confident in communication are particularly suited for bridge SE.

Can respond flexibly to situations

Bridge SEs are suited to those who can understand the situation appropriately and act flexibly. Unexpected situations may occur in development projects, and you must be able to respond to them. In particular, when overseas vendors are included, troubles tend to occur more often than in projects conducted only in Japan. In such situations, we need to be able to make calm decisions and consider how to resolve the situation without being in a hurry.
In addition, in order to respond flexibly, the skill to frequently catch up with the situation is necessary. This is related to communication skills, which are related to the confidence in communication mentioned above. People who can catch information using their communication skills and respond accordingly are suited for bridge SE.

Have an ambition for languages

Bridge SEs are recommended for those who are ambitious about languages, as they use many languages other than Japanese. You need to learn new vocabulary and grammar, including technical terms, and apply them to your work.
For example, in recent years, the field of data science has evolved and a number of new terms have appeared. You need to have the ambition to gather information on these and be able to use them appropriately in the field.
 

We picked up bridge SEs among engineers and introduced their roles, duties and career paths. They are system engineers who also serve as translators and interpreters, and are responsible for facilitating communication with foreign countries. In recent years, language skills are required of engineers in general, and bridge SEs provide support where they are lacking.
Unlike interpreters, however, this position does not require that you have language skills. Since bridge SEs are a type of engineers, they need to have a wide range of IT skills. Rather, bridge SEs are involved in a wide range of tasks, from design and development to testing and operation, so it is important to consider that they need to have a broader understanding of a wider range of tasks than general engineers.
Furthermore, because of their language skills, a variety of career paths are possible, especially in the IT industry. These include project managers, IT consultants, and translators who can make use of their language skills. United World has projects where you can make use of your language skills, so please contact us if you would like to experience bridge SE and advance your career.
 

Apply for
jobs at United World