Translation guide
Work done without monetary compensation, including volunteer work, internships, domestic labor, and overtime.
Work done willingly for a cause or organization without pay.
The most common and direct term for volunteer work. Used for both the activity and the person.
I do volunteer work on weekends.
Literally 'unpaid work', a more formal term. Can refer to any work without pay, including volunteer or pro bono work.
He took on unpaid work.
Service activities, often with a connotation of community service or altruism. Common in formal contexts.
The students participated in community service activities.
Work done to gain experience, often without salary.
Specifically an unpaid internship. '無給' means 'unpaid'.
She gained experience through an unpaid internship.
Another way to say unpaid intern or internship. '無償' also means unpaid/free of charge.
I worked as an unpaid intern.
Work done beyond regular hours without extra pay, often in a corporate setting.
Unpaid overtime, literally 'service overtime'. Very common in Japanese work culture.
Unpaid overtime has become the norm.
Working for free, can refer to unpaid overtime or any work without compensation. Slightly colloquial.
A phrase meaning 'overtime pay is not given'. Describes the situation of unpaid overtime.
This company doesn't pay overtime.
Work done at home such as cleaning, cooking, childcare, often unrecognized and unpaid.
Professional work done for free, typically by lawyers, doctors, etc.
無償 (mushō) means 'without compensation' and is formal. 無給 (mukyū) specifically means 'without salary'. ただ (tada) means 'free' and is casual. For unpaid work, 無償 is most common in formal contexts, while ただ働き is colloquial for working for free.
The direct translation '無給の仕事' is understandable but not always natural. Use context-appropriate terms like ボランティア, サービス残業, or 無償労働.
I'm fed up with working for free.
We discussed the division of domestic labor.
We offer free professional services.