No, Google Translate is not totally useless for an amusing conversation about cats at say, a cafe.
For a job interview or a more formal business environment though, you're going to start at a considerable disadvantage if you don't speak Japanese in Japan. It's possible (I did it), but it's really, really hard.
I always say that the true test of being fluent in Japanese is not being able to read the newspaper or have a conversation. It's being able to read and fill out a government form while people are waiting in line behind you and a bureaucrat is waiting patiently in front of you.
I meant just as a tourist for a few weeks; you could at least figure out basic stuff, right? It's not like you'd be totally stranded and unable to communicate at all.
For a job interview or a more formal business environment though, you're going to start at a considerable disadvantage if you don't speak Japanese in Japan. It's possible (I did it), but it's really, really hard.