に際して— On the Occasion Of

• 開会に際して、一言ご挨拶申し上げます。

  Kaikai ni saishite, hitokoto goaisatsu moushiagemasu.

  On the occasion of the opening, I would like to say a few words.

  開会に際して marks the formal opening as the moment for the greeting.

• 契約に際して、注意すべき点を説明します。

  Keiyaku ni saishite, chuui subeki ten wo setsumei shimasu.

  At the time of signing the contract, I will explain the points to note.

  契約に際して introduces precautions relevant to the contract occasion.

• 留学するに際し、多くの人にお世話になった。

  Ryuugaku suru ni saishi, ooku no hito ni osewa ni natta.

  On the occasion of studying abroad, I was indebted to many people.

  Verb-dictionary + に際し marks the special event of going to study abroad.

• ・Register: quite formal; used for weddings, contracts, ceremonies, departures.
• ・Reserved for notable events — not for routine daily actions.
• ・に際し (without て) is the stiffer, written variant.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones に際して is tested against.

• に先立って — Ahead of the Event
• につけ — At Every Turn
• ～にわたって — Spanning the Whole Range
• ～たび(に) — Every Single Time
• ～あげく(に) — After All That, In the End
• ～折(に) — On the Occasion Of
• ～かと思うと／かと思ったら — No Sooner Than, Just When
• ～末(に)／の末(に) — After All Was Said and Done