About SWET
A cross-professional community of Japan-related wordsmiths
SWET is a community of writers, editors, and translators, as well as copyeditors, proofreaders, book designers, copywriters, teachers, researchers, rewriters, and others working mainly between Japanese and English, and mainly in Japan or for Japanese clients. With members throughout Japan as well as in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries, SWET supports people
who work with English words internationally in these professions. The organization holds events mainly in Tokyo, the Kansai area (Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe), and the San Francisco Bay area, featuring speakers, discussions, or information of interest to members and provides meeting places for offline networking for members and interested non-members. SWET’s website is a hub for resources, networking, and news, and SWET maintains an online and print archive of columns and other resources for professionals. The SWET Newsletter, published in print from 1981 to 2012, is a repository of decades of professional experience and know-how; selected articles and columns are available to non-members at Articles.
The Japan Style Sheet,
published by SWET, is the authoritative guide to use of romanized Japanese in English text based on the accumulated experience and advice of Japan-based professionals since the 1950s. SWET has also published Wordcraft, a collection of articles, selected from the SWET Newsletter, about professionalism, English usage, approaches to translation, and other information useful to Japan-related wordsmiths. The book was revised in 2018 and is available online as a free PDF.
SWET History
For a full history up to 2024, see the article
The History of SWET.
SWET Membership
SWET promotes the sharing of know-how and experience among professional wordsmiths, supports the accumulation of professional knowledge and skills, and provides a vehicle for increased contact among people working in related fields. SWET seeks higher standards of expertise in the many activities—translation, rewriting, publishing, editing, copywriting, book and magazine design or work in allied fields—that relate to the use of written English in Japan-related materials.
SWET Activities
Zoom talks and meet-ups, in-person meetings, and other activities are held throughout the year, organized at the initiative of members and coordinated by the SWET Steering Committee. See Events
for upcoming events and Past Events for a list of past activities. A monthly bulletin announcing SWET and other events and sharing news from members is sent to members.
SWET Steering Committee
The SWET Steering Committee consists of a dozen or so people who participate on a volunteer basis in the planning and organization of SWET projects and activities. Committee planning and coordination are conducted primarily through the
SWET-SC mailing list.
SWET-L
SWET-L, a networking mailing list for professionals maintained by SWET, is available to anyone whose work involves communicating in written English or Japanese. SWET-L topics include points of English style and grammar, handling Japanese words in English, advice about dictionaries, style manuals, and other topics of interest to international wordsmiths. There are also job offers and requests for professional help and advice, discussions of electronic-writing and electronic-publishing tools, suggestions on dealing with clients and getting work, especially in Japan, guidelines to getting qualified, and, of course, professional networking.
SWET Facebook
Since 2011 SWET has maintained a presence on Facebook and currently has more than 1,200 members, consisting of SWET members and non-members. Posts range from queries about translation and writing to posts about SWET events and other events of interest to member self-promotion items.
SWET Manga SIG
The SWET Manga Special Interest Group (SIG) and its Discord server were established in the spring of 2023. Starting with core members, Jan Mitsuko Cash (manga translator and editor), David Goldberg (managing editor), and Emma Hanashiro (editor), the server now has 22 members with diverse backgrounds and experiences at many of the manga publishers in the industry. The server has several chat rooms called channels centered on editing/translation, career help/advice, and self promotion and personal updates. Members can message freely, and they often post job listings, manga-related news, and thoughts on changes in the industry. SWET membership is a prerequisite for inclusion in the server.
