Autumn Trees along the Kamo River

Autumn Trees along the Kamo River

Image by Stuart Ayre

Navigating Gendered Language and Inclusivity in 2023

Navigating Gendered Language and Inclusivity in 2023

With linguistics professor Claire Maree (Melbourne) and trans rights activist/neuroscience researcher Tanomi (Okinawa). Moderated by Emily Balistrieri. 

Surely there must be a mistake…

Surely there must be a mistake…

“Can you please do just a ‘light check’ of the English?”

A Community for Japan-Related Writing Professionals

Based in Tokyo, Japan, SWET comprises people engaged not only in the three professions of writing, editing, and translating, but also in teaching, research, rewriting, design and production, copywriting, and other areas related to the written word in Japan.

Japan Style Sheet

Japan Style Sheet

A cross-professional guide

The SWET Guide for Writers, Editors and Translators

Learn more

News View all

SWET’s Manga Special Interest Group Going Strong

SWET’s Manga Special Interest Group Going Strong

By Emma Hanashiro

Among the members of SWET, the number of those working in the manga localization industry has steadily increased. With manga sales remaining high and increasing avenues for digital manga distribution, work opportunities and the number of people active in the industry will also likely grow. 

Given these circumstances and the specific working conditions and, at times, specialized knowledge needed to work with manga, I felt that a special interest group could better meet the needs of SWET members working with... more

Swet Columns View all

Navigating Gendered Language and Inclusivity in 2023

The SWET Talk Shop held as a Zoom session on May 13, 2023 focused on how linguistic practices in Japanese and English have evolved to become more gender inclusive. Linguistics professor Claire Maree of Melbourne, trans rights activist and neuroscience researcher Tanomi in Okinawa, and moderator Emily Balistrieri in Osaka, discussed the sobering real-life implications of not using inclusive language. They also explored examples of language shifts and ways for SWET members to examine their practices. Co-hosts for the event... more

Articles View all

Accessing the Professionals’ Toolboxes

Accessing the Professionals’ Toolboxes

On February 26, 2022, translator and editor Rebekah Harmon joined veteran translator and editor Lynne E. Riggs to talk about ways the professional know-how of editors and J-to-E translators can be accessed and better shared. Lynne E. Riggs is co-founder of the Center for Intercultural Communication (1990) and spent 12 years as managing editor of Monumenta Nipponica. A recent SWET member, Rebekah Harmon formerly worked for institutions under METI and MEXT and now works freelance. The... more

SWET Spotlight View all

Entering into the World I Created: Interview with Karen Hill Anton, author of “A Thousand Graces”  

Entering into the World I Created: Interview with Karen Hill Anton, author of “A Thousand Graces”  

Karen Hill Anton is well known for her columns in the Japan Times, which she described in an article for SWET’s series on English-language newspaper columnists. Her memoir, The View From Breast Pocket Mountain, beloved by a wide readership, has earned three literary awards. She spoke to SWET about her memoir at length for a SWET Talk Shop in August 2021, available on YouTube, and again in October 2022 about the craft of memoir writing. Now... more

A Community for Japan-Related Writing Professionals

Based in Tokyo, Japan, SWET comprises people engaged not only in the three professions of writing, editing, and translating, but also in teaching, research, rewriting, design and production, copywriting, and other areas related to the written word in Japan.

Japan Style Sheet

Japan Style Sheet

A cross-professional guide

The SWET Guide for Writers, Editors and Translators

Learn more

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