A savvy copywriter’s observations on the KDDI-launch ad campaign help us understand the current Japanese advertising scene.

[em]A Historical Guide to Yokohama: Sketches of the Twice-Risen Phoenix.[/em] Burritt Sabin. Yokohama: Yurindo, 2002. xvi + 303 pages. ISBN 4896601726. ¥2,500.

This time we’re trying something different: an annotated report. Just for the record, the comments in italics are the opinions of the report’s author; they should not be understood as official statements or viewpoints of SWET.

An experienced graphic designer offered a, mmm, well, graphic explanation of how she goes about transforming words into a printed document.

Can translation be learned in a university classroom? Are today’s students equal to the challenge? A panel of three translator-teachers addressed these and other translation questions.

SWET-L, the Internet mailing list of a helpful community of Japan-oriented wordsmiths, was seven years old on May 7. Profit from SWET networking in action via these highlights of recent discussions on the list.

A former editor in chief of the [em]Encyclopædia Britannica[/em] mulls repercussions of the abandonment of proofreading at commercial and academic presses. This article was first published in [em]The Chronicle of Higher Education[/em] and is reprinted with permission.

Experienced translators Jennifer Johnson-Onay, Marian Kinoshita, Julie Kuma, and Fred Uleman tackle an opinion piece by marketing professional Hayakawa Kazuo, who works for a well-known cosmetics company in Tokyo.

Wherein we discover how easily the careless can be led astray by the seemingly innocuous “either” and its twin “neither.”

The Research Writing in Japan conference looked at some of the obstacles faced by Japanese and non-Japanese researchers working in Japan who hope to see their research results published overseas.

IJET-14, the 2003 International Japanese/English Translation Conference: sponsered by the Japan Association of Translators; a gathering of colleagues and friends from all over the globe; 24 thought-provoking sessions; Irish hospitality. Look for the Kobe rendition in 2004.

Can an old dog learn new tricks? More to the point, can even a young translator be persuaded that one style does not fit all jobs? Our benevolent old tabby, who loves most living things that have at least two legs and an absolute maximum of four, takes a sideways look at one-trick ponies in the translation world.

[strong]Book Reviews[/strong]

From an innovative study in linguistic theory to a strategic overview of the ins and outs of content management, the books capturing SWETers’ interest this season are a little different from typical beach fare.

[em]The Language Instinct: The New Science of Language and Mind.[/em] Steven Pinker. London: Penguin, 1995. 494 pages, including preface, notes, glossary, and index. ISBN 0140175296 (softcover). £9.99. reviewed by Hugh Ashton

[em]Single Sourcing: Building Modular Documentation.[/em] Kurt Ament. Norwich, NY: William Andrew Publishing, 2003. 230 pages, including glossary and index. ISBN 0815514913 (softcover). US$39.00. reviewed by Darlene Davidovic

[em]Managing Enterprise Content: A Unified Content Strategy.[/em] Ann Rockley with Pamela Kostur and Steve Manning. Indianapolis, IN: New Riders Publishing, 2003. 565 pages, including appendices and index. ISBN 0735713065 (softcover). US$39.99. reviewed by Darlene Davidovic