[strong]Readable Romanization: Kwannon or Kannon?[/strong]

by William Wetherall

No system of kana orthography, let alone romanization, has managed to account for the diverse pronunciations of Japanese words. Pronunciations of ages past, notoriously difficult to pin down, may be impossible to render in romaji how to spell the name of a historied bodhisattva, William Wetherall offers a delightful defense of romanizing for readability but also reminds us of reasons to consider variant spellings. Some of Wetherall’s articles on other subjects, translations of short stories, and his own short fiction are accessible from www.wetherall.org.

[strong]Between the Lines: Translating the Exotic[/strong]

by Sara Kitaoji

The potential of translation to be more than simply the rendering of the words on the page but the transmittal of all the literary qualities of the original poses an endless challenge. Representing the readers of the original, Sara Kitaoji wonders if so much needs to be “lost in translation” of [em]Ginga tetsudō no yoru[/em] (The Night of the Star-River Railway), and considers issues of translation that also apply to many other works.

[strong]SWET on Saturdays/September: PR Careers in Japan (Richard Berger and Andrew Giles)[/strong]

Canon’s two-man English PR team of Andrew Giles and Richard Berger took the podium at SWET on Saturdays September 25th gathering to talk about “Opportunities in Corporate Japan: PR.” Covering differences between PR work and business culture in Japan and the West, and comparing in-house corporate work to the responsibilities at an out-house agency, Giles and Berger painted a detailed picture of the PR career world for native English speakers in Japan. (by Kay Vreeland)

[strong]2004 SWET Book Fair/October[/strong]

Held October 23 at the Temple University Japan building in Minami Azabu, Tokyo, the SWET Book Fair put on sale newly donated books for 2004 as well as books left over from 2003 and stored by the Temple University Library. Hardback books sold for ¥300 and paperbacks for ¥100. The proceeds of the fair, which came to approximately ¥72,000, including sales of leftover books to a second-hand bookstore, were added to SWET coffers. (by Holly Ueda)

[strong]SWET on Saturdays/November: Challenging the Abyss (Chieko Mulhern and Ann Sherif)[/strong]

The November 26, 2004 meeting, addressing the topic “Contemporary Japanese Literature’s International Appeal,” presented two specialists with different perspectives on Japanese literature. Chieko Mulhern, former professor of Japanese culture and literature at the University of Illinois, looked at the appeal of historical and business fiction set in Japan, and Ann Sherif, professor of Japanese language and literature at Oberlin College, talked about today’s trends in the translation of Japanese literature. (by Chieko Mulhern, Lynne Riggs, Ann Sherif)

[strong]SWET Kansai/December: SWET Kansai Bōnenkai[/strong]

SWET Kansai relies on social events to keep the bonds among far-flung writers, editors, and translators in western Japan robust. End-of-the-year festivities provided a good incentive to gather again and enjoy reconnecting. (by George Bourdaniotis, David Eunice, Richard Sadowsky)

[strong]Threads on SWET-L: Romaji, Memes, and Time[/strong]

SWET-L rounded out 2004 linking up and lightening the load of harassed word-polishers and remained on the scent of unidentified Kunrei romanization system devotees. We also learned why New Year greetings are embroidered with an article in these parts, but remained unsure of how to write the current decade à la “the 20s” or “the Sixties.” (by Torkil Christensen)

[strong]Book Review[/strong]

[em]Observing Japan from Within: Perspectives of Foreign Scholars Resident in Japan[/em] [Japanese Studies Around the World, 2004]. James C. Baxter, ed. Kyoto: International Research Center for Japanese Studies, 2004. 346+xvi pages. Paperback. No price. (by Susan Schmidt)