Swet Columns

February 2, 2004

How to Get Good

November 2003; UPDATED June 2012

Originally compiled as part of SWET’s “Over Their Shoulders” column, this article taps a variety of SWET translators to offer their advice on how to build and maintain one’s skills: how to get good. Every translator has a different niche and clientele, so these seven good translators are just a first sample, presented for your... more

January 19, 2004

Ideas into Words: Mastering the Craft of Science Writing

Reviewed by Richard Weisburd [em]Ideas into Words: Mastering the Craft of Science Writing.[/em] Elise Hancock. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003. 176 pages, including front matter and index. ISBN 0801873304 (softcover). US$18.95.

Science is rapidly advancing in every direction. Over time, scientific writing is becoming increasingly complex, with ever growing numbers of technical words and concepts. Because of... more

May 1, 2003

Yes, We Can Learn from Experience

by John L. McCreery

Report of January 11 meeting, Larry Brouhard presentation. Lessons from a long career in technical documentation: Omit unnecessary words. Follow William K. Zinsser’s advice in On Writing Well, “There is no sentence too short in the eyes of God.”

Like all great teachers, Larry Brouhard is also a great performer, with a gift for... more

April 15, 1986

Essays on Professionalism

Five essays by veteran SWET members address aspects of professionalism, particularly in a Japanese context, among writers, editors, translators, and those in allied professions. These opinion pieces were contributed to the SWET Newsletter by (in order of appearance) Lynne E. Riggs, Suzanne Trumbull, Mark Schreiber, Fred Uleman, and again Mark Schreiber.

 

    What It Means to Be a Professional

by Lynne E. Riggs

From... more