Swet Columns
January 31, 2017
Word Wise: Get a Grip
把握 Haaku
By Richard Medhurst
Some words look straightforward enough in the context of a Japanese sentence, but are not always easy to translate. Take 把握, consisting of two kanji meaning to “grip” or “grasp.” This latter word, “grasp,” is a common J-E dictionary entry for 把握 as it has the same connection with physically holding and mentally knowing, but it has... more
December 1, 2016
Word Wise: More You, But in a Good Way
らしい Rashii
By Richard Medhurst
When people advise “be yourself,” they certainly don’t want you to follow your worst instincts. The aim is to become more “you” in a good way, fulfilling the potential within you. There is a similar aspirational idea in 自分らしい in Japanese. You are “like yourself” in a positive manner. It is one of many らしい phrases where... more
November 8, 2016
Teaching Translation
SWET Presentation by Susan E. Jones Sept. 25, 2016 Report by Don Todt
If you’re a female college student in Japan who’s interested in becoming a translator, Susan E. Jones wants you prepared.
In fact, she’s so intent on accomplishing this goal that she’s spent the last ten years developing a course in teaching translation at Kobe College (神戸女学院大学).
Japan’s low birthrate has caused a... more
November 1, 2016
Writing Strategies and Inspiration
Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2006, 295 pages. ISBN: 9780316014984
Reviewed by Richard Medhurst
Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer is a series of short pieces on becoming a better wordsmith from pepping up sentences to forming habits that will pay off in the longer term. Although... more
October 12, 2016
Word Wise: Etc.?
など、など、等 Nado
By Richard Medhurst
Apprentice translators from Japanese to English soon encounter the など issue. Lists are typically followed by a など, and they may pop up with alarming frequency. Excessive use of “etc.” in English would be considered bad style, but Japanese follows different rules and we must deal with it.
It often goes without saying in English that there are... more
September 14, 2016
Essential Weapon for Your Editing Armory
Reviewed by Clare Midgley
Effective Onscreen Editing: New Tools for an Old Profession. 3rd edition. By Geoff Hart. Pointe-Claire, Quebec: Diaskeuasis Publishing, 2016. Printed version: 518 pages, US$33 + shipping from Lulu, ISBN 978-1-927972-04-5; PDF version: 827 pages, US$28 outside Canada, ISBN 978-1-927972-05-2; EPUB version: unpaginated and included with PDF, ISBN 978-1-927972-06-9.
Are you struggling to apply techniques from... more