Swet Columns
April 20, 1998
Suddenly Dropped
by Doreen Simmons
What do we do when we are suddenly given the cold shoulder by a client or told that we aren’t needed after a long and mutually beneficial relationship? It can be infuriating or deeply traumatic. It helps to know that there is more than meets the eye, and not to lose faith in ourselves. Kindly Aunt Eva has... more
March 18, 1998
Moving to Computer and Internet
by Doreen Simmons
Aunt Eva, that dear wired-up old tabby, turns her benevolent gaze upon the question of upgrading: do we or don’t we?
Dear Aunt Eva:
All my friends (editors, translators, copywriters) are turning in their pencils and fax machines for computers and e-mail. It looks like an expensive change, with a serious learning curve. Is this necessary?... more
July 18, 1997
Protecting Clients from Themselves
by Doreen Simmons
Aunt Eva is in a thoughtful vein this time, as she examines the tactical and ethical problems of trying to give the clients what they need, rather than what they want.
Dear Aunt Eva, An editor friend of mine recently told me his job sometimes included “protecting clients from themselves.” I don’t recall seeing any such... more
March 21, 1997
Kyodo: Reuter vs. AP
by Doreen Simmons
Lovable Aunt Eva once again unsheathes her kindly old claws to tackle something on your behalf.
Dear Aunt Eva,
I am a Japanese translator with a doctorate in communications from an American university. Although I know that it is preferable to work from a foreign language into one’s own, I am often not able to do... more
December 19, 1996
Locally-invented Idiolects at Work
by Doreen Simmons
Once again kindly Aunt Eva is here to cluck over your problems and give you a shoulder to cry on. You take her advice at your own risk, of course; only you can gauge your own situation.
Dear Aunt Eva,
My native tongue is U.K.ish, not U.S.ian—that much I will grant. But after fifteen years in... more
October 21, 1996
Repetition in Japanese vs. English
by Doreen Simmons
Once again kindly Aunt Eva is here to cluck over your problems and give you a shoulder to cry on. You take her advice at your own risk, of course; only you can gauge your own situation.
Dear Aunt Eva,
Writers of good English eschew repetition, but writers of good Japanese seem to have a much... more