Swet Columns

May 21, 1996

English Side of Meishi to Translator

by Doreen Simmons

The foreigner in Japan has, alas, long been seen as offering an opportunity for English conversation to those brave enough to make the attempt. This attitude dates back at least to Fukuzawa Yukichi, who as a young man eagerly tried out his Dutch on the first American he met. The result of this unsuccessful encounter was to turn... more

March 20, 1996

New Editor of Quarterly; Dumbing Down

by Doreen Simmons

Need a friendly ear to pour your troubles into? A shoulder to cry on? Somebody, anybody, to whinge at? Write to Aunt Eva, who has been through it all and can share your pain. The names are changed, but the situations are real.

Today, the palmy days of the quality publishing business in Japan are over; Aunt Eva commiserates... more

January 26, 1996

Interference by Overconfident Japanese

by Doreen Simmons

Need a friendly ear to pour your troubles into? A shoulder to cry on? Somebody, anybody, to whinge at? Write to Aunt Eva, who has been through it all and can share your pain. The names are changed but the situations are real.

Dear Aunt Eva:

I work as a checker and rewriter. I thought... 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