It is a new year and a new round of translation competitions is upon us! At least I hope they will be! Last year was a bit of an odd one with everything that could possibly going wrong, going wrong.
Japanese – English Translation Competitions 2021
10 Japanese to English MANGA Professionals – Women in Translation Month
The other week I talked about Japanese to English female literary translators for Women in Translation Month, 2020. But as a counterpart to this, I wanted to shed light on some of the amazing female manga professionals. They aren’t just
10 Must Read Japanese to English Literary Translators – Women in Translation Month
It’s Women in Translation Month! This event, that began in 2014, spans the entirety of August. It brings awareness to the gender imbalance of writers from other languages that are translated into English. But I also saw someone say that it
10 Modern Japanese Authors That Aren’t Murakami
I often get the impression that people interested in Japan and literature only know of Haruki Murakami. Of course this isn’t actually true (at least I hope not), but if you search for “Japanese literature recommendations”, every single one of
My Manga Translation Process
I’ve been thinking a lot about how people go about translating lately. Everyone’s different, we all find our own ways to approach translation. Not just how we translate something but how we translate it; the process from being given a
Japanese – English Translation Competitions 2020
Japanese – English translation competitions are a great way to improve your translation skills and get your name out there. They can be particularly great for people new to the industry for putting on resumes. If you win one you’re
Manga Translation Pitfalls
A manga translation can vary drastically when handled by different people. Not just the translator, but editors, adapters, and of course companies, have their own approaches and preferences (hence why styles guides are a thing). I (Jennifer) teamed up with
Never Assume – The Importance of Research in Translation
One of the best pieces of advice I received as a beginner translator was “never assume”. Never assume a kanji reading or a word meaning. Never assume you know what someone said. Basically, never assume the Japanese and never assume that’s
8 Exercises To Teach Yourself Japanese-English Translation
Novice and aspiring translators are often hit with this seemingly impassable wall when they start. You may think Japanese-English translation is doable as long as you know Japanese, but it’s not that simple… Translation is a skill separate from Japanese
Japanese – English Translation Competitions 2019
[Updated: 14-Oct-2019] Japanese – English translation competitions are a great way to improve your translation skills and get your name out there. They can be particularly great for people new to the industry for putting on resumes. If you win
Kansai Cats Manga – Being the Straight Man – Chapter 5
Kansai Cats Manga – Being the Straight Man – Chapter 5 Artist: MakiART @ccmakiart Translator: J-EN Translations Editor: WaterFlame Original 関西弁にゃんこ Manga
Kansai Cats Manga – Leave it to Chiro! – Chapter 4
Kansai Cats Manga – Leave it to Chiro! – Chapter 4 Artist: MakiART @ccmakiart Translator: J-EN Translations Editor: WaterBlogs.net Original 関西弁にゃんこ Manga Chapter 3 Chapter 5
A Short Exercise in Accents
In an attempt to push my own translation capabilities I want to try translating the same information into multiple accents. Neutral American (more direct translation) Southern American British (upper class) British (lower class) The challenge with this exercise is to
Kansai Cats Manga – Lazy Tora – Chapter 3
Kansai Cats Manga – Lazy Tora – Chapter 3 Artist: MakiART @ccmakiart Translator: J-EN Translations Editor: WaterFlame Original 関西弁にゃんこ Manga Chapter 2 Chapter 4
“The Professor of Magic” by Edogawa Ranpo
I recently won 2nd place in a literary translators competition! The person who held the competition was kind enough to give feedback. Taking his advice on I went through my writing and tweaked it slightly. Here is my translation for
Read Well to Translate Well
Translators are constantly honing their skills. Both in their source and target languages. As such, it is important for any translator to read a lot. Reading can expose us to new ways of thinking, new information, new language in multiple
I got 2nd Place in a Literary Translation Competition!
On March 12th 2018 J. D. Wisgo of Self Taught Japanese announced a literary translation competition for promising translators. (Japanese Translation Contest Announced: Promising Translators 2018.) This competition was for novice translators who are unpublished to translate a short literary
TED Talks On Translation
TED Talks are always great resources for various information and new insights. But sometimes it can be hard to find subjects that interest you. I love watching TED Talks about science, computing, new ideas, learning and, of course, translating. Here
Termbases for Manga Translation
Manga translation is an interesting job. It involves a lot of creativity as you create discourse which reflects the individual characters in the appropriate setting. One great example of this is YenPress’ publication of the popular manga Black Butler. Set
“Deaimon” – Manga Translation
In September 2017 entries opened for the 6th Manga Translation Battle, where anyone can enter at least one of three manga translations. The winners for each manga may get a chance to translate the final manga officially. So
“Flying Grandpa” – Short Story Translation
A while ago in Translate Like No One’s Watching I mentioned how I was translating a short story. Specifically for the 2017 Kurodahan Press Translation Competition. I had a fantastic time translating this story. And although I didn’t win, I’m still incredibly
Education for Literary Translators
I attended a round table discussion on education for literary translators organized by NOTIS last night, and it was fantastic! I wanted to write my own thoughts regarding education for literary translators with resources and points that were discussed. A
NOTIS – Roundtable on Education for Literary Translators
I will be on the panel for a roundtable about education for translators this week (11/8/2017)! The panel is being held by the literary translators branch of the Northwest Translators & Interpreters Society (NOTIS) in conjunction with the private library
Come for the Sights, Stay for the Poetry – Pikes Market’s Japanese Book Store
If you live in Seattle, or have ever visited it, you probably know about Pikes Market. You’ve probably even visited its maze of shops and crowds of people. But have you even ventured deeper in? Did you know that if
Kansai Cats Manga – The Great Tora – Chapter 2
The Great Tora – Kansai Cats Chapter 2 Artist: MakiART @ccmakiart Translator: J-EN Translations Editor: WaterFlame Original 関西弁にゃんこ Manga Chapter 1 Chapter 3
Kansai Cats Manga – Hey’ya! – Chapter 1
Hey’ya! – Kansai Cats Chapter 1 Welcome to the first chapter of Kansai Cats! This is the official release of the adorable manga written by ccMakiArt, a Kyoto artist and illustrator. Artist: MakiART @ccmakiart
[Unofficial] The Deer King by Nahoko Uehashi (Prologue)
![[Unofficial] The Deer King by Nahoko Uehashi (Prologue)](https://j-entranslations.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Shika-No-Ou-e1491338476175-750x350.jpg "[Unofficial] The Deer King by Nahoko Uehashi (Prologue)")
This is an unofficial translation of the prologue of 【鹿の王 – 生き残った者】 “The Deer King – Those Left Behind” by Nahoko Uehashi. This is just the synopsis and prologue, both of which are short. I hope to release chapter 1 at
Soft Power and Manga Translation
The head of the Theory and Practice of Translation program for my MA was an elderly Chinese man who often made snide remarks about how translating manga wasn’t a “real” form of translation. A view I worry is often shared