J-En Translations

Why The Localization of Final Fantasy VII Remake Is Amazing

When I was in secondary school (when I had more time) I played Final Fantasy IX, VIII, VII, then X and X-2. I was hooked. So when the Final Fantasy VII Remake was announced many, many, many years ago, I

Can You Learn Translation from “The Routledge Course in Japanese Translation”?

The Routledge Course in Japanese Translation is based on a decade of Yoko Hasegawa’s experience teaching translation theory and practice at a University level in the US. It’s designed to be a complete guide for aspiring Japanese-English translators, but is

A Summary of “The Routledge Course in Japanese Translation”

This is a breakdown summary of The Routledge Course in Japanese Translation. If you would like a review into how useful this is for translators please read Can You Learn Translation from “The Routledge Course in Japanese Translation”? The

All You Need Is Kill – Translation Review

What if you’re stuck in a Groundhog day-like time loop? Only it’s not a creepy stalker romance, but a horrifying nightmare in a war-zone. And the English translation of this living nightmare is so beautifully done! All You Need is

How To Get into Video Game Localization – JAT PROJECT 2020

On September 13th 2020 I held a talk for the Japan Association of Translators (JAT) online conference PROJECT. Each talk focused on a different sub-genre of Japanese English translation. Literary, medical, legal, interpreting, how to use CAT tools, and entertainment.

If Cats Disappeared from the World – Translation Review

What if all the cats disappeared from the world? What would be lost, what would be gained? The theme of this book is (as the narrator says many times) “you must lose something to gain something.” And, as a result of

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

Working on Your Niche – How to Improve Your Translations Skills

This was one of the biggest things I struggled with when I started out as a freelance translator: What is my niche? This was something I struggled with because what I wanted to do and what was available to me

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

Freelance Entertainment Translators: Finding Clients, Writing Cover e-mails, Resumes

This article is a summary of a webinar I held on 5th July, 2020. The webinar was for freelance Japanese to English (and FIGS+) translators in the entertainment industry, but could apply to editors, letterers, etc., as well as to

Improving Self-Editing – How to Improve Your Translations Skills

Some people don’t realize how important self-editing is to a translation. Even if you know an editor will look over your work it helps to have at least two or more passes of your work before submitting it. As a

Celebrating Game Localization – Translation Link Roundup [Spring 2020]

It seems that over the last year I found a lot of articles on games localization, creativity, and literary translation. These articles range from old and more recent articles. I have tried to organize them by relevance to each other

Learning from Others – How to Improve Your Translations Skills

How can translators learn from others without taking a degree or class in translation? This is a question I have struggled with over the years. However, I’ve noticed that over time, one of the biggest impacts to improving my translation

Improving English Writing – How to Improve Your Translations Skills

I explained in part one of this series how experienced translators will tell aspiring translators that they need to practice. However, that can be easier said than done. How does one practice and improve their translation skills? Translation isn’t just

Understanding Source Texts – How to Improve Your Translations Skills

Translation is a highly skilled career, yet the majority of translators are self-taught. Perhaps a class at college or a seminar here and there, but the majority of translators don’t tend to go to school for formal training. Even those

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

Emily Balistrieri – Literary Translator – Interviews With Localizers

– Discussions with people in the Japanese media localization industry – Emily Balistrieri Can you tell us about yourself? I’m Tristan, a nonbinary trans guy (he/him) from Wisconsin currently living in Tokyo; I’m in the process of coming

Sarah T. – Freelance Japanese-English Game Translator – Interviews With Localizers

– Discussions with people in the Japanese media localization industry – Sarah T. Meet Sarah Hi! I’m a translator/editor/writer, and I’ve been fascinated by words and language for my whole life. My Japanese studies started because of anime but

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

Molly Rabbitt – Translator and Educator – Interviews With Localizers

– Discussions with people in the Japanese media localization industry – Molly Rabbitt Can you tell us about yourself? Hi! I’m your friendly neighborhood translator, Molly. Sorry you haven’t seen me for a minute. I’m still alive, I’ve

Lucile Danilov – French Game Translator and Consultant – Interviews With Localizers

– Discussions with people in the Japanese media localization industry – Lucile Danilov Can you tell us about yourself? Hello! I’m Lucile Danilov. I’ve been working in the games industry for about 12 years now… Which I guess

Julie Goniwich – Technical and Creative Translator – Interviews With Localizers

– Discussions with people in the Japanese media localization industry – Julie Goniwich Meet Julie Goniwich I’m a freelance translator currently living in Japan with my husband and 3-year-old daughter. I worked in-house briefly, but I’ve been freelance for

Liz Bushouse – Video Game Translator – Interviews With Localizers

– Discussions with people in the Japanese media localization industry – Liz Bushouse Tell us about yourself! I’m Liz Bushouse, a freelance Japanese to English video game translator. I started translating professionally in 2016 when I was 26,

Jenny McKeon – Manga and Light Novel Translator – Interviews With Localizers

– Discussions with people in the Japanese media localization industry – Jenny McKeon Tell us about yourself! I’m Jenny McKeon, a Japanese to English translator of manga and light novels! I have a BA in Japanese and Linguistics from

Michelle Deco – Video Game Editor and Writer – Interview With Localizers

– Discussions with people in the Japanese media localization industry – Michelle Deco Can you tell us about yourself? Hi! My name’s Michelle Deco and I’m a Localization Writer/Editor! I currently work as a Localization Editor/Coordinator at NIS America.