March 7 - Art Translation
Speaker: Eric Luong from Kyoto University of Art and Design
Date: Sunday, March 7, 3 - 5 p.m.
Fee: SWET & JAT members 1,000 yen/non-members 1,500 yen
Place: Kobe Centre Plaza Nishi-kan, 6F Room 11
Map: http://www.kscp.co.jp/map/map.html
Reservations: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Translating literature related to Japanese art presents unique challenges. Not only are there issues of origin, as in the case of Buddhist deities, for example, but the presentation of traditional Japanese art has been up to now targeted at a specific audience, namely one that is educated and Japanese. Since the language used to describe art, and at times the exhibition title itself, can be difficult to read, an English translation may be helpful not only to English readers but also to some native Japanese. Seen in this light, English translation in the art field can be invaluable tool to reach new audiences, both domestic and international. This presentation will focus on technical issues related to translation, as well as the wider social implications surrounding them.
Eric Luong is a full-time instructor at the Kyoto University of Art and Design, teaching English, art, and comparative culture. Originally from Toronto, Canada, he works as a translator for the Hosomi Museum in Kyoto, as well as as free-lance, specializing in Japanese art history.
March 11 - Planning a New Era for the SWET Newsletter
Date: March 11, 2010 (Thursday)
Time: 6:00–9:00 p.m.
Fee: Free of charge (Refreshments will be served; participants are welcome to bring along food and drink to eat and share)
Place: Place: Minami Aoyama Shadan meeting room (near Omotesando), (5-4-22
Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0062).
Please contact SWET for a map to the venue or for further information.
Published in A4 format from 1980 to 1998, and in a new A5 format since 1998, the SWET Newsletter has undergone various design and editorial changes in the course of its 30-year history and nearly 125 issues. Since No. 104, it has been more like a journal than a newsletter, with only a few articles, of substantial length, in each issue.
Now: how about something yet different again?
With the start of SWET’s fourth decade, the current editorial team calls on SWET members to help design and launch a new incarnation of the group¹s main publication. What should its purpose be? What format should it take? How will it gather content? What is the role and niche of such a publication? Who will produce it?
SWET members have always published a newsletter because they love the writing, editing, proofreading, compiling, designing, layout, and other tasks that go into producing a publication that suits SWET. It has been a way of accumulating information about our cross-professional endeavors and interests that stands the test of time. But what really suits SWET in 2010?
All interested SWET members are invited to get into the discussion and brainstorming as we work toward a transition later this year from the current publication. What should it look like? Sophisticated? Simple? Colorful? Monotone? SWET invites anyone who would like to shape the SWET NL, help make it happen, or just kibitz, to join in this gathering. Discussion will be led by members of the current Newsletter Editorial Team.