Take the opportunity to indulge in relaxing summer pleasures that only Tokyo’s fine landscape gardens can provide and then join fellow wordsmiths for an evening of collegial cheer and good food in the spacious Ryotei pavilion overlooking the garden’s beautiful pond.

Further details to be posted here.

TITLE: Repatriation and the Second Life of Heritage: Return of the Masks in Kodiak,
Alaska

Saturday, June 26, 14:00-16:15, Auditorium / National Museum of Ethnology
Admission: Free (reservation required / first come, first served up to 450)

Language: English / Japanese (with simultaneous interpretation)

Greetings: Kenichi Sudo, Director-General, National Museum of Ethnology
Moderator: Kenji Yoshida, Professor, National Museum of Ethnology
Panelists:
Nobuhiro Kishigami, Professor, National Museum of Ethnology
Yoshinobu Ota, Professor, University of Kyushu

Reception:
17:00-18:30 Minpaku Restaurant
Admission: 5,000 yen (includes food and drinks)
* Reservation required / first come, first served up to 100

Reservations:
E-Mail: clifford dot min at idc dot minpaku dot ac dot jp
Fax :06-6878-8479
International Cooperative Unit, National Museum of Ethnology
10-1 Senri Expo Park, Suita, Osaka 565-8511

James Clifford was born in 1945. He is a world-renowned cultural critic and
“Post-modern” anthropologist whose work has challenged conventional academic
norms and methods, contributing to postcolonial critiques of Euro-centric
epistemologies. He received his Ph.D. in history from Harvard University,
and has taught since 1978 in the interdisciplinary History of Consciousness
doctoral program at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He has also
served as a visiting professor of anthropology at University College London
and Yale University. Throughout his professional career, Dr. Clifford has
published books and essays that are widely translated and frequently cited
in many areas of the arts and culture. They include Writing Culture: The
Poetics and Politics of Ethnography (Co-edited with George Marcus,
University of California Press, 1986), The Predicament of Culture: Twentieth
Century Ethnography, Literature and Art (Harvard University Press, 1988),
and Routes: Travel and Translation in the Late Twentieth Century (Harvard
University Press, 1997).

Abstract
This lecture will draw on research recently conducted in Kodiak Alaska at
the Alutiiq Museum and Archaeological Repository. The museum is a Native
administered cultural center engaged in a variety of heritage renewal
programs. In 2008 a collection of ceremonial masks from the Kodiak
region - acquired in 1870 by a young French linguist and stored ever since in
a French provincial museum - returned on loan to the Alutiiq Museum. These
very rare masks, of enormous iconic value for a culture that had been
devastated by Russian and United States colonization, play a new role in the
process of “heritage” revival. The talk describes (with photographic
illustrations) the masks’ return, and it explores the second life of
heritage in which these repatriated artifacts are now major actors. General
questions concerning the politics of heritage and indigenous renewal are
discussed: differing visions of authenticity and historicity; colonial
legacies and indigenous futures; complex relations with capitalism and
post-modern formations of identity. The talk argues that the meanings of the
masks today, the ruptures and continuities they embody, are ambivalent,
productive and unfinished.

Writing about Japan raises real challenges. How do you present what’s different without exoticising? How much should you explain? Can you translate quotes accurately, retaining the original tone, while keeping your article readable? How much Japanese can you use? And is it possible to convey your sense of wonder without making a total fool of yourself?

Journalist Alice Gordenker will address these and other issues while providing a behind-the-scenes account of how she crafts her popular “So, What the Heck Is That?” column for the Japan Times. In this monthly column, now in its fifth year, Gordenker has achieved a balance of humor and respect in meticulously researched yet decidedly off-beat reports on everything from traditional culture to industrial safety. She’ll also touch on her writing for television in Japan.

6:00–7:00 p.m. will be time to have a bite, if desired, and visit/network; the talk begins at 7:00.

RSVP required by July 15th to SWET Kansai

Continuing from the talk at Doshisha Women’s University with Beth Cary, SWET and other interested persons are invited to gather for networking, good food and drink, at Al Sole restaurant. (Map)

Talk will be in Japanese with English references.

Interpreter and translator Beth Cary, who was born and reared in Kyoto and now lives and works in the San Francisco Bay area, will talk about her background and how she got into translating, share anecdotes from her long career, and discuss some of the challenges and highlights of recent translation projects including “In Iris Fields: Remembrances and Poetry by Abbess Kasanoin Jikun” (Tankosha, 2009) and “Starting Point: 1979–1996” by Miyazaki Hayao (Viz Media, 2009). She will also report on a current project with Pacific Basin Institute to prepare the forthcoming English translation of “Yokoito no nai Nihon” (Simul Press, 1976), by her father Otis Cary (1921-2006).

The talk will be followed by coffee and light refreshments.

THE BIG PICTURE:
Exploring the Art and Business of Children’s Book Illustration
with Laurent Linn, Art Director
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Time:  Sunday, May 30, 2010 9:00-5:00 p.m.
              Morning Master Class 9:00-12:00, Afternoon Lectures 13:00-17:00
Place:   Nishimachi International School, Yashiro Media Center (Library) Motoazabu,Tokyo
                For access information and maps, visit http://www.nishimachi.ac.jp
Fee:     Morning Master Class: Master Class is now closed to submissions
              Afternoon Lectures:
                  Advance Registration 3,000 yen SCBWI members; 4,000 yen nonmembers
                  (contact info at scbwi dot jp for reservation and payment details)
                  At the Door 4,000 yen SCBWI members, 5,000 yen nonmembers
Reservations: Required! Contact info at scbwi dot jp to reserve your place.
Materials to bring: Sketchbook, pencil, eraser
This event will be in English. Japanese interpretation available by advance request.

Schedule

9:00-12:00 Master Class
This master class for both published and pre-published illustrators is available by advance registration. Illustrators will be given an assignment in advance to create a single full-color illustration of a scene from a children’s story. Participants will bring these final art pieces to the master class for discussion. Linn will discuss the strengths of each work as well as aspects that could be improved. Reserve immediately as space is limited to 10 illustrators and 5 observers, and participants will need several weeks to complete the assignment. For details about the master class assignment and reservations contact info at scbwi dot jp

Lunch Break

1:00-2:30 A Delicate Artistic Balance: The Role of an Art Director at a Major U.S. Publisher (lecture plus Q&A)
From selecting illustrators, to working with artists on each step of the illustrations, to designing striking covers and interiors, art directors are responsible for the artistic integrity of their books. But they also must satisfy the business needs of publishing children’s books in today’s world by collaborating with sales and marketing voices. How do the realities of selling books affect the creative process and final art and designs? How are covers created and who has final say? What input do authors and illustrators have in all this? Using visual examples, Laurent will explain how it all comes together.

3:00-5:00 Art for Books, Not Frames (lecture and hands-on, plus Q&A)
While drawing well is difficult, visual storytelling is even harder. There are many talented artists, but really good illustrators are rare. In this session we’ll analyze how drawing for literature differs from all other types of art. First, showing examples of art created for various purposes, Laurent Linn will explore why certain illustrations succeed and others don’t. And, most importantly, he’ll talk about what these ideas can mean for you and how to approach your illustration in ways that can make it shine. Second, we’ll get out our sketchbooks and have some fun. With Laurent sketching and suggesting ideas, we’ll explore with our own drawings how to make our children’s book characters more dynamic and engaging—ultimately more suited to storytelling, which is what children’s literature is all about.

Laurent Linn, Art Director for Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, began his career as a puppet designer in Jim Henson’s Muppet Workshop. With the Muppets for 11 years, he became the Creative Director for Sesame Street, winning an Emmy Award. Laurent illustrates; reviews over one hundred books a year as a member of the Children’s Book Awards Committee at Bank Street College in New York; and collaborates with noted editors, authors, and illustrators on picture books, middle-grade books, and teen novels at Simon & Schuster.

http://www.scbwi.jp  info at scbwi dot jp

SCBWI Tokyo Translation Day 2010:
Bringing Japanese Children’s Books to the World

A day of presentations, critiques, and conversation for published and pre-published translators of Japanese children’s literature (picture books through young adult) into English.

Date:    Saturday, June 12, 2010 | Registration 8 a.m. | Sessions 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Place:  Yokohama International School, Yokohama
        Sessions to be held in the Loft, 2F Pauli Building. Access information and maps available: http://www.yis.ac.jp

Fee:    Advance registration 3,000 yen for SCBWI and SWET members; 4,000 yen for nonmembers.
        At the door 4,000 yen for SCBWI and SWET members; 5,000 yen for nonmembers.

Please note: Advance registration has now closed.

Registration: To register and request workshop texts, send an e-mail to info at scbwi dot jp

This event will be in English.

SCBWI Tokyo Translation Day 2010 Schedule

8:00       Registration

8:20     Opening Remarks

8:30-9:30       Arthur Binard, Translator and Author: Once upon a Picture Book Translation
Poet, essayist, and translator Arthur Binard starts off Translation Day by discussing J-to-E picture book translation, reading from his published and current projects and illuminating aspects of the translator’s craft.

9:45-10:15   Cathy Hirano, Translator, and Cheryl Klein, Senior Editor, Arthur A. Levine Books (Scholastic Inc.):
The Making of the Moribito Books, Young Adult Fantasy Novels in Translation
Cathy Hirano and Cheryl Klein (via Skype) discuss how they worked together and with author Nahoko Uehashi to create Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit and Moribito II: Guardian of the Darkness, novels that (respectively) garnered the Mildred L. Batchelder Award in 2009 and a Batchelder Honor Award in 2010.

10:15-11:15 (approx.)  Roundtable Discussion: Paths to Publication of Japanese Children’s Books in English Translation
Cathy Hirano, Cheryl Klein and Arthur Binard join Akiko Beppu, Editorial Director, Kaisei-sha; Rei Uemura, Editor-in-Chief of Children’s Books, Tokuma Shoten; and Yurika Yoshida, President and CEO of Japan Foreign-Rights Centre discuss possible paths to publication for aspiring JE translators of children’s books. How can translators hone their skills? Navigate the publishing world in Japan and overseas? Promote Japanese children’s literature? Panelists discuss these questions from different viewpoints and consider questions from the audience.

11:30-1:00   Lunch—Please bring a lunch from home, or join other translators at one of many nearby cafes.

1:00-2:30     Workshop with Cathy Hirano: Translation of Japanese Children’s Books in Three Age Categories
Cathy Hirano comments on participants’ translations of three short excerpts from Japanese children’s fiction, taken from a picture book, a middle grade reader, and a young adult novel, of contrasting genres. The discussion will highlight skills needed to translate books for varying target audiences.

Please note* The deadline for submitting translations has now passed; translation submissions are no longer being accepted.

2:45-3:45       Brainstorming Session: Initiatives and Resources to Encourage JE Translators for Children
Experienced and aspiring translators share their stories, discuss challenges they face, and brainstorm about future endeavors to promote networking and generate needed information, benefiting all in this exciting field.

3:45-4:00     Closing Comments

For details on presenters see http://www.scbwi.jp or the Tokyo chapter information on http://www.scbwi.org
For reservations contact info at scbwi dot jp

  1. Age:
  2. Your experience as a translator (education, courses, formal training, etc.)
  3. How long have you been working as a translator/interpreter?
  4. Which CAT suite(s) you prefer to use?
  5. Why exactly this/these CAT suit(s)?
  6. Which text types for you are easier to translate with CAT suites?
  7. Is there a text type which you would never translate with CAT?
  8. Any suggestions for the translators who face the problems translating some texts with CAT?

Thank you for your time!

Workshop will be limited to 15 participants (first come, first served). Registration required: Send name, address, telephone number to SWET Events by May 10.

Contrary to popular belief, proofreading is not spell-checking. Sure, proofreaders do correct spelling, but they also do much, much more, from checking layout and word breaks to ensuring text consistency—the little details that may seem quibbling, but together tell readers that a piece of published material has been prepared with sincerity and professionalism. The craft requires technical knowledge as well as sensitivity to the needs of each text and the ability to work closely with writers, editors, and designers. The skills involved are useful to anyone concerned with producing text that is attractive and error-free.

In this workshop, Katherine (Roo) Heins, freelance proofreader for Kodansha International and the magazine Kateigaho International Edition, among other publications, will share her expertise with those interested in expanding or refreshing their skills. Discussion and hands-on exercises will acquaint participants with basic procedures and will invite them to think about issues such as the differences between proofreading and copyediting, the balance between consistency and readability, and considerations particular to proofreading English-language materials in Japan. All are welcome: aspiring proofreaders who want to learn the ins and outs of the job, writers and translators needing tips on what to do when their manuscripts reach the proof stage, and people whose work often puts them in the way of proofreading tasks and who want to learn how to accomplish them efficiently and effectively.

Details, Details: The Snap, Crackle, and Pop of Good Writing with author Jane Kurtz

Time:  Friday, April 2, 2010, 6:30-8:00 p.m.

Place:   Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Conference Room 1 (5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University. For a map see http://www.scbwi.jp/map.htm

Fee:      1,000 yen SCBWI members; 1,500 yen nonmembers

Reservations:  Contact info at scbwi dot jp by Thursday, April 1, 2010

This event will be in English.

American novelist John Gardner called details the lifeblood of fiction. Many an editor has said the absolute key to a piece of writing she fell in love with was its voice…but what creates the “voice” of a piece other than its distinct details? Award-winning author Jane Kurtz will give ten keys for coaxing vivid, shimmering, gripping details into our drafts and will show why certain mistakes around details are the kiss of death for any piece of writing. Q&A will follow the talk.

Jane Kurtz spent most of her childhood in Ethiopia—and now travels the world talking about writing, reading, and the magic of books. Her recent speaking has taken her to all but eleven of the U.S. states, Europe, the Persian Gulf, Indonesia, Cambodia, India, Romania, and East and West Africa. School Library Journal called Jane Kurtz a “superb storyteller.” Her books have gathered accolades, starred reviews, and awards. Since 1994, she has published twenty-nine books: nonfiction books, professional books for teachers, picture books, and novels for young readers that draw on her own childhood memories of growing up in Ethiopia as well as surviving the Red River flood of 1997. Jane has taught writing at the elementary, secondary, and university levels and is currently on the faculty of the MFA in children’s and young adult literature out of Vermont College. Her passion for books and reading and her love of Ethiopia came together in Ethiopia Reads, an organization that is establishing the free libraries for children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with Yohannes Gebregeorgis, one of CNN’s Top Ten Heroes (http://www.ethiopiareads.org). For more on Jane Kurtz visit http://www.janekurtz.com.

http://www.scbwi.jp  info at scbwi dot jp