News

JTA Signage Project FY2020 Resources Now Online

The output of the Japan Tourism Agency FY2020 “English for Sightseeing Destinations around Japan” Project is now available on the JTA website. In addition to the English texts produced, other fruit of the project include a video (in Japanese) explaining the goals of the project and the way it works, a guidebook (in print and online PDF) titled “HowTo多言語解説文整備” for creating effective English signage, and the project style manual in Japanese and English.

The Writing and Style Manual: English for Sightseeing Destinations Around Japan was revised... more

Swet Columns

Chanoyu/Tea

A Chanoyu Vocabulary: Practical Terms for the Way of Tea Paperback, A5 size, 280 pages. Kyoto: Tankōsha, 2007. ISBN9784473033987

This gem of a dictionary has been around for well over a decade. Currently in its third printing, it remains the one and only comprehensive chanoyu dictionary available, providing concise and accurate “to the T” (pun intended) English definitions of 1,642 terms that come up in the realm of chanoyu. By “comprehensive” I should say I mean wide-ranging, for while it cannot... more

Articles

Inclusive Language and Translations

From the SWET Newsletter Archive/Editors’ Corner

Many journalists and writers are working hard these days to free their prose of sexist bias. When they don’t, editors often must help them out. A translator, who must take into account the characteristics of two languages at once in the routine course of her work, has special problems in this regard.

The preceding sentence illustrates one of the characteristics of the English language that translators and editors need to take into account:... more

SWET Spotlight

Manga Lettering and Translation

By Susan E. Jones

One of the fantastic aspects of SWET is its inclusivity. Not limited to just one part of the long process of publishing in English, it welcomes writers, translators, editors, and other wordsmiths who contribute in various ways to the finished product. The SWET Talk Shop on August 22, 2020 looked at the skilled craftspeople who are contributing to manga-production by giving the floor to three dedicated manga letterers: Sara Linsley, Brandon Bovia, and Phil Christie. Lettering appreciator... more

A Community for Japan-Related Writing Professionals

Based in Tokyo, Japan, SWET comprises people engaged not only in the three professions of writing, editing, and translating, but also in teaching, research, rewriting, design and production, copywriting, and other areas related to the written word in Japan.