Pop Loc 101: Localizing Doraemon, Gundam, and More
Video games. Comic books. Animation. Toys. It all seems like kids’ stuff, but localizing entertainment for foreign markets is serious business. And when you’re dealing with successful, long-running franchises, the stakes can be even higher. Matt Alt, a former translator for the US Patent and Trademark Office, and Hiroko Yoda, a former editor of CNN's travel website, joined forces in the late 1990s to translate video games. In 2003, they launched AltJapan Co., Ltd., a translation company specializing in entertainment localization. In the decade-plus since, a once-obscure field has grown into an integral part of the global entertainment industry, and the pair has worked on projects ranging from video games to television, film, books, and manga/anime. Pulling it all off requires keeping developments from previous series in mind, staying on top of both out-of-date and modern slang, an ability to roll with odd concepts and turns of phrase, and above all else the ability to work well in a team — because when it comes to entertainment localization, translators are just one (very important!) part of a much larger process. In this bilingual presentation, Matt and Hiroko will discuss the intricacies of localizing popular entertainment into English and Japanese using specific examples from various manga, games, films, and other series they have worked on. (Both English and Japanese will be used in the presentation.)
Speaker Profiles
Matt Alt and Hiroko Yoda are a husband-and-wife team who run AltJapan Co., Ltd., a Tokyo-based company that specializes in the localization of Japanese entertainment for foreign markets. They are also the co-authors of books including Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide.
Date: Saturday, January 24, 2015
Time: 14:00-17:00
Doors open: 13.30
Place: Forum 8, Shibuya (http://www.forum-8.co.jp/access/index.html)
Address: Dogenzaka 2-10-7, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0043; Phone: 03-3780-0008
Cost: JAT members 1,000 yen; non-members 3,000 yen (advance registration is NOT necessary)
Koryukai: From 17:15 (advance registration is NOT necessary, register and pay at seminar reception)
Venue: B.Y.G http://www.byg.co.jp/access/index_access.html
Address: Dogenzaka 2-19-14, Shibuya
Tel: 03-3461-8574
Cost: 2,000 yen (food only/cash bar)
Inquiries: [email protected]
