JATBOOK Webinar: A Strange Turn of Events: Lessons from an accidental literary translator

Jim Rion never planned to make the transition from generalist to literary translator, but it happened anyway. In this talk, he'll describe how that happened—including how he lucked into being the English translator for international bestselling author Uketsu—and try to offer some advice on making your own attempt. Note that luck is hard to replicate.

Date & Time: April 18 (Sat.), 2026 15:00-16:30 JST (90 min.)
Speaker: Jim Rion (ライオン ジミー, Book translator)
Moderator: Ko Iwata (岩田 香), Kanna Nakazawa (中澤甘菜)
Type: Zoom webinar, recording available (until the end of April)

We will send you the Zoom link to your registered email address no later than the day before the session.

JAT member: Free
Non-member: 2,000 yen
Student: 500 yen (Please upload your student ID)
No refund is issued once payment is completed.

Recording available until April 30
Archive available for JAT members

Register by: April 17, 2026 (Fri.) 24:00 JST
Organized by: Japan Association of Translators (JAT) JATBOOK
Contact: JATBOOK [email protected]

[Pre-seminar survey]
We would like to make this session as interactive as possible and will take questions as time permits. Please share your questions for the speaker using the link below.
Survey closes: April 17, 2026 (Fri.), at 24:00 JST
https://forms.gle/qxbcwKvDVP7A...

[Profile]
Jim Rion（ライオン ジミー）
Jim Rion is an American translator and writer living in Yamaguchi Prefecture. He is the author of Discovering Yamaguchi Sake (Stone Bridge Press) and the translator of The Devil's Flute Murders by Seishi Yokomizu (Pushkin Vertigo), both released in 2023. He is the English language translator for the works of horror/mystery writer Uketsu. Strange Pictures came out in January 2025, Strange Houses in July 2025, and Strange Buildings in February 2026, all from Pushkin Vertigo. He is the English translation head at TJ翻訳合同会社 and co-host of the monthly Sake Deep Dive podcast with sake brewer Andrew Russell.

Moderator
Ko Iwata（岩田 香）
I have been a J2E translator for many years. Also teach translation at a major translation and interpreting school. Studied at Simul Academy. My field varies but currently I work in the aviation industry editing promotional copies.

Kanna Nakazawa（中澤甘菜）
English-Japanese translator/yoga instructor based in Aichi. Kanna’s recent translation work includes the Japanese translations of “A Day at a time” by Gamblers Anonymous and “Radiant Rest: Yoga Nidra for Deep Relaxation and Awakened Clarity” by Tracee Stanley.

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