1. Introduction

2. What is JATPHARMA eJuku?

3. The JATPHARMA eJuku schedule

4. Who should consider participating in the JATPHARMA eJuku?

5. The JATPHARMA eJuku team

6. How to apply

7. Information policy

8. Source text

1. Introduction

JAT runs various programs to meet its members' requests for translation skill development opportunities. The JATPHARMA eJuku is one such program, and the session to be run in August-September 2015 will be the first of what is hoped to be a long-running and successful series.

2. What is the JATPHARMA eJuku?

The JATPHARMA eJuku will be conducted as an online forum within a project management application called Basecamp. It is a closed private forum (see below for information policy) in which the participants will submit their translations, comment on each other's work, and discuss issues involved in the process of translation under the guidance of veteran translators acting as facilitators. At least two video conferencing sessions will be scheduled during the workshop period. A questionnaire will also be sent to the participants for their feedback at the end of the session.

3. The JATPHARMA eJuku schedule (subject to change):

Call for Participants on JAT website, JAT-List, SNS, etc. Fri, July 24
Call closed and participants notified Fri, July 31
Basecamp self-intros and general translation-related discussions start Sat, August 1
Passage 1 2
Released Sat, August 1 Mon, August 17
Translation submitted Sat, August 8 Mon, August 24
Translation discussed Sat, August 8 to
Sun, August 16
Mon, August 24 to
Sun, September 6
Review videoconference Sun, August 16 Sun, September 6
Discussion closed with Questionnaire Sun, September 13
Project archived Sun, September 20

4. Who should consider participating in the JATPHARMA eJuku?

The upcoming JATPHARMA eJuku is designed to meet the needs of current or potential JAT members with at least three years of translation experience (preferably in the field of biomedical or pharma translation), with native or near-native English proficiency. You are expected to participate actively in discussions after submitting your draft translation. Be eager to learn through an exchange of opinions rather than waiting to be given ready-made solutions. Be open-minded to other participants' viewpoints, particularly those offered by the experienced practitioners. Non-native English speakers with near-native English proficiency are also encouraged to apply to participate in the JATPHARMA eJuku.

5. The JATPHARMA eJuku team

The three JATPHARMA eJuku facilitators will be Tony Atkinson, Lee Seaman, and Daisuke Yanase.

Tony Atkinson majored in physics at the University of Western Australia and taught science for ten years before switching to Japanese-English translation in 1988. A freelance translator since 1992, his work is now focused mainly on the areas of medicine and drug development. He also teaches J-E medical translation in the Master’s Course in Japanese and English Translation at the University of Queensland, and delivers seminars and workshops on pharma translation and scientific writing to clients in Japan.

Lee Seaman has been writing and translating professionally for over 20 years, specializing in medical and pharmaceutical translation since 1985. An honors graduate of Oregon State University in chemistry, she studied Japanese at Tokyo’s Waseda University and learned technical translation during 10 years in Japan. She brings that experience to her translation business — translating articles for submission to US and international medical journals, documents for FDA submission, regulatory materials, and books and conference proceedings for publication in English.

As a senior medical translator in a Tokyo-based translation company, Daisuke Yanase is making the most of his colorful career. Having studied plant physiology at university, he spent the first 20 years of his working career at a chemical company, being engaged in agrochemical research and development and pharmaceutical quality control. In 2003, he decided to try his English writing skills in a pharmaceutical company, for which he worked for 10 years, translating technical and regulatory documents between Japanese and English.

6. How to apply

If you are interested in participating in the JATPHARMA eJuku after reading the above description and looking at the sample source text below, please send the JATPHARMA eJuku team an email in English expressing your desire to participate, together with a brief self-introduction, including relevant information on how long you have been translating in the biomedical or pharma field, and what you expect of the current workshop. Also, please translate the heading and first two sentences of the sample source text (from 抗血管新生薬療法(抗VEGF療法) to ... ranibizumab18)の認可が待たれている。), and submit your translation together with your application. All members of the JATPHARMA eJuku team will jointly examine your applications to ensure the selection of participants that stand to gain the most from this program. Soon after enough participants are selected, all the applicants will be notified of the screening results. Those selected will be given further instructions. There are no fees, but you must be a paid-up member of JAT before the session begins. eJuku is operated by JAT members on a voluntary basis.

7. Information policy

All information, ranging from the participants' names and email addresses to self-introductions, translations and statements in forum discussions, will be kept inside the password-protected JAT-operated Basecamp project management system. However, the above information will be shared inside Basecamp among the participants and JATPHARMA eJuku team members, and is accessible by the current JAT Board members. Part of the participants' translations and open discussions may be used anonymously in the future if and when the facilitators or Board members report on the JATPHARMA eJuku or give presentations on translation.

8. Source text

We will be translating passages from Japanese documents into English. To give you an idea of what kind of material we are dealing with, here is part of one such document. As instructed above, please translate the heading and first two sentences of the sample source text (from 抗血管新生薬療法(抗VEGF療法) to … ranibizumab18)の認可が待たれている。), and submit your translation together with your application. After you are selected as a participant, we will send you the first passage officially, together with some background information and instructions on how to handle it. Later in the session you will be asked to translate a second passage.

課題の文章は加齢黄斑変性(age-related macular degeneration, AMD)の治療についての解説です。関連情報を調査しながら内容を整理し,英訳してください。

参考サイト: http://www.naramed-u.ac.jp/~oph/topics/pages/topics_01.html

抗血管新生薬療法(抗VEGF療法)

CNVの発生には血管内皮増殖因子:vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)が大きく関与していることから、抗VEGF薬によるCNV抑制効果が期待される。すでに複数の抗VEGF薬の硝子体内局所投与についてAMDに対する効果が検討されており、日本でもpegaptanib17)とranibizumab18)の認可が待たれている。また大腸がんの治療薬であるbevacizumab19)の有効性も知られており、上記2剤が未承認であるわが国においても倫理委員会の審査のもとに多施設で使用されているほか、欧米では眼科用の製剤より安価であるという理由でもoff-label usageとして広まっている。Pegaptanibは日本で最初の黄斑変性治療に対する二重盲検試験が行われて日本人における有効性が示された17)。この試験によるとpegaptanibは70%以上で視力を維持できたほか、PCVを含む場合により高い効果がみられた点、病的なCNVに多く存在するVEGF165アイソフォームを特異的に阻害するため安全性が高い点が期待される。一方、抗血管新生作用としてはすべてのVEGFアイソフォームを阻害するranibizumabやbevacizumabの方が強いと考えられており、それぞれの特徴による使い分けが今後の課題となりそうである。PDTによる正常血管での循環障害がVEGFを誘発させることから、PDTと抗VEGF薬の併用療法も今後の新しい治療戦略として期待される。

CNV: choroidal neovascularization, 脈絡膜新生血管

PCV: polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy, ポリープ状脈絡膜血管症

PDT: photodynamic therapy, 光線力学的療法