Our eJuku program, launched in 2009, gives participants an opportunity to hone their translation skills under the guidance of seasoned translators. Since Spring 2012 an updated format, called the JAT Online Translation Workshop (JOTW), has been adopted to encourage greater peer-to-peer discussion among participants, using text-based interaction as well as videoconferencing facilitated by the mentor-translators.
Translator Perspectives 2012
This is a collection of very short essays on translation by professional translators, all of whom are members of the Japan Association of Translators (JAT). The contributions represent the distilled wisdom of translators of all ages, nationalities, fields and levels of experience. Some are in English, some in Japanese, all embody opinions and observations based on experience, and all are guaranteed to be thought-provoking—and hopefully enlightening—regarding any of the numerous aspects of the job of translation.
Slides and other materials from the August 25 JATPHARMA workshop
Materials used in Ms. Lynne E. Rigg’s presentation Writing Skills in
Translation (Turning a Rough Draft into Effective English) made at the
September 2012 Tokyo meeting are available for download from the following
link:
By Wendy Uchimura, a Japanese-to-English translator and proofreader specializing in Intellectual Property and NGO-based work
It is rather daunting to give a report on the event Writing Skills in Translation by the esteemed Lynne Riggs. As I write this, I recall all the useful information we learnt during the workshop and I wonder am I using the proper syntax; is a sentence too wobbly; have I repeated a word too often; or have I not trimmed enough phatic? We shall see... (Read more)
There is also a report by Kaori Yamamoto on this seminar in Japanese.
The handout from the Robin Britle presentation on "Ebooks and the Opportunites for Translators" made at the July 2012 Tokyo meeting is available to download from this link:
Ebooks and the Opportunites for Translators Handout
A report on the meeting by Robin can be view here: Social Media by Accident
Members can watch the video of this seminar: Ebooks and the Opportunities for Translators
There is also a participant's report by Eric Selland in English and a report by Matoko Tsutamura in Japanese.
Participants can download the "homework" for the workshop from the link below. We encourage you to think about possible translations for the highlighted sentences, and we will discuss these at the workshop itself.
Your Thoughts on Translation
Call for (very) Short Essays
There is such a wealth of experience and good sense among JAT members that the JAT Board would like to commemorate International Translation Day (September 30) by publishing an anthology of short essays written by all of you.
By Eric Selland, legal, financial, and literary translator, poet and editor of an anthology of Japanese modernist and avant-garde poetry
Robin Birtle gave a very detailed presentation covering the history of e-books and the devices used for reading them, as well as the current condition of the e-book markets in the U.S. and Japan. Most of the presentation dealt with the ins and outs of the e-book market as well as various technical issues, then in the last section Birtle suggested a model by which translators might take advantage of new opportunities presented by e-books... (Read more)
There is also a report by Matoko Tsutamura on this seminar in Japanese.
A members only page for live broadcasting has been created on the JAT website:
http://jat.org/events/videos/jat_live_broadcast
The first broadcast will be on Saturday, July 21, 2012, from 14:00 to 17:00 JST.
http://jat.org/events/event/ebooks_and_the_opportunities_for_translators
Board Minutes: Face-to-Face Meeting Minutes 14:00-17:00, Friday, June 1, 2012
International Conference Center Hiroshima (IJET-23)
The 2012 AGM absentee ballot is now available for those wanting vote but not able to attend the AGM.
The AGM will be held on June 3 at 17:30 in Hiroshima (at IJET-23).
The slides from Masashi Ishikawa's and George Tokikuni's presentation on "Does Translation Pay the Bills" at the May, 2012 Tokyo meeting, can be downloaded.
Reports in Japanese by Tomoko Furukawa and Mayumi Toyota on the TAC meeting in May 2012.
There is also a report by Joji Matsuo on this seminar in English.
By Joji Matsuo, Japanese to English translator, consecutive interpreter, and active JAT speaker
“Translation is no longer a viable profession if you expect to support a family.” This could very well have been the message that translators would take home from the first 90 minutes of the JAT’s May Meeting in Tokyo. Fortunately, the second half provided some valuable survival tips that will help translators improve their situation in the current market.... (Read more)
There are also reports by Tomoko Furukawa and Mayumi Toyota on this seminar in Japanese.
To: All JAT Members
Announcement of Annual General Meeting to be held June 3, 2012
I have the honor to invite you to the Japan Association of Translators Annual General Meeting to be held in Hiroshima on June 3, 2012.
Last year, we held the Eighth Annual Contest for New and Aspiring Translators. Every year, a group of screeners and judges help to narrow the entries and decide the winners. We would like to establish a committee similar to those we have for other JAT activities.
Well known in manufacturing, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is looking to draw up standards for translation and the translation industry. Because these may well directly affect JAT members, we think JAT should be part of the effort.
To celebrate International Translation Day on September 30, we are considering publishing an anthology on translation.
The handout from Yuji Yamamoto's presentation on “Turbo-boosting your translation productivity today!" made at the April 2012 Tokyo meeting is available for download from the following link: 2012JATTokyo_Yuji Yamamoto_Handout.pdf
The video of this seminar can be viewed here: http://jat.org/events/videos/turbo_boosting_your_translation_productivity_today_breakthrough_in_quality/