The strange tale of the Mechanical Turk The Mechanical Turk was a chess-playing automaton built in the 1760’s by the Hungarian inventor Hans von Kempelen, reputedly to impress the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria. It consisted of a large, box-like chess table, with an ornately costumed mannequin sitting behind it, and intricate mechanical systems for […]
What lies hidden in the machine? (J) 続きを読む »
People unfamiliar with the Japanese language (or with the translation industry in general) often tend to assume that translation between any two languages poses roughly the same degree of a challenge to the translator. This is far from being the case, however, and the Japanese-English language pair must rank as one of the most difficult
Why is Japanese-English translation more difficult than other language pairs? (J) 続きを読む »
A westerner friend of mine used to work as an in-house Japanese-to-English translator at the offices of a world-famous Japanese vehicle manufacturer in central Japan. His Japanese boss (an engineer who had recently been transferred to head the documentation department) was something of a slave-driver, who showed little appreciation for the complexities of the work
You need a specialist—why “any old translator” just won’t do (J) 続きを読む »
Most interpreting requests are for “consecutive” interpreting, where the interpreter listens, then interprets into the other language). The other type of interpreting is “simultaneous” interpreting, where the interpreter listens and speaks simultaneously, so that the client does not have to stop mid-flow.
Three Things to Remember when Looking for an Interpreter (J) 続きを読む »
The Palace Ride involves teams and individuals riding, jogging or walking around the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in relays, so that for 24 hours there is at least one participant circling the Palace.
Mirai no Mori also offers the children who attend the camp on-going, long-term support, which significantly increases the chances of a more favourable outcome in their lives.
