Japan Style Sheet: The SWET Guide for Writers, Editors, and Translators [Paperback]

Society of Writers Editors and Translators Tokyo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1998

The Japan Style Sheet is an authoritative guide that will assist anyone working on English-language publications about Japan or containing references to Japanese culture, art, business, history, and politics. Aimed primarily at the needs of editors and writers without specialized knowledge, it contains clear advice and information, as well as several appendices that will be useful to translators and researchers in Japanese studies. Problem areas discussed include methods of romanizing Japanese; word formation; "spelling" Japanese words; methods of indicating long vowels, apostrophes, and other aids to a proper reading of romanized Japanese; capitalization; plurals; and bibliographic style. Reasons and alternatives are given throughout to enable writers and editors to make stylistic decisions based on their intended audiences.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Japanese 'Chicago Manual'... The Matters of Style section is fascinating and will be very useful to writers and editors." -Karen Judd, author, Copyediting: A Practical Guide -- Review

About the Author

Founded in 1980, the Society of Writers, Editors, and Translators (SWET) is a Tokyo-based organization of professional wordsmiths. SWET publishes a newsletter and holds panel discussions, lectures, and workshops designed to share expertise and seek higher standards in professional work relating to the use of the written English word in Japan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Stone Bridge Press; Rev Sub edition (June 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880656302
• ISBN-13: 978-1880656303
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,429,417 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Translating Japanese into English? You'll Probably Get Something out of This, July 13, 2010

By 

Gilgamesh (Middle Earth) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Japan Style Sheet: The SWET Guide for Writers, Editors, and Translators (Paperback)

When I was working as a translator, I used the Japan Style Sheet: The SWET Guide for Writers, Editors, and Translators when I encountered tricky problems, or wanted to look up things like units of measure, and so forth.

CONTENT
--------------
-romanization systems
-long vowels
-long vowels on the internet
-n or m: shinbun or shimbun
-apostrophes
-hyphens
-italics
-personal names
-place names
-capitalization
-plurals
-loanwords
-note, bibliography, and index styles
-appendices (lots of stuff that is pretty helpful)

PROS
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+ clear and concise explanations
+ addresses issues that actually come up
+ usually provides suggestions descriptive of actual practice, rather than prescriptive

CONS
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- not comprehensive, so it doesn't stand alone--I hope someday a more comprehensive guide does get published, especially one that considers issues specific to different industries (popular publications, technical writing, etc.)


SUMMARY
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It's not essential to own, but it certainly does not hurt to read at least once, especially if you are just getting started in translating. I'm glad I purchased it.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good resource for Japan-related work, February 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Japan Style Sheet: The SWET Guide for Writers, Editors, and Translators (Paperback)

This is indeed the authoritative guide for anyone who works with Japan-related material. It is really well-typeset according to the Western standard, but also has a bit of Japanese flavor, as the weird choice of fonts and the marginally-acceptable use of "wordsmith" on the back cover can attest. Read this short book before you work on any Japan-related material: it is certainly worth the while; at least you will avoid a lot of cultural errors. They should have a little book like this for every country and every language.