Today's conundrum: Is オカルト a false friend for "occult," or not? In Japan, for example, writers who dabble in horror, mystery, and stories with a weird, dark edge are often labeled オカルト (okaruto, a direct transliteration of "occult), and there are things like オカルトサークル (okaruto…
Continue reading...It might be a bit premature, but as it looks like I'm moving into the year-end holidays a little early, I think this is as good a time as any to look back on my work life during 2022 Despite the ongoing pandemic, this was…
Continue reading...My translation of classic Kindaichi Kosuke mystery Akuma ga Kitarite Fue wo Fuku (Translated as The Devil's Flute Murders) is done and off to the editors! It's scheduled to come out from Pushkin Vertigo Press June 29, 2023. This was an absolute joy to translate, though I worry…
Continue reading...Translator Twitter always sees some kind of drama about rates. Low rates, unclear rates, unpaid rates... This topic never seems to die down, which makes sense, because understanding rates is one of the great mysteries for beginning translators (and, probably, many other freelance fields). For…
Continue reading...The Resurrection Fireplace by Hiroko Minagawa My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Resurrection Fireplace by Hiroko Minagawa, Translation by Matt Trayvaud In 18th Century London, a group of anatomy students and their professor get caught up in murder, fraud, and confusion as deception piles…
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