M@Blog » language

myGengo Talk : Resources on Translation

matt — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:57:28 +0000

One of our very talented Interns has been hard at work on both myGengo Talk and the myGengo Blog – a repository of resources for translators, and news summaries on the translation industry, respectively. There is so much valuable and interesting information for polyglots and multicultural personalities alike, it’s fascinating. Research on many levels continues to bring discoveries on how our minds and societies work!

Japanese attentiveness at its finest: measuring construction noise

matt — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 09:42:05 +0000

If you’ve been to Japan in the past few years you’ve undoubtedly noticed the uptick in building construction. From architectural marvels such as Herzog and Demuron’s Prada building to the Mori group’s campus-size Roppongi and Omotesando Hills to even an onsen in the middle of Roppongi, new buildings and establishments continue to pop up like weeds. In-tune with all this construction, I don’t think anyone can argue that when it comes to attending to the foot-traffic around the real-estate under development, Japan comes in at number one. As if there were never enough real people waving their hands, bowing, and warning passers-by to watch their steps and not walk into protective walls, robotic mannequins in full security-guard attire and swinging flashing lights are strategically placed to warn on-coming vehicular traffic of potholes and construction workers milling about. Now this courteousness seems to have reached a new level.

I was picking up some hardware from the back-alley stores of Akihabara when I spotted these odd looking red lights flashing digits like a roadside speedometer you might see in America. Closer examination revealed they were measuring loudness in the area – the top was measuring volume, the bottom I think was measuring some sort of vibration level (can’t read the characters in this low-res photo), as in when heavy trucks drive by. Impressive was that these were being recorded in real-time. My guess is there have been an increasing number of complaints about noise levels. Where the authorities should really be focusing to address the noise pollution is of course the campaign trucks.

At any rate, give your lungs a good exercise if you ever come across these – it’s amusing to see how loud one can get.

Bilingual Benefits

matt — Tue, 15 Jun 2004 03:06:16 +0000

According to recent studies, looks like I’ll still be able to chew gum and walk when I’m 80 because I’m bilingual! :)

Spreading Japanese

matt — Tue, 25 May 2004 05:30:07 +0000

Interesting Yomiuri article on renewed efforts to spread Japanese, be it language or culture. I think it’s an important effort, but am reserved in my enthusiasm for its means.

“This isn’t just the case in the United States and China,” Ogoura said. “In the Middle East, almost no one has an accurate understanding of Japan. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Japan is unknown out there.”

Japan is not just “unknown out there,” it is unknown “in here” as well. I’m only part way through it, but I have a feeling John Nathan’s Japan Unbound will be referenced a lot in the near future…

Language

matt — Mon, 29 Mar 2004 03:31:00 +0000

This interesting article, originally from the NYT, sheds some light in connection to my previous post also originally sourced from the NYT. Being half Japanese, I have Japanese middlenames representable by characters. The English side of my business card has only initials for my middle names, but the Japanese side spells them out in characters. Literally every time a Japanese person sees the Japanese side, they remark in amusement. What’s interesting is that younger employees frequently remark how “cool” the mix of characters looks (the middle-name kanji characters are surrounded by my katakana-charactered english names). No such welcome reaction from the oler generation. Not that I need or want one, but the contrast is noticible. The “inclusionary vs. exclusionary” cultural differences between Japan and China will become increasingly obvious as the level of tourism rises (at least as initiated by the gov’t). Question is, which will “win out”, if that’s right thinking…

Opposition to Dual Surnames

matt — Thu, 11 Mar 2004 14:17:36 +0000

This kind of crap is what makes Japan good for tourism but nothing else. This is just bullshit. What business does the LDP have determining which of two last names people use? In fact, this could have detrimental effects in fields such as medical research, where retaining one’s surname after having written journal papers and initiating ones own practice are important for peer recognition and career development. Damn this pisses me off to no end…ugh

finding a (japanese) mate

matt — Wed, 03 Dec 2003 00:42:52 +0000

Think you want to meet a nice Japanese girl interested in starting a family? Good luck.

Yes, yes, I know. I really need to get back to Chinese. It’s coming. Trust me.

A Venetian Affair

matt — Wed, 05 Nov 2003 08:37:42 +0000

Salon review of “A Ventian Affair”; pretty interesting if you’ve got nothing else to read. 18th century love affair we could learn from, all through discovered letters. “Obstacles intensify the feeling.” Email just doesn’t cut it; never has.

Chinese

matt — Wed, 29 Oct 2003 07:54:27 +0000

Maybe it’s about time I dust off the ol’ Chinese language books. At least my Chinese colleagues have kind words about my pronuciation.

humor…dark…

matt — Thu, 16 Oct 2003 07:26:06 +0000

I received this email today. For some reason it just cracked me up.

Dear [me]

I am Mie Aoki working for Sony Wellness Center.

I sent you your Medical check Record which you underwent
on September 17 via office mail today.

You have lost 6 kilograms in the past a year.
Were you on a diet ?
And I checked Sony Healthcare Questionnaire which you answered.
I think you look you have a lot of stress.
How is your physical condition?

(What she means is that she received my recent medical check records)
Stress? What, “jobless” me?! naw….