I'm sure a translator's desk and space is as individual as the translators themselves, but to give people an idea of what kind of environment in which a professional translator works, here's what I work in.

A mess.
Yes, sensei is terrible about clearing away clutter, and my desk and the area around it hardly has a flat space available that doesn't have something piled on top of it. But aside from that...

I work in a 2nd-bedroom converted to an office. That's not only good for concentration, it's also good for divvying up the apartment during IRS time.

My computer is a 2-year old I-Mac -- that type that's a half-globe that supports a small, 15-inch flat-screen LCD monitor. It hasn't taken well to the latest version of OSX, and I will probably have to change it out for something different in a year or less, but it gets the job done for now. I work on a Mac because traditionally the publishing industry works on Macs. But that doesn't mean that translators must work on Macs. For my first six or seven years, I worked on a PC and had no complaints from clients. But most files sent back and forth are in Microsoft Word, so if you are thinking of doing this professionally, get the program that the editors use.

Peripherals include an external hard drive for backups; an HP all-in-one printer/scanner/copy machine/fax machine; a digital camera; wireless keyboard and mouse; high-speed DSL line; and a label printer (I used to run envelopes through my printer, but the label printer is quicker and easier).

The computer sits in a computer armoire with lots of shelves for my stuff. It has two rolling keyboard shelves -- the lower one houses my keyboard and the upper one holds clutter that includes my Wordtank electronic dictionary and a magnifying glass for those tiny asides in the manga. The shelf just above that supports the computer and sitting right in front of it is a bookstand. There is no good bookstand for manga made yet. The one I have is an inexpensive plastic job sold at Staples. It has two small tabs that, when it is new, can actually hold a book open, but after a while the tabs retain the same amount of friction as ice on a hot frying pan, so now a rubber band holds the book open. (Before the rubber band, I tried butterfly clips, but the stand was too wide to hold the average manga at both ends.)

There is a top shelf that holds the previous volumes of the series that I am presently translating for reference. (It also holds some books on CD, the disks for my computer programs, a picture of my wife, some Gundam robot figures, etc.) The top of the armoire is given over to various toys and dust.

The office chair was bought about 1992 on sale at Price Club (which is now Costco). I tried a different office chair in the mid 1990s, but that one wore out after only a couple of years, so it was back to this one. The entire seat, armrests and back rocks back (I hate it when it's just the backrest that reclines). The backrest is not an all-the-way-up backrest, but I've never missed that top section.

On both sides of the armoire are two overstuffed bookshelves filled mainly with odd reference books that I never use (but someday might) such as the complete Shakespeare works; a guide to submarines and sub hunters (I was offered the translation on Silent Service, but the deal fell through before I could start); Imidas -- a Japanese yearly reference work that covers world events in all areas including politics, science, medicine, and most importantly, new words -- from several odd years, manga I've translated, and as-yet untranslated manga; etc.

To my immediate left is a piece of furniture that was supposed to be a printer stand, but since it has two handy shelves for all of my second-string dictionaries, it has become another bookshelf. There is another set of smaller shelves around its back corner that holds the English versions of the series I'm presently translating. But sitting on top is my pride and joy, a swiveling triangular dictionary stand for Nelson's and the Green Goddess. It was custom built and cost me several hundred dollars, and in full swivel mode, it's slightly too big for the printer-stand it's on, but it's one of the best purchases I've made considering how often I check those two dictionaries.

As for other details, there is a shelf behind me that is actually a wide armrest for a futon couch (covered with books, of course), and the old, useless office chair with old manga and DVDs piled on it. The doors to the armoire have corkboards that are filled with schedules, appointments, phone numbers, etc. I have a backup laptop computer for traveling or just in case the Mac ever goes on the fritz (I've had to use three or four times for that purpose before this I-Mac).

And when I run out of flat spaces (as I often do), there is always the floor...

Posted by dojosensei at 12:23 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Intelligent translators can manage to work with the editors to naturally schedule a vacation at a chosen time within a year. They do not procrastinate or go beyond their deadlines, and all of their translations come in like clockwork. Intelligent translators are the gems of the industry. How I hate them.

I, on the other hand, am terrible about estimating when I can finish a project, and just as terrible at resisting the lure of time off for a day or two after having sent in a script. And this Summer, even though I knew my annual pilgrimage to the San Diego Comic Con was coming up, I went ahead and scheduled July full anyway. (Bad Bill. Bad, bad Bill!)

So now I have to finish what I would normally finish in three weeks, in just slightly over one. And there's no way to put it off. I know how long it usually take me to do a page in this series, and I'm just going to have to take the time to do it. Get up in the morning, work through until late at night, and go to bed. Get up and do it again.

But we work in a deadline-driven business. (Thank the gods it isn't a daily deadline.) That means that when the time comes, there are going to be working weekends, late hours, and a tired you. Normally, you'll be fine, but every now and again...

Here's the deal. You're on a deadline, and if you get your stuff in late, you're putting the entire process behind schedule. At the same time, you only get paid for the scripts that you turn in, so if you need to pay rent, you'd better get the work in. And finally, vacations are wonderful things, and they're well worth the extra sweat that comes before them!

Okay, back to the march.

Posted by dojosensei at 08:48 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Okay, I know some of you prospects and novices want to enter the dojo because you know that translating is a good way to become best friends with your favorite mangaka.

What you know is wrong.

What being a translator gets you:

Free books (which usually get pretty dog eared during the translation process), a small paycheck, and (most of the time anyway) credit on a front or back page. As far as contact with the artist goes, if you have a vitally important question, you'd send it to your editor. The editor forwards it to the licensing department. If the licensing department thinks it's an important enough question to bother the artist with, they send it to the Japanese publisher's licensing department. If it passes the Japanese publisher's licensing department, then it gets forwarded to the mangaka's editor. And if the editor decides that the mangaka isn't too far behind on his/her deadlines to consider it, he'll pass the question on to the mangaka. The reply goes backwards through the same channels. Even as Director of Editorial, I've only dared this process three times. A large number of questions will get the Japanese publishers, editors and mangaka to question your (the translator's) qualifications.

Oh, if you're a translator of a certain mangaka's book, then you have the excuse of handing him or her your card during conventions and introducing yourself. I guess that's something.

No, translation is not a good way to meet your favorite mangaka. If that's your ambition, then how about licensing? Licensing people have a certain degree of contact with the mangaka. But if you're not completely fluent in business Japanese, then marketing might be a better "in" to meet them. Certainly upper management of a manga company is best, but that's not quite an entry-level position.

I've met quite a few of the mangaka that I've worked with, but none of it had to do with being a translator -- and everything to do with representing my company (Viz at the time) at conventions. I was Toshihiro Ono's bodyguard, Rumiko Takahashi's chauffeur, the babysitter for Kia Asamiya's daughter, and I got interviews with Chiho Saito and Masakazu Katsura. I doubt any of them remember me. Still, I have to admit, it was fun to meet them. But meeting them is not why I went into translation.

Posted by dojosensei at 07:57 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

It takes a little while for the Bookscan results to come in, but since I'm not rich enough to subscribe to the entire Bookscan list, I do the next best thing and subscribe to The Book Standard web magazine so that I can get the Bookscan top 15 for comics and graphic novels every week. The top 15 isn't nearly enough for me. When I was Editor-in-Chief at Viz, I used to receive the top 750 comic and graphic novel report. That one was nice! It really told you what was selling, but more importantly, what wasn't.

Still, getting the top 15 isn't so bad considering that some of my titles appear in it. The downside is that you sign an agreement that you will not reveal the information on the chart. I'm cheating just a little and revealing that something I worked on came in pretty high. Let's cheat a little more. A little less than two months ago, Tsubasa debuted on Bookscan at number 1, and stayed on the top 15 chart for a month. This week xxxHolic debuted on the chart at number 5, which is an excellent position for a seinen manga.

Don't get me wrong. I am in no way implying that my translation made it climb up to number 5 on the chart. Nobody buys a book because they like the translator. (Well, my Mom, maybe...) But what I feel like celebrating is that my translations didn't drag the work down! It may seem like a small victory, but for translators, those are the kind of victories that you savor!

Posted by dojosensei at 09:55 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)