Ebook Checklist: 30+ tips for better Ebooks
In this post I give over 30 tips to help with the process of converting content to an Ebook which will be published on Amazon KDP, based on my experiences making several such Ebooks.
Category Archives: General
Japanese Book Release: Classic Japanese Fairy Tales (Volume 3), by Mimei Ogawa
I’ve published another volume of fairy tales by Mimei Ogawa, father of modern Japanese children’s literature. The stories are listed in bilingual Japanese/English.
Tips for teaching your child a second language
In this essay (3k+ words) I talk in detail about introducing a child to a second language, using things I have gathered from my own experiences or picked up from other places.
Japanese expression: 疲れにくくなる(tsukare nikuku naru)
The Japanese language has a small number of verb tenses, but in place of those are various combinations of words that can be tricky to understand and translate. In this article I’d like to go over the phrase 疲れにくくなる(tsukare nikuku naru) that combines three words to create one idea. First I’d like to review the… Read More »
Japanese word 構成 (kousei) and its use in the IT industry
When learning a foreign language, there are words you can guess from the context and others that can be figured out with a quick trip to the dictionary. However, once in a while you discover a word that remains perplexing even after you read about what it’s supposed to mean. This article is about one… Read More »
50+ Japanese Grammatical Patterns: an experiment in translation
In this post I illustrate 50+ sentence patterns in Japanese using example sentences and English translations. The examples are minimal and the focus is on how small changes (especially involving particles) can lead to very different meanings.
Japanese Slang Term: yosage （良さげ）
While I believe it’s a good idea to learn fundamentals of a language in a relatively formal setting like a classroom or at least using a textbook, often expressions that are considered slang will be omitted or deemphasized in those forums. That’s why I think it’s good to actively seek out slang expressions that you… Read More »
Japanese キャンディ (kyandi) vs. Western “Candy”
I’m a pretty serious sweet tooth, to the extent that some years ago I maintained a blog about reviewing sweet products. But recently I realized I was misunderstanding a Japanese word related to sweets so I thought I would post about my experience. The other day when I was speaking in Japanese, I used the… Read More »
Self Taught Japanese to Begin Online Japanese Classes [BETA]
Because of the unfortunate situation in the world at this time, many people are turning to online options to continue their learning, social interactions, or even exercise. Blogs like this one already take advantage of the internet, and if anything I have seen a rise in hits over the last few weeks. But I’ve been… Read More »
Japanese Literature Review: “Twins Teleport Tale” (フーガはユーガ) by Kotaro Isaka (伊坂幸太郎)
After a few months focusing on a classical Japanese translation project without much time spent on reading modern Japanese, I was eager to get started on “Twins Teleport Tale” by Kotaro Isaka, which I had picked up in my local Kinokuniya store late last year on a sale. My reasons for purchasing this book were… Read More »