Useful Japanese Phrase: “tabete iku” (食べていく）
In this article I wanted to go over a Japanese phrase that I think is used fairly commonly in everyday conversation, 食べていく (tabete iku).
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New Anime Review: “Cagaster of an Insect Cage” (虫籠のカガステル)
These days for a variety of reasons I rarely watch anime, or even live-action shows for that matter. But I ended up with a Netflix account through a promotional deal and wanted to take a break between translation projects, so I decided to check out a few episodes of random anime series on there that… Read More »
The full story about the “~kaba” (〜かば) particle combination.
Yesterday I made a post about the “~kaba” particle combination that you can see here. But you may have realized that yesterday was April 1, and it turns out this post was actually an April Fool’s joke. The “~kaba” particle combination doesn’t actually exist. Having said that, besides “kaba” itself much of the content in… Read More »
Japanese particle combination: “~kaba” (〜カバ)
(Note: this post was an April fools joke. Please see this post for more details). I enjoy getting deep in Japanese grammar not only because of the challenge but because it helps me have a deep understanding of whatever I am reading or listening to. It also provides a good foundation for doing accurate translations.… Read More »
Want to actually *use* Japanese without any native speakers nearby? Just ask your PC!
One of the biggest challenges when learning a foreign language, especially if you are going the self-taught route, is that it’s hard to find situations where proper use of the language actually matters. If you can interact with native speakers on a frequent basis, or even better, live in a country filled with such native… Read More »
The Three Classes of Translation Errors and How to Reduce Them
For everyone out there doing translations––whether you’re an experienced career translator or a student just getting your feet wet––producing translations with a minimum of mistakes is surely high on your list of priorities. Notice I didn’t use the word “correct”. That’s because nearly all translations have a strong element of subjectivity and style in them.… Read More »
Don’t underestimate Japanese particles!
In this post I emphasize the importance of a good understanding of Japanese, and give a few examples where the change of a particle makes a big difference.
Expressing plurality in Japanese: the full story
Unlike the “-s” suffix in English, Japanese doesn’t have an all-purpose way to make words plural. But that doesn’t mean there are no plural words in Japanese; in fact, there are quite a few, and a few patterns that are helpful to learn. In this post I want to talk about expressing plurality in Japanese… Read More »
Ukemi: Aikido and the art of rolling with the punches
A discussion about “ukemi” (受け身), a core part of aikido and one of the things I really enjoy about this traditional Japanese martial art.
Thoughts for the new year: Satisfaction vs. Enjoyment (and language learning)
I’ve been a fairly avid reader all of my life, but I’ve found that after a few months has passed I tend to remember only a small fraction of what I read––perhaps because of my reading speed. Or maybe it’s just how my mind works. While a majority of my reading time has been devoted… Read More »