Alan Thwaits
Chinese and Japanese translator for history, classics, art
Chinese translation, Japanese translation
I offer Chinese-to-English translation and Japanese-to-English translation. With my extensive English editorial experience, I can provide you with high-quality English. I also have considerable translation experience in many academic subjects, especially philosophy, history, art, China, and Japan, and am confident that I can deliver accurate translations in these fields.
Fields of translation
Most proficient at translating art, history, philosophy, and intellectual history, but also competent at translating archaeology, economics, and religion. Can translate both Chinese and Japanese, so I am especially useful at translating Japanese essays on China and Chinese essays on Japan. Can also handle literary Chinese and essays that quote the Chinese classics.
Experience
In 1979–1981, translated Japanese for two years in Tokyo. In 2003, began translating Chinese and Japanese as a freelance. My clients include publishers, scholars, art dealers, and translation companies. For more on my background, please see Alan’s copyediting and translating experience.
Chinese-to-English translations
Experienced in the following fields:
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• Aesthetics • Antique furniture • Biographies of scientists • Classics • Daoism • Economics • Fiction set in the Qing period • Imperial seals • Literary Chinese • Musical performances |
• Paintings • Poetry • Porcelain • Qing women’s court apparel and accessories • Scholars’ rocks • Scientific ethics • Television programming • Traditional Chinese law |
To view samples of my translations from Chinese, please visit seal, calligraphy, painting, economic translation snippets. For the titles of essays that I have translated from Chinese, please see Alan’s translations in history, art, and the classics.
Japanese-to-English translations
Experienced in the following fields:
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• Ceramics • Economic history • History of East Asian education • History of Japanese Sinology • Japanese painting (Nihonga) • Japanese swords |
• Naval history • Peintures de moeurs • Traditional mathematics • Ukiyo-e artists • War artifacts |
To view examples of my translations from Japanese, please see ceramic, painting, philosophy, economic translation snippets. For the titles of essays that I have translated from Japanese, please see Alan’s translations in history, art, and the classics.
Specialized reference works used
My library includes dictionaries for the arts, history, literature, philosophy, architecture, and titles and the bureaucracy, for both China and Japan. I also have books for converting traditional dates, dictionaries of variant characters, dictionaries of literary Chinese and classical Japanese, and, for publication style, The Chicago Manual of Style.
In-house translating
Assistant Editor at Japan Echo, Tokyo, 1979–1981. Translated Japanese articles on the economy and politics of Japan for Japan Echo, Pacific Friend, Press Guide, and Information Bulletin. Translated a portion of Kura: The Japanese Storehouse.
Language study
• Modern Japanese at the International Christian University, Tokyo, 1970–1971.
• Four years of modern Chinese at Harvard University, 1990–1993.
• Modern Chinese at the Harbin Institute of Technology, 1993.
• Two years of classical Chinese at Harvard University, 1993–1995.
Computer
• Can work with MS Word, PDF, Excel, JPEG, GIF, and TIFF files.
• Can receive and deliver projects by e-mail.
• Immediately receive and reply to e-mail when working.
• Use a Dell computer running Windows 7.
• Connected via a high-speed Internet connection.
Payment
I can receive payment by check in U.S. dollars, international bank transfer, and credit card.
Alan Thwaits ()