CHINESE AND JAPANESE FREELANCE TRANSLATOR

LANGUAGES

Japanese to English, Chinese to English (native English speaker)

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

Art, philosophy, history, China, Japan

AREAS OF COMPETENCE

Archaeology, economics, religion, law

EXPERIENCE

In 1979-1981 I translated Japanese for two years in Tokyo. In 2003 I began translating Chinese and Japanese as a free lance. My clients include publishers, scholars, art dealers, and translation companies.

CHINESE TRANSLATIONS

Experienced in the following fields:
• Antique Chinese furniture
• Biographies of Chinese scientists
• Chinese aesthetics
• Chinese economics
• Chinese fiction set in the Qing period
• Chinese imperial seals
• Chinese musical performances
• Chinese paintings
• Chinese poetry
• Chinese porcelain
• Daoism
• Literary Chinese
• Qing women's court apparel and accessories
• Scholars' rocks
• Scientific ethics
• Television programming
• Traditional Chinese law

JAPANESE TRANSLATIONS

Experienced in the following fields:
• Chinese ceramics
• History of East Asian education
• History of Japanese Sinology
• Japanese ceramics
• Japanese economic history
• Japanese naval history
• Japanese painting (Nihonga)
• Japanese swords
• Japanese traditional mathematics
• Japanese ukiyo-e artists
• Japanese war artifacts
• Peintures de moeurs

IN-HOUSE TRANSLATING

Assistant Editor at Japan Echo, Tokyo, 1979-1981. Translated 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. (Japanese to English)

CHINESE PUBLICATIONS

"Wo de zizhuan," Meizhou Shibao, 21-27 March 2003. Written in classical Chinese.
"Wo qu le yige Zhongguo qizi," Xin Dalu, 26 January 2000. Also published in Boshidun Jishi Bao, 23 February-1 March 2000, and Remin Ribao, Haiwai Ban, 16 May 2003.
"Wo de yisheng," Boshidun Jishi Bao, 26 January-1 February 2001.
"Wo de meimei," Boshidun Jishi Bao, 12 December-4 January 2001.

LANGUAGE STUDY

• Modern Japanese at the International Christian University (ICU), Tokyo, 1970-1971.
• Modern Chinese at the Harbin Institute of Technology, 1993.
• Four years of modern Chinese and two years of classical Chinese at Harvard University, 1990-1996.

SPECIALIZED REFERENCE WORKS USED

Zhongguo yishu baike cidian (art), Zhongguo meishu da cidian (fine arts), Zhongguo gu jianzhu shuyu cidian (Chinese classical architecture), Zhongguo lishi da cidian (Chinese history), Zhongguo wenxue da cidian (Chinese literature), Zhexue da cidian (philosophy), Zhongguo lidai guanzhi da cidian (traditional Chinese offices and titles), Jianming guhanyu zidian (classical Chinese), Nihon bijutsu yogo jiten (a dictionary of Japanese art terms), Shogakkan kokugo dai jiten (a Japanese encyclopedic dictionary)

FULL-TIME OR PART-TIME

Full-time freelance translator and editor

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 XP. Connected via a high-speed Internet connection.

PAYMENT

Can receive payment by check in U.S. dollars, international bank transfer, and credit card.

With my extensive translating and editorial experience, I can provide you with quality translations in many academic subjects, especially philosophy, history, art, China, and Japan. I welcome the opportunity to work for you and am confident that I can deliver a quality product.

Alan Thwaits
66 Hopedale St., Boston, MA 02134

SUMMARY

• Considerable experience in translating Chinese and Japanese.
• Have published in Chinese.
• Extensive editing experience at MIT, in Japan, and as a free lance.
• PhD in philosophy.

IN-HOUSE TRANSLATING

ASSISTANT EDITOR  JAPAN ECHO, TOKYO  1979-1981
Translated 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. (Japanese to English)

FREELANCE EDITING

JOURNAL OF CULTURAL INTERACTION IN EAST ASIA  2009-present
Edit academic papers on cultural interaction among the countries of East Asia.

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS  2006-present
Edit encyclopedia articles on primarily on East Asian history for content and style.

GALE CENGAGE LEARNING  2004-present
Edit encyclopedia articles on history, philosophy, thought, ethics, and psychoanalysis for content and style. Worked for such imprints as Macmillan Reference and Charles Scribner's Sons.

NIIT  2003
Edited a variety of textbooks on information technology and business for style and presentation.

UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO PRESS  1978
Copyedited Labor and Management, edited by Keiichiro Nakagawa, 1979.

IN-HOUSE EDITING

EDITOR  THE MIT PRESS  1988-2003
Edited the press's most technical books primarily in cognitive science, psychology, philosophy, and linguistics, and on occasion in biology, physics, logic, economics, political science, and the history of science. Marked technical mathematics, logic, and linguistics.

EDITOR  PRESS INTERNATIONAL, TOKYO  1977-1979
Edited economic and business articles for China Newsletter, Focus Japan, and the White Paper on International Trade. Translated a portion of "The Other Side of the Twain," a series in the Mainichi Daily News.

TEACHING

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR in philosophy at California State University at Northridge, 1988. Taught General Logic.
LECTURER in philosophy at the California State University at San Bernardino, 1984. Taught Argument and Evidence.
INSTRUCTOR for the Chapman College University Education Program, 1974. Taught Ethics.

LANGUAGES

CHINESE Professional translator
JAPANESE Professional translator
FRENCH Proficient in speaking and reading
GERMAN A reading knowledge

EDUCATION

PHD in philosophy, Claremont Graduate University, 1988. Area of specialization: philosophy of language.
MA in philosophy, Claremont Graduate University, 1978.
BA in history, Drew University, 1973.
STUDIED CHINESE at Harvard University, 1990-1996. Four years of modern Chinese and two years of classical Chinese.
STUDIED MODERN CHINESE at Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China, 1993.
STUDIED JAPANESE HISTORY AND LANGUAGE at the International Christian University, Tokyo, 1970-1971.

FREELANCE TRANSLATING

CHINESE TRANSLATIONS

"Viewing a Remnant of the Sixth Scroll of The Kangxi Emperor's Southern Tour" (Chinese court painting, Chinese to English translation). 2010.

Three bronze inscriptions, on a ding and two gui (Zhou bronze inscriptions, Chinese to English translation). 2010.

"The Qianlong Emperor's Seal 'Treasure of Concern over Phenomena at Eighty' " (Chinese imperial seal, Chinese to English translation). 2009.

"The Qianlong Seal 'Treasure of the Hall of Diligent Government in the West Garden' " (Chinese imperial seal, Chinese to English translation). 2009.

"A New Population Theory," by Ma Yinchu. (Chinese economics and population policy, Chinese to English translation). 2009.

"Palace Furniture Lacquerware." (Chinese court furniture, Chinese to English translation). 2009.

"An Empirical Analysis of Income Inequality between a Minority and the Majority in an Urban Area: The Case of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region" (Chinese economics, Chinese to English translation). 2008.

"The Grand Review" (Chinese court painting, Chinese to English translation). 2008.

"Dong Bangda's Zhongqiu shiyi tu (Mid-autumn Poetic Painting)" (Chinese court painting, Chinese to English translation). 2008.

"The Way Follows What Is Natural" (Chinese aesthetics, scholars' stones, Chinese to English translation). 2008.

"Desk Screen Resembling a Splashed-Ink Painting of a Landscape of Cloud-Covered Mountains" (Chinese furniture, Chinese to English translation). 2007.

"It Is Easy to Enter the Realm of the Strange; One Merely Has to Appreciate an Object’s Beauty" (Chinese aesthetics, painting; literary Chinese to English translation). 2007.

Three descriptions of scholars' rocks: "Xuanzhi xiu" (Mountain Peak Shaped like Black Magical Fungus of Chinese Medicine), "Dongtian xiu" (Daoist Caves), "Yunwu feng" (Mountain Peak Dancing among the Clouds) (scholars' stones, Chinese to English translation). 2007.

Two traditional Chinese poems on a pair of bowls (Chinese poetry, Chinese to English translation). 2007.

Five articles on traditional Chinese law: "Deposit: Chinese Law," "Hire: Chinese Law," "Loan: Chinese Law," "Partnership: Chinese Law," and "Sale: Sale of Land in Chinese Law" (Chinese legal history, Chinese to English translation). 2007.

A large portion of Zhangzhou yao (Zhangzhou kilns) (Chinese ceramics, archaeology; Chinese to English translation). 2006.

"Sah, Peter P. T." and "Hou, Te-pang" (history of science, Chinese to English translation). 2006.

A portion of the novel Yongzheng huangdi (The Yongzheng Emperor), by Eryuehe (Chinese literature, Chinese to English translation). 2006.

"Celebrating Chinese Women" (Qing women's court apparel, Chinese to English translation). 2006.

Introduction to Huan wu Laozi, a new interpretation of Laozi (Chinese philosophy, Chinese to English translation). 2005.

The standards of scientific integrity of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (Chinese ethics of science, Chinese to English translation). 2004.

A pamphlet on programming for China Central Television (CCTV) (general, Chinese to English translation). 2003.

Chinese newspaper articles on the performances of an erhu (Chinese fiddle) player (music, Chinese to English translation). 2002.

Chinese newspaper articles on the performances of a yangqin (Chinese-hammer-dulcimer) player (Chinese music, Chinese to English translation). 2000.

JAPANESE TRANSLATIONS

"The Development of Naito Konan's Progressive View of History: A Point of Convergence with Zhang Xuecheng's Wen shi tong yi" (history of Japanese Sinology, Japanese to English translation). 2010.

"Naito Konan and the Eastern Cultural League: Pan-Asianism in the Early Showa Period" (history of Japanese Sinology, Japanese to English translation). 2010.

"The Private Academies of East Asia" (history of East Asian education, Japanese to English translation). 2010.

On the history and aesthetics of Japanese swords (Japanese art history, Japanese to English translation). 2007.

Japanese war artifacts (Japanese history, Japanese to English translation). 2007.

An essay on Japanese painting (Nihonga) (Japanese art history, Japanese to English translation). 2007.

"Goshu akae ni tsuite" (Red-Design Swatow Ware), by Hasebe Gakuji (ceramics, Japanese to English translation). 2006.

Essays on peintures des moeurs (Japanese art history, Japanese to English translation). 2006.

A research paper on Indian castes (Indian social history, Japanese to English translation). 2005.

"Hokusai" (history of Japanese art, Japanese to English translation). 2005.

"Kure" (a naval port) (Japanese naval history, Japanese to English translation). 2005.

"Marine Artists: Japanese" (history of Japanese art, Japanese to English translation). 2005.

"Togo Heihachiro" (Japanese naval history, Japanese to English translation). 2005.

"Yokosuka" (Japanese naval history, Japanese to English translation). 2005.