Alan Thwaits

Chinese and Japanese translator for history, classics, art

Summary

• Considerable experience in translating Chinese and Japanese.
• Extensive editing experience at MIT, in Japan, and as a freelance.
• Have done rewriting and substantive editing.
• PhD in philosophy.

Freelance translating

Kansai University, 2010–present
Translate Japanese and Chinese academic papers on East Asian intellectual history.

Sotheby’s, 2007–present
Translate research on Chinese art.

Freelance editing

COP10, 2010
Edited, translated, and proofread a booklet on biodiversity in Japan for the Tenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, held in Nagoya in 2010. This booklet was written by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan and published in cooperation with the publisher Heibonsha.

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 English copyediting

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.

In-house translating

Assistant Editor, 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.

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. My dissertation discussed propositional attitudes and referential transparency/opacity.
MA in philosophy, Claremont Graduate University, 1978.
BA in history, Drew University, 1973.