On this episode of the Japan Station podcast, we’re talking about translation, learning Japanese and more with translator/podcaster Jenn O’Donnell.
About Anna Lughezzani
Jenn O’Donnell is a Japanese to English translator and podcaster. She lives in Osaka where she works as a Localization Director for a video game company. She also produces the podcasts The Translation Chat and Otafu Susume.
Topics Discussed
- About how it was that Jenn began learning Japanese
- Working on farms in Fukuoka
- Learning Japanese as someone with dyslexia
- On the struggle to get work as a Japanese-English translator
- On becoming a freelance Japanese to English translator
- About some of the pitfalls often seen in media translation
- False friends in Japanese/English
- Denotation vs connotation
- Examples of some Japanese to English translations Jenn enjoys
- About the Miracles at the Namie General Store translation
- About the English translation of The Miracles at the Namiya General Store
- About the English translation of the All You Need Is Kill novel
- About translating a novel vs manga/anime/light novels
- About The Translation Chat podcast
- About the Recommendation from My Otaku Spouse (Otafu Susume) podcast
- About The Faraway Paladin (Saihate no Paradin)
- And much more!
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Support on Patreon & Ko-fi
If you enjoy Japan Station and want to ensure that we’re able to produce more episodes, then please consider becoming a patron on Patreon.com. For a minimum pledge of $1 a month you’ll get early access to all JapanKyo podcasts, bonus content, and more. And for $3 a month, you’ll get access to Japanese Plus Alpha, a podcast produced by me (Tony Vega) that focuses on the Japanese language and all of its fascinating quirks. Also, all pledges get a shout-out on the show and my undying gratitude. Thank you in advance!
You can also do a one time donation via Ko-fi.
Links, Videos, Etc.
Check out the list below for links to the websites, podcats, and articles mentioned in this episode.
- Japanese Talk Online
- Where Jenn writes about learning Japanese
- J-EN Translations
- Where Jenn writes about translation
- An article about Jenn’s experiences participating in WOOF/working in farms in Japan
- An article about the English translation of the All You Need Is Kill novel
- The Translation Chat Podcast
- Recommendation from My Otaku Spouse (Otafu Susume)
Check out the episode of Japan Station featuring Dr. Wesley Robertson.
Don’t forget to listen to the latest episodes of Ichimon Japan.
- What katakana words do you hate? (Funny/confusing/annoying katakana words) | Ichimon Japan 56
- Why is Argentina “Aruzenchin” in Japanese? | Ichimon Japan 57
If you would like to support the show by picking up some merchandise, make sure to visit KimitoDesigns.com.
Special Thanks
Opening/Closing song: Oedo Controller (大江戸コントローラー) by Yunomi featuring Toriena (Used with permission from Yunomi) To listen to more of Yunomi’s music, check out his Soundcloud page or YouTube channel.
Japan Station cover art: Provided by Erik R.
Featured image: Courtesy of Jenn O’Donnell
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Full Show Notes
Get the full version of show notes at https://japankyo.com/category/podcasts/japanstation/
