Japanese to English translation with a creative flair and an eye for detail

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livsomms
J>E Translator, Writer, and Game Expert

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Japanese to English translation with a creative flair and an eye for detail

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Translation, Editing/proofreading, Website localization, Software localization, Subtitling, Copywriting, Transcreation

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Games / Video Games / Gaming / Casino	Music
Poetry & Literature	Journalism
Cinema, Film, TV, Drama	Media / Multimedia
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters	Tourism & Travel

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Sample translations submitted: 3

Japanese to English: Excerpt from short story "An Empathy Device" General field: Art/Literary Detailed field: Poetry & Literature
Source text - Japanese An Empathy Device 高槻のぞみ雨は嫌いだ。春の雨は特に。明るいのに、酷く寂しくて、空がずっと悲しんでいるような気がする。生暖かい、水の滴はずっと、体に染みつくよぅで、だんだんと芯までを犯してゆく。拭っても拭っても、足りない。そんな雨の日に。あの人に会った。雨が降つていた。桜の花は潤んだように濡れていて、瞼を重たくしている女の人に似ている。懐の札が濡れていないか気にしながら、雨の中を少歩く。油紙に包まれているから、ある程度の雨は平気だろうが、びしょ濡れになつた札を見る父親の顔が浮かんで、ちょつと憂鬱になつた。「もし」早く帰らねば、自分の予想が本当になつてしまう。「そこの、にいさん」声をかけられて、雨の中を立ち止まる。行き交う人の声にすぐに反応するのはよくない癖だと怒られていたのに。要するに注意散漫なのだ。声の主を探そうと、きょろきょろと振り返る。丁度、貸本屋の軒先に傘を携えた人を見つけた。向こうもやつと気付いた、と笑つている。「なに？」「急がれるんですか？びょしょ濡れやないですか」急いでいるから、濡れるのも構わずに走つているのだ。という顔をしたのだろう。相手はちょつと笑つて傘を差し出した。「もし、よろしければお貸ししますけど？」「あ、でも」傘は一本しかない。いくら春の雨が気まぐれだからと言つて、降り出したばかりの雨がすぐにやむとは思えない。「かましませんよ、迎えに来てもらえば済む事やから」どういう家のものなのだろう。よほどの高貴の家のものか。関西訛りがあるから、昨今京より下ってきた公家の人だろうか。だが目の前にいる、物腰の柔らかな人は自分のそう大差はない身分のような感じもする。「急がれるんでしよう？」「あ、ええ…」「そやったら、持ってった方がええ」「けど、雨、止みそうに無いですよ」「ええです。俺は。それにそんな格好で走ってるの見たら、ほっとけへんわ」何かの縁やろ、と言う笑顔に引き込まれそうになる。明るい草色の鉼は酷く上質のものだ。心臟のあたりがドキドキ卜する。「じゃあ、俺が迎え呼んできましようか」「そんなん、せんでええんや」「でも、いつになるかわかんないでしよう」「ええんや」急に慌てたように、首を振る。「でも…」ロ鼇もりながらも、別に本当にそうしたいと思った訳ではない。只、もう少しこの人と向き合つていたい、と感じたにすぎない。傘を受け取って、じゃあ、とだけではつまらないような気がしただけだ。「あ、じゃあ。この傘、何処に返しに行けばいいですか？」「そんなん、ええわ。あげるし」「駄目ですよ、ただで物を貰うなんて、それじゃお返しも出来ない」「そんなん、気にせんといて。ただ、俺がしたかっただけなんや」「でも。よくないです。貰いっぱなしっていうのは、俺らの性じゃない」江戸っ子としての恥だ。よくない。「俺は、佃の飾り職人の息子で智也って言います。ちゃんと返しに行きますから」まだ、名前も聞いていなかったのだ。だが、相手はちよっと寂しそうな顔をして、首を振った。「構わんといて、別に傘なんて返さんでもええんや。俺の勝手で渡しただけやから」「でも」「雨宿りしたかったんや。それだけなんや。あんたのことは関係ない。ちょつと、ここにいたかつたんや」こことは、只の貸本屋の軒先？「でも、借りっぱなしじや俺が親父に叱られちまう」智也が強引に言うと、彼は長い睫を少し伏せて、ぽつん、と言った。「松岡屋」え、と智也は聞き返した。ぽかんとしていると、彼は少し笑った。「松岡屋に戻しに来てくれればええ。俺はおらんかもしれんけど。茂のや、って言うてくれたらわかるから」「松岡屋、ですね」そうや、と肯き、茂はまた笑った。「もしわかつても、返しに来てくれんても、ええからな」変な事を言う。智也は不思議に思った。店と名前がわかれば、この広い江戸の中とは言え、探せない事はない。「ちやんと返しに行きます」約束をして、智也は父親が痺れを切らしている事を思い出し、家路に急いだ。彼の笑顔はまるで春の雨のようだ。明るいのに、泣いているように見える。しっとりと、体に染み込んでくるようだ。そのことに気が付いたのは、彼と知り合つてもうずっと経ってからだつた。	Translation - English The Rains of Spring Written by Takatsuki Nozomi Tomoya hated the rain. Spring rain most of all. The sky sighing with every drop, unbearably lonely despite the sun sparkling high overhead. Rain. Tepid and heavy, it soaked into your skin all the way to the bone. Again and again you could wipe it away, yet it would never be enough. It had been raining that day too. The day that he’d met him. Tomoya was walking with the receipt from his father’s order pressed near his chest to protect it from the drops of rain falling around him. Pink petals of the cherry trees on either side of the street drooped beneath the steady sprinkle like the heavy eyelids of a young maiden. The rain was no more than a light mist, and Tomoya had wrapped the receipt in oiled paper to protect it from the moisture, but the look on his father’s face should it get wet smouldered in the back of his mind like a gloomy, black cloud. “Excuse me!” The dread in his gut only hastened his feet. If he didn’t move quickly, his father’s glower would become reality. “You there, young man!” His feet came to a stop in the middle of the rain. It was a habit he’d been scolded for many times in the past—stopping at every remark from passers-by in the street. He was “too easily distracted,” his father had told him. Yet even as his father’s words rang out in his head, he found himself turning, eyes searching out the source of the voice that had called to him. He found it in the form of a man holding an umbrella beneath the eaves of the nearby booklender’s. The man laughed when Tomoya finally noticed him. “What is it?” “You’re positively drenched, you know. Are you in a hurry?” No doubt he had looked in a hurry. So much that he hadn’t even cared about the rain. The man smiled, offering him his umbrella. “Why don’t you take my umbrella?” “But you ... I ....” Tomoya balked. The man didn’t appear to have another umbrella, and no matter how temperamental the rains of spring could be, it was highly unlikely a shower that had just begun would suddenly come to a stop. “I can get someone to pick me up. Please, I don’t mind.” The man’s words were laced with the unmistakable dialect of the west. Tomoya had to wonder just whose house he belonged to—a nobleman’s, perhaps? Or one of the court families moved to Tokyo from the old capital? Yet even as Tomoya’s eyes took in the form of the unassuming man in front of him, he couldn’t help the feeling that this man’s place in society was not so different from his own. “You’re in a hurry, aren’t you?” “Well, I … I mean ….” “Then I really think you ought to take it.” “But the, uh, rain … it doesn’t seem like it’s going to let up anytime soon.” “Oh, don’t worry about me.” The man shook his head. “You’re the one running about like that all soaked. I only happened to glance up and see you and, well, I couldn’t just let that go, could I? Perhaps it was some sort of fate.” There was something about his smile that drew Tomoya in, and the rest of him too, all done up in the finest of lush, green kimonos. Tomoya felt his heart pick up. “Why don’t I fetch someone from your house to walk you home?” “Oh no, I couldn’t have you do that.” “But you don’t know how long it will take for someone to come.” “Really, I’m fine.” The man gave a hurried shake of his head, as though suddenly anxious. “B-but really, I ….” Tomoya’s words were getting tangled in his tongue. It wasn’t even so much that he wanted to walk all the way to the other man’s house to find someone, simply that he wanted to spend more time together with the man, if only for a short while. Accepting the umbrella with a curt farewell and moving on with their lives was too anti-climactic for his taste. “Then how about this—you tell me where to return it, and I’ll have it back to you.” “There’s no need for that, I assure you. It’s a gift.” “Absolutely not! I could never accept something for free, especially without a way to pay you back.” “And you should just stop worrying about it! I want you to have it—truly!” “But that’s no good either! It’s not in my nature to simply accept something like this.” And indeed it would be shameful for someone born and raised in Edo. “My name is Tomoya, and I’m the son of an ornament maker in Tsukuda. You have my word that I will return this to you.” Tomoya had yet to even ask for a name. However, the other man simply shook his head softly, face falling and eyes forlorn. “Please, I ask that you pay it no heed. It’s only an umbrella after all, and I gave it to you of my own volition.” “B-but …!” “I was merely taking shelter from the rain, nothing more, and it was certainly nothing to do with you. I wanted to … be here.” Here? But it’s no more than an ordinary booklender’s. Tomoya tried again, more forceful this time. “But my father will beat me for keeping something I’ve borrowed, I’m sure of it.” The other man’s long lashes drooped. Then. With a sigh. “Matsuoka’s.” Tomoya stammered, his mouth agape, to which the other man laughed. “Return it to Matsuoka’s. I might not be there, but just say it’s Shigeru’s.” “Matsu … oka’s?” Shigeru laughed once more with a nod of his head. “Indeed. Whether you understand what that means and don’t return the umbrella is fine.” The words puzzled Tomoya. Strange words that didn’t make sense. Surely if he had both a name and the store, he’d have no trouble finding where to return the umbrella, even within the vastness of the Edo sprawl. “I will return it. You have my word.” As the words left his mouth, the image of his father growing more impatient by the minute sprang into his head, and he turned on his heels, hurrying his way home. Yet the other man’s face would remain in his mind, the same as the spring rain. Vibrant yet melancholy, almost as if crying, and soaking into his skin, all the way to the bone. It was simply a great while before Tomoya came to realize this.
Japanese to English: Excerpt from NTV mook "DASH村開拓記" General field: Marketing Detailed field: Cinema, Film, TV, Drama
Source text - Japanese 新天地での男たちの開拓が始まった。民家を修復し、土地を耕し、そして種をまく。自分たちの村をつくり、地図にのせよう。そんな夢を実現しようとスタートしたＤＡＳＨ村計画。まずは、肝心の村もできていないのに、村長選挙から事業はスタート。２０００年６月５日。インターネットとハガキによる視聴者のみなさんの投票により、初代村長にはアヒル隊長がめでたく当選。福村長には城島茂と山口達也が選ばれた。次は土地探しだ。条件は賃料が３万円であること。そんな安い賃料で借りられる土地などいったいあるのだろうか？そんな心配をよそに、全国各地の不動産屋さんや牧場をまわった城島と山口は、それぞれ一押しの物件を持ち帰ったのだった。山口の物件は１２万坪（約４０万平方メートル）という広さで、眺めも最高だった。賃料は５万円と予定をオーバーしたが、東京ドーム８個分という広大さは魅力だった。だが、かつては石灰岩の採掘場だったという土地は畑には不向きで、しかも木が乏しかった。一方、城島の探しだした物件は、広さこそ１万２０００坪（約４万平方メートル）と山口の物件の１０分の１でしかなかったが、周囲に豊かな縁が広がる里山。賃料も条件に見合った月々２万８０００円という安さ。土地は荒れ放題だったが、土質自体は畑に適しているものだった。そこにはボロボロの民家が一軒ポツンと立ち、小川が一筋、キラキラ輝いて流れていた。２０００年７月２３日。再びインターネットとハガキによる投票を参考に、ＤＡＳＨ村の建設地を最終決定。選ばれたのは城島の見つけた土地だった。そして翌８月。ＤＡＳＨ村建設に向けて、いよいよ男たちの入植が始まった。オンボロ民家を大修復。八木橋の小屋も完成だ。新天地に開拓者としておもむいたのは城島副村長以下ＴＯＫＩおの５人、番組スタッフの清準一郎、そしてシバヤギの八木橋の６人と１頭である。まずはオンボロ民家を修復、生活ができる家へと生まれ変わらせることだ。	Translation - English Breaking ground in an all-new adventure of pioneer prowess! From restoring a run-down house, to plowing the land and planting crops. Putting our name on the map with our very own “village”—it was this dream that first inspired the DASH Village segment. Despite the fact that TOKIO were clueless when it came to village construction, plans were begun with a flourish, and what should come first but a village election! Ballots came in the form of internet submissions and postcards from DASH viewers across Japan, and on June 5th, 2000, a winner was declared. The position of village chief fell to Chief Duck, while the duties of assistant village chief would be split between Joshima Shigeru and Yamaguchi Tatsuya. The next item on the agenda was land. With a monthly cap of 30,000 yen, however, would there even be land available to rent? Putting that aside, Joshima and Yamaguchi struck out across Japan, searching far and wide from real estate dealers to city halls and back again. By the time they returned, both of them had his own recommendation for the future home of the DASH Village. Yamaguchi’s choice was stunning and vast, boasting an area of 120,000 tsubo, or around a hundred acres. One problem, though, was the price—at 50,000 yen, it went well over their 30,000 yen limit. Also, the soil itself wasn’t ideal for growing crops—the location had once been the site of a limestone quarry—and water was scarce. Despite its flaws, however, the abundant land, roughly the size of eight Tokyo Domes, was certainly tempting. On the other hand, Joshima’s choice was much smaller, only a tenth of Yamaguchi’s choice at 12,000 tsubo, or around ten acres. The location though, was more ideal—surrounded on all sides by lush woodlands—and the price-tag came to 28,000 yen a month, just below the 30,000 yen limit. While the land was in a state of disarray, the soil itself was fertile and ripe for planting crops. On top of that, it came with both a run-down old house and a small creek which sparkled and shone beneath the sun. The decision came once more to a vote, and on July 23rd, 2000, the new construction site for the DASH Village was officially determined—Joshima’s choice. With no time to waste, the boys made their first trek to the site in August, ready for their new adventure. The settlement of the DASH Village had begun! Extreme Home Makeover—a lesson in home restoration. Putting the finishing touches on Yagihashi the goat’s pen. The settlers who would make the DASH Village their new home totaled six men and one goat—assistant chief Joshima and the other TOKIO members, DASH staff member Sei Junichiro, and Yagihashi the goat. The first task would be fixing up the run-down house—transforming it from a dilapidated mess into a livable, cozy farm house.
Japanese to English: Excerpt from visual novel game "神聖にして侵すべからず" Detailed field: Games / Video Games / Gaming / Casino
Source text - Japanese 「何もせず、　見守るだけでいいんじゃないかな？　瑠波ちゃんやる気になってるんだし」「だけど、　おぼつかない手つきで色々されるのを、　見ているだけなんて耐えられないよ」「皿洗いとか？」「……」瑠波が皿を落としたり割ったり壊したり滑らせたり飛ばしたり破壊したり…… 「ごめん。　それ以上想像しないでお願いだから」僕は深呼吸して気を落ち着かせた。「実際には　そんなにひどいことにはならないさ。　隼人が手を出してしまうだろうからね」「それがいけないんだろうけど……」「いっそさ。　隼人くんがつきっきりで　特訓してあげたらどう？」「なるほど」「でも、隼人にそこまで特別に労力を割かせるとなると、　瑠波ちゃんの方が気をつかって　『其の様な事をせずとも良い』とか言い出しそうだね」「うーん……。　なるべく手を出さないように努力するしかないか……」「隼人くんだから遠慮するんなら　誰かに頼んだら？」「瑠波が遠慮を感じずに　家事炊事一般を教われる人間がいるかな？」「辻賀崎さんなら」「僕ら連絡先知らないし」「あ、そっか」「簡単だよ。　瑠波ちゃんが彼女に電話をかけた直後にリダイアルすれば。　気づいてたんでしょ？」「あ、その手があった！」「でも……隼人くんは　余程の時じゃないと、　そういうこそこそした手段は使わないか」「……」友人ふたりに、自分がそれなりに評価されていることはうれしくもあり照れもして、僕は咳払い。「あー、隼人くん照れてる」「瑠波の話だと、辻賀崎さん、　結構忙しいらしいんだ」「引き受けてもらえたとしても、　瑠波ちゃんの方が気をつかっちゃいそうだね」「適任な人がいるじゃないか」「え？」「誰？」「操ちゃん」「あ」「ええっ。わ、わたし！？」「だけど、　操は実家の手伝いあるだろ。　そんなこと頼めないよ」「……」「ハヤト。帰るぞ」「おう」「じゃ、また明日」「ん、明日」「瑠波ちゃん。　今日、おじゃましてもいい？」「……どういう風の吹き回しだ？」「だめ……かな？」「駄目と云う訳では無いが…… 　何故急に？」「ええと……思うところがあって」「何だ其れは」「だから、その、あれ！」「あれ？」「お、思うところは思うところだよ。　思わないところじゃないんだから」「訳が判らぬ」操が僕にめくばせしてきた。ぴん、と来た。「宿題でも見たいの？」「えっ……うん、そうそう！」	Translation - English "You don't really need to do anything, do you? Just watching over her is enough for now. She's already motivated, and you encouraging her will only help." "But when I see her having trouble or doing something all clumsy-like, I can't help it! I just have to do something." "Like if she were to wash the dishes?" "…" All of a sudden the image of Ruha dropping, shattering, breaking, and sending our good china all over the place popped into my head. "Oh god. The image you just put in my head!" I took a deep breath to calm myself down, closing my eyes. "It wouldn't be THAT bad, would it? I mean, you'd be there to help her after all." "But I thought I wasn't SUPPOSED to do that …" "Well, how about you just watch over her the entire time? It could be like … a lesson or something!" "Hmm … that's an idea." "Though I feel like at that point, Ruha herself wouldn't want to be a bother to YOU anymore, and would tell you to let her do it on her own." "Argh … it's gonna be really REALLY tough for me to not interfere." "Well, what about if somebody ELSE watched over her? Then she'd be less likely to do that." "But is there anyone else who could teach Ruha cooking and kitchen stuff? And who wouldn't give in if she told them she was fine?" "What about Tsujigasaki?" "Yeah, but I don't have her number." "Hmm, that would make it harder …" "I've got an idea. We wait until Ruha calls her at one point, then immediately redial!" "That could work!" "Though … unless Hayato has a lot of free time, I don't know if we could pull it off." "…" It felt weird for the both of them to be talking about me as if I wasn't there. I felt my ears grow warm. "Hayatoooo, you're blushiiiing …" "I-I don't know if it would work anyway! From what Ruha's said, apparently Tsujigasaki is pretty busy." "Hmm, and now that I'm thinking about it, I feel like Ruha might object after all. She wouldn't want Tsujigasaki to go out of her way for her." "I think all of us are overlooking the fact that we already have the perfect person." "What do you mean?" "Who?" "Our very own Misao!" "Ahhh … huh!" "W-w-wait! Me?" "But I'm sure she has plenty of work to do at her own place, right? It wouldn't be fair asking her to do all that." "…" "Hayato, are you ready to go?" "Ready as I'll ever be." "See you two tomorrow then!" "See ya." "Hey Ruha. Do you suppose maybe, I mean … that I could, you know … come over? Tonight?" "… is there something you need?" "Err, no, I just …" "I have no problem with it, of course, but why all of a sudden like this?" "Well, see I … I just … THOUGHT of something! Yes, thought!" "And what was that?" "Oh, you know, a wonderful, nice, cozy little thought, all wrapped up in its thoughtly blankets …" "I'm confused?" "A- … a great thought! An amazing thought! Something no one has ever thought of before!" "And are you going to TELL me this thought?" Misao looked over to me as if for help, and an idea popped into my head. "Ah, did you wanna compare homework?" "A-ah, yes!! Yes! That exactly! That was the thought."

Master's degree - Kent State University

Years of experience: 13. Registered at ProZ.com: Feb 2013.

N/A

Japanese to English (Kent State University)

N/A

English and Japanese translation

Adobe Photoshop, memoQ, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office Pro, Microsoft Word, Trados Studio

CV available upon request

livsomms endorses ProZ.com's Professional Guidelines (v1.1).

Bio

My name is Liv, and I am a Japanese to English translator and English editor and writer. My specialties lie in video game translation and localization, literary translation, TV/film subtitling, and marketing translation/copywriting.

I have a Master of Arts in Japanese translation from Kent State University and extensive experience in the gaming industry.

Tasks I have performed both in-house and as a freelancer:

localization, transcreation, editing, and proofreading of English in-game texts originally translated from Korean, Chinese, and Japanese
translation of in-game texts from Japanese to English
translation of full-length novels
scenario/copywriting of in-game texts
copywriting of game marketing, promotional, and social media materials
translation of game marketing materials from Japanese to English
artistic direction of voice over recording for games
voice acting of multiple characters for games
localization QA
translation, subtitling, typesetting, and timing for game promotional videos, TV series, and full-length films

Examples and reviews of my in-game work can be found on my LinkedIn page.
My CV is available upon request (I've not included a direct download to protect myself from identity theft).

This user has earned KudoZ points by helping other translators with PRO-level terms. Click point total(s) to see term translations provided.

Total pts earned: 8 (All PRO level)
Language (PRO)
Japanese to English	8
Top general field (PRO)
Tech/Engineering	8
Top specific field (PRO)
Education / Pedagogy	4
Engineering: Industrial	4
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Profile last updated
Mar 18, 2022

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