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aran
28th January 2002, 00:56
Hi -

I'm a British kenshi (now shodan) who's just returned to the UK after five years in Japan.

The other day a few of us were chatting about the lack of an English translation for the three-volume goho/juho photo guide recently published by Baseball Magazine. Having studied Japanese fairly intensely, I'd be happy to write out an unofficial translation - primarily for UK friends who've bought the books but are currently limited to staring at the pictures (great pictures, an' all, but...).

However, rather than plod through all three books myself - which might take a loooong time - I wondered if anyone else out there had made a start, or would be interested in carving up the techniques between us. In particular, to write a translation that serves as a decent explanation it certainly helps to be familiar with each technique, so if someone else could tackle nidan and above that would make a lot of sense.

...and if anyone has advice on what should be clarified with respect to copyright, or what disclaimers are needed in case someone accidentally types "murder" where the Japanese said "meuchi"... then please let us know.

Thanks

Aran Lunzer
London

Jeff Hamacher
28th January 2002, 01:38
Aran,

i think that your intentions are laudable, but i suspect that you could get yourself into a world of trouble with copyright laws if your translation work goes beyond any document for your own personal use. i'm afraid that i'm no authority on these issues, but i would strongly recommend that you cross-post to the Research Methods forum to sound out some folks who would know what they're on about with copyright and publishing. that said, best of luck with the project; perhaps you might eventually convince the original publisher to buy your translation!

luar
28th January 2002, 02:29
Well copyright laws vary from country to country and I do happen to know that the UK's copyright laws are nowhere as stringent as the US. In either case, what Aran proposes is not illegal since we are not talking about any exchange of money. But in either case, we should be ethical about these things and follow Hombu's policy about these things. On the other hand, if Hombu knew this was going on, it might leverage them to think that they should start thinking about an English translation.


I just ordered these books from a local Japanese bookstore. What I would like see someone like Aran do is to write an English index of table of contents. I have not seen the books but I know that sometimes the photos are not as clear to everyone. That could start as a foundation for any future projects.

Kimpatsu
28th January 2002, 05:43
Gassho.
I've approached Hombu several times about translating Shorinji Kempo books, but each time I've been met with polite indifference. If you want to start translating a book, however, speak to Mizuno Sensei first. This is about copyright; it's about good manners. Ask permission first.
Kesshu.

Sammy Briggs
28th January 2002, 20:29
Just as a side note, I believe that on the British Shorinji Kempo home page (look under "news"), they state that an updated version of the Fukudoku hon may be under way, and two more Juho series of books are scheduled to be released later this year.

Sammy Briggs

shugyosha
31st January 2002, 16:23
grat idea!
you can find many juho goho translated in kenseikai hp
(find the link in bskf.org)
strange think is that knowledge seems to be rarely put down in
writing about shorinji kempo
only book i have found was in french by harbeseter

jimi demi