Jordan Taylor
@jt-translates.bsky.social
Japanese to English literary translator with a love for sci-fi and fantasy | SFとファンタジーが好きな和英文芸翻訳者 www.jordan-taylor.me
Periodic reminder that the TELL Lifeline is a free English phone and chat line that is a resource if you or someone you know is suicidal or you need information about other mental health support in Japan. You are never alone, even in Japan. telljp.com/lifeline/
The English Speaking Lifeline in Japan - TELL Japan
TELL Lifeline has been providing connections and support to people across Japan for 47 years. You don’t have to be suicidal to reach out.
telljp.com
If you happen to be in Tokyo in early Nov check out this amazingly cool awesomely rad event all about translating Japanese lit to English (please go and tell me how it is because I'll miss this two years in a row because of the whole "not living in Japan" problem): parallelwords-2.peatix.com
Parallel Words: The Mysteries of Translation
Event Description The boom in Japanese translated literature has only gained steam since o...
parallelwords-2.peatix.com
@europaeditions.bsky.social has been a solid source of Japanese literary fiction in translation, introducing authors like Mieko Kawakami to the English-speaking world. I'm not the only one who will no longer review or promote their editions if they're being translated by AI.
Jenny with a Green Ribbon Around Her Neck@readingtheend.bsky.social · last wk.oh my God. this is all so fucking dystopian. this bit in particular really got me:
I will serving as the mentor for Japanese strand. Please apply and encourage others in your network to apply!❤️
American Literary Translators Association@littranslate.bsky.social · 2w ago📣 UPDATE! ALTA is delighted to announce that the 2027 Emerging Translator Mentorship Program submission portals are open - and now include a mentorship in Polish with Bill Johnston! See more details, and apply by November 30: buff.ly/LRfX9nP
Open to all who've worked with UK publishers, not just UK-based translators!
The Society of Authors@societyofauthors.bsky.social · 3w agoToday we have also launched the Translators Association Literary Translations Rates survey, which seeks to get a better and up-to-date understanding of the rates and income translators receive when signing an agreement with a UK publisher. Complete the survey here: buff.ly/EE3ygLg
Thank you for the lovely review of The Keeper of the Camphor Tree @kathrynthehuman.bsky.social! It's always nice to hear that someone who's read both the Japanese and the English enjoyed the translation as well. japaneselit.net/2026/09/26/t...
The Keeper of the Camphor Tree
Keigo Higashino’s 2020 novel The Keeper of the Camphor Tree is a supernatural mystery about a young man finding his path in life as he attempts to uncover the secrets of a giant tree with magical p…
japaneselit.net
The European Commission is developing a strategy on AI for the cultural and creative sectors and put out a call for evidence in July 2026. @iti-uk.bsky.social submitted a response drawing on the translation profession's experience of the impact of AI. www.iti.org.uk/resource/ai-...
AI Strategy for the Cultural and Creative Sectors
ITI's response to the European Commission's Call for Evidence on the proposed AI Strategy for the Cultural and Creative Sectors
iti.org.uk
Less than 2 months ago, my translation of The Keeper of the Camphor Tree by Keigo Higashino was published. I didn't speak with him directly while I worked on it, but I felt like I connected with him through translating his work, and maybe that's why I feel so heartbroken to hear of his passing.
Book review: A beautiful setting where a girl's very existence threatens the narrative of the church of the land. jordan-taylor.me/blog.php?art... #JapaneseBooks #BookReview #Fantasy #YoungAdult
To Where the Sacred Butterflies Soar Review
<p>Jade and Luklan are a young pair of partners chosen by God to join the ranks of warriors that protect the sacred butterflies that rise from the depths of the world to pollinate the land's most important staple food from the shadow moths, dark creatures that feed on the butterflies. Luklan, however, is unable to fight as the fire that announces each wave of butterflies bewitches her. As she and Jade worry about their position among the warriors' ranks, they work on solving the puzzle of her condition, the answer which might have dramatic implications for the Church and the meaning of light and dark.</p>
jordan-taylor.me
Someone posted the other day that they turned on the printer and it just printed the thing. I wish I had their luck.
Cat at Yomikai posted another book review and I can't get over how poignant this book sounds: #JapaneseBooks #BookReview yomikai123.wordpress.com/2026/06/12/l...
Little Birds | ことり Review
Title: ことり [Little Birds]Author: Yoko OgawaPublisher: Asahi Shimbun Shuppan (2016)English translation: None at present Review contains some plot spoilers (though the book isn’t particularly depende…
yomikai123.wordpress.com
I loved Pandora (music) for the fact that it doesn't mix up my music tastes. I listen to relaxing instrumental stuff when editing, metal most other times. I can't have them mixed up like most apps do now. I guess this is just another reason to actually buy my own music and curate it myself...
New review! Shifting perspectives jump through various experiences of Okinawa residents from WWII onwards. It's weirder than it sounds. #BookReview #JapaneseBooks #Okinawa jordan-taylor.me/blog.php?art...
The Moon Runs as the Horse Runs Review
<p>An Okinawan boy with mixed American-Okinawan ancestry runs to the ocean with his friend to play during Obon. A soldier from the war finds a woman with her baby begging for help. A woman defies her ...
jordan-taylor.me
Kinokuniya Singapore did this gorgeous special edition of one of my books, The Keeper of the Camphor Tree. You can't see in this picture, but the illustration continues onto the edges of the pages! You can see more on their Insta: www.instagram.com/p/DYVxCp5hR18/
New book review, with a horror book where the best dad in the world is hunted by a creature of nightmares. Or is he the best? jordan-taylor.me/blog.php?art... #BookReview #Horror #JapaneseBooks
The Bogiwan Comes Review
<p>When Hideki was a boy left alone at his grandmother's house with his infirm grandfather, a visitor comes asking after her. It isn't until the visitor asks for Hideki's dead uncle that Hideki realiz...
jordan-taylor.me
Is there a word more ridiculously spelled than "diarrhoea"?
One of the many problems with all these AI generated articles online now is it's a lot of text that doesn't answer the question in the title. I thought recipes where the author talked about their great grandma was bad, now we have AI giving you a novel and yet still never getting to the point.
I'm sitting here staring at a kanbun text from the year 807 like it will magically make more sense the more I stare at it. I understand the words (I think), I understand the order (I think) and yet...I do not understand.
New review! A middle schooler moves to a rural town only to experience violent local customs and bloody murders that may or may not involve demons. #JapaneseBooks #BookReview #Horror #Mystery jordan-taylor.me/blog.php?art...
Fallen Angels and Torture Review
<p>Middle-schooler Takuma is forced to move in with his aunt and grandmother in a tiny mountain town after his parents' death. His time at school gets off to a bad start when a classmate accuses him o...
jordan-taylor.me
"I really need to read a specific book for work." *Looks longingly at tote bag full of other books*
Is it just me or is the LBF website not great this year? I'm getting 404 errors, I can't find where to add things to my schedule manually (they had that function last year), the Plan Your Visit Page mentions a Visitor Guide that doesn't seem to exist, the floorplan is...simple.
Cat over at Yomikai has another Japanese book review! An autistic boy gets lost in the forest and comes out unscathed a week later, but how? yomikai123.wordpress.com/2026/03/06/t...
The Laughing Forest | 笑う森 Review
Title: 笑う森 [The Laughing Forest]Author: Hiroshi OgiwaraPublisher: Shinchosha (2024)English translation: None at present Cover art by Mayumi Tsuzuki Five-year-old Mahito is missing in the woods. Whe…
yomikai123.wordpress.com
New review time! Here's a novella about a girl who discovers a desk connected to 100 years ago. Anything she puts in goes back in time, anything that's put in on the other side comes forward to the future. jordan-taylor.me/blog.php?art... #JapaneseBooks #BookReview #ScienceFiction
A Hundred-Year Correspondence Review
<p>Schoolgirl and model Ichiru is struggling with her fame, or lack thereof, but stumbles upon a comforting penpal named Shizu. Only, Shizu is living in Japan a hundred years before Ichiru, and their ...
jordan-taylor.me
Alright, Bluesky, ready for a review: We have a period setting, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, all in one book spanning centuries. What more could you want? What more could we even fit in? jordan-taylor.me/blog.php?art... #BookReview #Japanesebooks #horror
The Golden Machine Review
<p>Kumagorō has survived this long in life because of his ability to visibly see lies and hostility, and now he has a cushy position as the manager of a high-class brothel in Edo-period Japan until on...
jordan-taylor.me
Hi Bluesky! I'm a Japanese to English translator. I probably won't be that active here, but I do have a blog where I review untranslated Japanese sci-fi and fantasy books. If that interests you, hang around, because I've got a new review coming today.