Jan 29

Society for Writers, Editors and Translators

Blogs, Career, Networking, Translating/Interpreting, Website, Writers Add Comment (1)

********

I recently learned of the existence of the Society for Writers, Editors and Translators (SWET) (www.swet.jp), a Tokyo-based group that seems to share a lot in common with JetWit and the Writers Interpreters Translators (WIT) Group–except that SWET has been in existence for 25 years!  (Read the full history of the group here.)

In 1998 SWET members collaboratively published the Japan Style Sheet as a guide for professional translators

The other day I had the pleasure of meeting Ruth Stevens, one of the founders of SWET who now lives in the NY area.  She introduced me (via email) to Lynne Riggs, the co-founder and current organizer of SWET, who in turn introduced me to SWET webmaster Sako Eaton.

Needless to say, we were all happy to learn of each others’ existence, and I wanted to make sure to let all the JET alumni and Friend of JET readers out there know about SWET (which, amusingly, has “SWET Shirts” for sale on their website).

In addition to a terrific website, SWET also has an e-mail list and RSS feed that are free.  You can also sign up for SWET membership for 5,000 yen or $50/year which entitles you to receive their newsletter containing various info and articles that do not appear elsewhere.

I look forward to future collaboration with the SWET folks.  (You’ll notice there’s already a sidebar widget for SWET with the RSS feed from their site.) And I encourage any readers to suggest and help implement additional ideas to help foster collaboration as well.