Learning any language requires commitment, but Japanese is harder than most. It is widely accepted that for people who do not have an East Asian language background, Japanese is one of the hardest languages to learn. The U.S. Foreign Service Institute (FSI) actually puts Japanese … [Read more...] about Why Study Japanese: Seven Practical Reasons
All About Kana and Kanji — An Introduction to the Japanese Writing System
The Japanese writing system is a complex system of interconnected parts. There are two phonetic syllabaries called kana, which are used to represent syllable sounds, and there are Chinese characters used to represent meaning, which in Japanese are called kanji. You can see a good … [Read more...] about All About Kana and Kanji — An Introduction to the Japanese Writing System
How to Study Kanji – Practically and Effectively
Probably one of the biggest challenges of learning Japanese is studying and remembering all the kanji characters that it is written with. Oddly though, I always found learning the kanji to be one of the most interesting and enjoyable aspects of studying Japanese. I want to … [Read more...] about How to Study Kanji – Practically and Effectively
Getting Accepted for the WIPO PCT Translation Fellowship Program
In 2021 I was accepted for a translation fellowship program at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). I subsequently spent just under 6 months in Geneva, where I was trained at the WIPO headquarters in the fine art of translating patent abstracts and patentability … [Read more...] about Getting Accepted for the WIPO PCT Translation Fellowship Program
One Day in Caminha
Caminha is a charming little town in northwest Portugal located on the south side of the Minho estuary. On the far side of the Minho from Caminha is the region of Galicia in Spain and there are boats that will take you between the two countries. We spent exactly one day in … [Read more...] about One Day in Caminha