Development of an English for Specific Purposes

The University of Aizu Technical Writing course was established to help computer science majors develop writing skills needed for their academic and future career activities. The course was first organized and presented for the 1994 school year and has been undergoing continued evaluation and alteration. During the first two years, the course was presented in the two sophomore terms using courseware project team developed lesson plans and handouts. In the first year, these lesson plans and handouts were supplemented with a technical writing textbook and handbook. By the third year, a draft of the University of Aizu's Technical Writing 1 Handbook served as the text material for the first term of the course. However, the second term of the course was moved to the senior year to provide students needed guidance and assistance in the planning and writing of their graduation research reports. The finalized version of the University of Aizu's Technical Writing 1 Handbook will be published prior to the 1997 school year, and a Technical Writing 2 Handbook which will be designed around the university's research report format and requirements is planned for the 1998 school year.

Izzo, John. Internet TESL Journal, The. Articles>Education>Regional>Japan

Development of Japanese-Language CD-ROM Manuals Using SGML  

Fujitsu Limited publishes as many as 10,000 manuals a year. Efficient, standardized manual production is, therefore, indispensable. Our department has created a manual on CD - ROM as a pilot project of electronic publishing using the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML). The use of CD - ROM provides the manual with a convenient reformation search feature and high portability that can not be achieved with conventional paper manuals. This paper discusses our methodologies, problems involved in Japanese language SGML manual production, and how we solved them.

Nakamura, Yuko. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Documentation>Localization>Japan

Global Communication: Building a Bridge between Ohio and Japan  

In 1999, an alliance was formed between the Central Ohio and Tokyo Chapters. This unique relationship, the only STC sister chapter, was based on the desire to share information about our profession, our industries, and our cultures. This presentation addresses the challenges and rewards we discovered in forging this globe-crossing bond.

Kauppi, Michael, Brenda McGuire, Laura Modisette and Sue Wolford. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>Communication>Regional>Japan

Honyaku Home Page

A resource for members of the Honyaku mailing list, and anyone interested in Japanese/English translation.

Honyaku. Resources>Language>Localization>Japan

Improving the Quality of User Manuals in Japan  

We will share the results and analysis of a survey on customer needs for user documents as a means to raise the overall quality of such materials. Fuji Xerox will provide how to improve the quality of user documents with some examples of user manuals for copier and facsimile etc. Hitachi will report various methods to improve the quality in software-manual development process and provide some examples.

Nomizo, Fumitoshi, Teruaki Shioda and Akihiko Suzuki. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Documentation>Regional>Japan

Information Architect Association Japan

コンセントによる日本のインフォメーションアーキテクトのための情報提供サイト。IA関連イベント情報、参考文献、IA関連リンクなどの紹介。

IAAJ. (Japanese) Organizations>Information Design>Regional>Japan

ITCF (International Technical Communication Forum)  

The ITCF (International Technical Communication Forum) is one of the activities of the STC Tokyo Chapter. Almost all of the Tokyo Chapter members are Japanese. But to take full advantage of this chapter of the STC, we have planned to hold English speaking meetings. These meeting helps us to learn not only the differences of viewpoints and cultures between both countries but also how unstable and diissatisfied native English speakers are.

Kobayashi, Norio. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>TC>Regional>Japan

Localization. It's Big in Japan

How do you carry out usability research in a country where you don't speak the language and where the customs are very different from you own? How can you perform a study where you need to largely rely on an interpreter for communications between you and your participants? And most importantly, how do you translate research findings into a design that is culturally appropriate and yet in alignment with corporate directives?

Malcolm, Casey. Usability Professionals Association (2007). Articles>Usability>Localization>Japan

One-On-One Japanese Business Etiquette

If you are traveling to Japan on business it is very important to have business cards created, or as they are called in Japan, meishi. Not only are they a useful tool to identify you and your company, but they can also provide additional information for your Japanese counterparts, such as any professional memberships or associations you may be involved in.

WTB Language Group (2005). Articles>Collaboration>Regional>Japan

Page Layout and Sample Designs in Full Color Manuals for Japanese Users  

Compared to American users, Japanese users have a tendency to prefer visually intensive manuals. This is especially true for the fill-color manual of the color copier which I am responsible for, as can be seen from the many requests and comments regarding the presentation of examples, how color is used, and the layout, It is my intent to introduce the tastes of Japanese manual readers by explaining the improvements that have been made to the visual aspects of the fill-color manual for one of our color copiers.

Mizukami, Rieko. STC Proceedings (1997). Design>Documentation>Document Design>Japan

The Profile of Japanese Technical Communicators  

The profile of Japanese technical communicators was surveyed in December 1994. The most typical Japanese technical communicator is a 41-year-old man with an engineering degree; he works as a techncial writer/editor with management responsibility for a large-sized high-tech company and lives in Tokyo. In Japan, the profession of technical communication is very new, unknown, and low in its professional status in industry with virtually no formal education or research support from higher education.

Yotsuyanagi, Noriko and Earl E. McDowell. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>TC>Regional>Japan

Startup (2): Find an Accountant

If you think accountants are boring, you are so very wrong. Accountants can be comical, scary, amusingly threatening and sometimes also really smart.

Information Architects Japan (2006). Careers>Management>Regional>Japan

Startup in Japan(1): The Basics

Setting up a company in Japan as a foreigner isn't as difficult as you might guess. Of course, it helped that I knew some things about Japan, and starting off--before I started off.

Information Architects Japan (2006). Careers>Management>Regional>Japan

Writing and Publishing a Book in the Japanese Marketplace  

Publishing one’s own book by oneself is one of the concrete output of technical communication just like writing a paper and a manual for a company or its client. Right subject, good organization, and easiness of reading are the minimum requirements. The book must be more market-oriented because it will be sold at bookstores and read by consumers as well as specialists. However, having a book published in the Japanese marketplace isn’t easy for two reasons. One is the economic depression. The other is that a publishing company is looking for only a book, which is likely to be sold in numbers. They say, 'Does it sell or not; that’s the question.' internationalization is a long-range issue, the book, when published, could have a relatively long lifetime. The plot of the book were 1) make task analysis of SEs work, 2) check the effect of internationalization upon SEs tasks, and finally 3) explain guidelines, know-how, and English expressions needed by SEs in the international situations. HOW TO WRITE To publish

Nakajima, Yasushi. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>Publishing>Regional>Japan

Design for People with Disabilities in Japan

Design for people with disabilities sometimes works fine. However, without involving everyone, i.e., unless it will benefit everyone in the society, such design will remain as a kind of orphan technology and will eventually fail to be applied widely. The direction of design therefore should be universal/inclusive.

Kose, Satoshi. uiGarden (2008). Design>Accessibility>Regional>Japan

在日本为残障人士进行设计

和许多其它国家一样，日本在努力使残障人士融入主流社会方面也遇到很多困难。

Kose, Satoshi. uiGarden (2008). (Chinese) Design>Accessibility>Regional>Japan