Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Ginny Tapley Takemori @ginnytkmr.bsky.social · 7d

I guess my job is secure for a while, then!

Japanese literature shows why human translation still counts

AI and translation tech lower barriers to global communication, but literary translation requires the ability to convey tone, rhythm and cultural context.

www.weforum.org

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Ginny Tapley Takemori @ginnytkmr.bsky.social · 9d

I have some thoughts, but I’m thinking more of having a section on the website to air them - this would suit me better really, as I don’t plan to air them in a regular schedule, just when I feel like it.

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Ginny Tapley Takemori @ginnytkmr.bsky.social · 10d

Not really, but I’ll have a look. I intend to get a website up one of these days (been saying that for years ha ha!).

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Reposted by Ginny Tapley Takemori

Jillianne Hamilton 🦇 @jilly.ca · 14d

“I use it for brainstorming.” is quickly becoming my most hated pro-AI statement.

YOU TOOK YOUR BRAIN OUT OF THE EQUATION. THAT IS NOT BRAINSTORMING.

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Ginny Tapley Takemori @ginnytkmr.bsky.social · 10d

I’d been thinking about starting a Substack, but I guess I won’t after all!

Jocelyne Allen @brainvsbook.bsky.social · Jun 19

Since people have asked why I don't start a Substack:
I have one; it's called a blog and it's at brainvsbook.com. Why would I let some company slap its brand all over my writing?? Especially when that company is fascist and transphobic! (Great summary of why Substack sucks in case you're unaware)

Don't call it a Substack. - Anil Dash

A blog about making culture. Since 1999.

www.anildash.com

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Reposted by Ginny Tapley Takemori

Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 15d

What on Earth is this? An "in depth" BBC article about free speech in the UK that only cites examples of right-wing/ 'anti-woke' speech being suppressed. How can you mention Lucy Connolly but completely ignore Palestine Action / Just Stop Oil? Gob-smacking. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

How the simmering UK freedom of speech row reached boiling point

How did we reach a point where the UK is being compared to a 'tin pot Third World dictatorship'?

www.bbc.co.uk

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Ginny Tapley Takemori @ginnytkmr.bsky.social · 21d

Come join us! #translation #booksky

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Ginny Tapley Takemori @ginnytkmr.bsky.social · 26d

Me too - thanks Chris!

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Reposted by Ginny Tapley Takemori

Fossil Free Books @fossilfreebooks.org · Sep 5

Today @tribunemagazine.bsky.social publishes a vitally important, highly personal and urgently necessary piece by Yara Rodrigues Fowler on the history of the FFB campaigning around literary festivals:

Yara Rodrigues Fowler @yararf.bsky.social · Sep 5

I’ve written a long read for @tribunemagazine.bsky.social about happened with Baillie Gifford, @fossilfreebooks.org and all the festivals. A lot of fake news circulated at the time so, whatever side you came down on, I’d be grateful if you read and shared it. tribunemag.co.uk/2025/09/writ...

Writers Unbound

As another literary festival season draws to a close, a writers’ group is highlighting the connections between publishing, the fossil fuel industry, and the genocide in Gaza.

tribunemag.co.uk

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Reposted by Ginny Tapley Takemori

Left on the Shelf Book Blog @leftontheshelf1.bsky.social · Sep 4

On the blog today is my book review of Grave of the Fireflies by Akiyuki Nosaka. It has been translated from Japanese by @ginnytkmr.bsky.social This is a new edition publishing by @penguinclassicsusa.bsky.social today and is well worth reading.

Grave of the Fireflies by Akiyuki Nosaka and Translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori - #bookreview

Left on the Shelf Book Blog Book Reviews Book Information Recommendations Writing Reading Books for Children Books for Adults Books for Teens Fiction

leftontheshelfbookblog.blogspot.com

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Ginny Tapley Takemori @ginnytkmr.bsky.social · Sep 4

Thank you!

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Ginny Tapley Takemori @ginnytkmr.bsky.social · Sep 4

Yes, it was based on Nosaka’s own experience and was the inspiration for the Ghibli anime.

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Ginny Tapley Takemori @ginnytkmr.bsky.social · Sep 4

Thank you - me too!

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Ginny Tapley Takemori @ginnytkmr.bsky.social · Sep 4

Publication day! This was one of the hardest stories I’ve ever translated, both for the language and content. It’s also one of the most important stories I’ve translated. I hope as many people as possible will read it and reflect on the reality of war.
#booksky #translation #literarytranslation

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Ginny Tapley Takemori @ginnytkmr.bsky.social · Sep 3

I did a podcast on Mornings Without Mii with Amy Chavez on Books on Asia - have a listen!
#literarytranslation #translation #booksky

BOA Podcast 44: Ginny Takemori on Translating Cats - Books on Asia

Verteran translator Ginny Takemori talks about the translation of Mayumi Inaba's book "Mornings Without Mii"

booksonasia.net

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Ginny Tapley Takemori @ginnytkmr.bsky.social · Aug 28

How is it supposed to be a confidentiality “agreement“ when it’s an unsolicited email? 🤔 I would not want to work with a company that is so threatening from the outset.

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Reposted by Ginny Tapley Takemori

Lawrence Schimel @lawrenceschimel.bsky.social · Aug 28

#xl8

Jeremy Tiang @jeremytiang.bsky.social · Aug 20

"In recent years, East Asian authors have begun to break the stranglehold that European writers have previously exerted over translated literature... Strikingly, however, Chinese authors have mostly been absent from this cultural conversation."

www.jezebel.com/women-seated...

‘Women, Seated’ Shows How Precarity, Wealth, and ‘Having It All’ Are Not Just American Problems

Zhang Yueran’s new novel is part of a wave of Asian authors breaking the dominance of Europe in translated literature in the U.S., while dissecting gender and class in their respective societies.

www.jezebel.com

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Ginny Tapley Takemori @ginnytkmr.bsky.social · Aug 28

I see, right!

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Reposted by Ginny Tapley Takemori

Tristan Felix B. @tristiger.bsky.social · Aug 26

lawl

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Ginny Tapley Takemori @ginnytkmr.bsky.social · Aug 27

There is a lot of solar in Japan now (we have them on our house too) - you’re not seeing that in Korea? I guess here it started after the tsunami/nuclear accident in 2011 when there was a backlash against nuclear and the govt introduced a feed in tariff to encourage people to install them.

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Ginny Tapley Takemori @ginnytkmr.bsky.social · Aug 25

No, but then I take their edits to be suggestions, not requests. If I don’t agree, I either STET or suggest something else, and if appropriate say why. I rarely come across editors who insist on something - most are sensitive to my wishes.

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Reposted by Ginny Tapley Takemori

Lawrence Schimel @lawrenceschimel.bsky.social · Aug 24

AI can't talk with its hands when it gets excited, either...
🤣🤣

Avery Udagawa @averyudagawa.bsky.social · Aug 24

AI cannot develop a relationship with an editor or have the emotional experience that a #translation must recreate.

Pearls of wisdom from @lawrenceschimel.bsky.social's breakout session at #scbwiSummer25! #kidlit #worldkidlit #xl8

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Reposted by Ginny Tapley Takemori

amy brown @amybrown.xyz · Aug 22

this iconic advertising copywriter named Kathy Hepinstall Parks died over the weekend and I wanted to share something from her website I thought Bluesky would like

Why should I write better when a machine can do it for me?
Because actually no one can do it for you, because your voice is unique among all the people on earth. Siri never petted a horse's neck. Alexa has never been ghosted by the captain of the football team. But you have lived, your heart is beating, you have suffered, and you have something important to say. It's a human's job, to use words, and whatever job you give to a machine, that part of your brain goes dark. Maybe it's worth it when it comes to remembering phone numbers and directions, but when that part of your brain that uses words goes dark, that's a vast area that's very close to your soul. Don't let some internet platform convince you that what you have to say and create isn't worthwhile. Words are the echo of your soul. Honing that echo matters.

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Ginny Tapley Takemori @ginnytkmr.bsky.social · Aug 23

An important interview with the author of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, The Last Witnesses. Please read it. And then read the books. He is an extraordinarily compelling writer.

The last witnesses: Preserving the history of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Historian M.G. Sheftall shares the stories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki’s last survivors and reveals why their testimony must endure.

bigthink.com

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Ginny Tapley Takemori @ginnytkmr.bsky.social · Aug 15

www.instagram.com/reel/DKUVgdG...

leasaarup on Instagram: "I think it's a pretty impressive job that these 57 Arab states got together and did.This is a massive decision. Likely not an easy …"

I think it's a pretty impressive job that these 57 Arab states got together and did.This is a massive decision. Likely not an easy one either. They must have been arguing about this back and forth for hours on end for months. What a sacrifice for peace. Is it fair? Not sure. But is it the only pragmatic solution that could actually be effectuated right now, to stop this endless killing. Absolutely.It is a massive contribution to an attempt to bring peace to the region. And attempts at peace always deserves more airtime than it usually gets.No matter how one feels about this decision, we can all agree that this clip was almost nowhere to be seen in our mainstream media, and that is what I think we should be concerned about. If we are not shown the real options, how could we ever do proper civic participation?#freepalestine #dkpolView all 9,316 comments

www.instagram.com

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