Translate Japanese books about acupuncture

 

When I was studying, during vocational school and later in a general hospital where the son of SHIROTA BUNSHI (Shirota Fumihiko) had set up a "Research Institute for Oriental Medicine", I read the books of late Shirota Bunshi sensei. At that time MOST people in the field knew him and his books, which most definitely had a major influence on the development of postwar acupuncture in Japan. And they are about the ONLY source of information pertaining to master Bunshi's own master: SAWADA KEN sensei.

Even after extensive search I did not find, however, any English (or other languages, with the exception of a pirated Chinese book) translation. I was once even asked by an American person running an acupuncture clinic in the States visiting me in my clinic, to find some spare time to translate Shirota sensei's book(s) into English, since he really wanted to know, what the original text said and not only read reports ABOUT those books.

Feeling very honored by that suggestion, I proposed to start with "鍼灸真髄" (Essentials of Acupuncture).

However … I did ask the publisher of the Japanese version several times and even proposed to translate the book and publish it for free as an ebook, but was denied the right to do so because of "copyright reasons". And that even though the wife of late Shirota Fumihiko sensei asked his "deciples" (of which I seem to be a member) to spread the knowledge of this outstanding master.

Since said copyright will be in place for another 18 years, I do not think, I will ever be able to translate that book in my remaining lifetime.

"Gobbledygook"

 

About 15 years ago a Japanese publisher (Idononippon) specialized in Oriental medicine asked be to write a book about some of my personal views regarding the practice of acupuncture. Apparently the director of that publisher who used to come for treatments did like my approach.

The published (printed on old-fashioned paper) was made available to all bookstores in Japan as well as Amazon (where it may possibly still available ).

The title of the book written in Japanese is "トーマス先生の話を聞いてみませんか"　(Thomas sensei no hanashi wo kiite mimasen ka).　

However, when you switch the site language to English, you get a "title" that makes absolute no sense (regardless of whether you can read the Japanese or not):

"Gentleman Acupuncturist Thomas Teacher You Have To Listen To Me. A Good Night Sleep – Good Forever Birthday For The Health Of Law"

Well done, Amazon!

If that is the level of computer aided translation, maybe there is after all still some work to be done as a translator.

Translation - publishing

After a real printed book (in Japanese) of mine was published in February (2013) I am not about to publish my third ebook. The first was my autobiography, also written FIRST in Japanese, which I later rewrote, not translated, in German.
Now I am about to publish my third ebook, this one in English, listing a few personal views about why I think the Japanese acupuncture is better suited for the world population than the Chinese "authentic" style. Hopefully, it will go online in about 2 weeks.
It will surely make me a lot of enemies. If I should disappear suddenly in the middle of the night ... try asking the NSA and their hit squads, the newly formed Japanese copy of that wonderful agency, the Japanese NSC, or maybe the Chinese mafia, scared to death of people expressing opinions not meeting the standardized party line ...

After writing these four books, I definitely feel, that formulating one's own ideas is more interesting than converting somebody elses ideas into another language.

Although none of my books has really sold, the ebooks do not sell at all, I am planning to work on three more. My next target is the translation of a book by a Zen priest who I met shortly after my arrival in Japan. An encounter that changed my life.