From: Reijer Grimbergen ETL GO JP> Date: 29 jan 1996 Subject: Re: An idea to Reijer-san =?ISO-2022-JP?B?GyRCPmVCPCEhTTU7ThsoQg==?= PO HARENET OR jp> writes: Dear Mr. Sano, > Thank you very much for your kind letter. > I now can understand better your standpoint. My pleasure. I am glad I have made myself more clear. > Then let me tell you about what I have as facts. > 1. We, "Space SANO" is the office which edited and published a > book "First step to Shogi", written at first by Japanese. > 2. My english there will be rewritten, modified, even modified > from the next new edition version thanks to the effort given > by volunteer native speakers. It is always good to see new efforts on publishing non-Japanese texts on Shogi. Even though I think Fairbarn's book is rather good, it is also rather expensive and I have heard that some people find the second part of the book too difficult for beginner's. I am also glad to hear that native speakers are involved in the translation. Poor English in daily communication (talk, E-mail) is OK, but for a written text I feel poor English is not acceptable, expecially if the text is actually going to be published. > 3. Before and after we publish that book, I have several times > confirmed with the person in charge of Japanese Shogi Federation. > As you might guess it's not clear one, but I'm ready to advise > you of that. I do not understand. Who is your contact at the Renmei? Is it Mr. Aono or somebody else? How is he involved in your projects? > 4. Next Shogi book, of which title might be "Further steps in > SHOGI" will be issued around September this year. Publication > of the anthology "Tsume Shogi Paradise" will also be made as > Mr. WAKASHIMA of Kyoto Univ. is now going through the editing. > 5. I have got the complete translation and publication right of > total three volumes of "Shogi wa Foo kara" - Everything begins > with the Foo -, the only true masterpiece on Shogi of KATO Jiro, > ex-chairman of JSF and the honored higest chairman. I agree that "Shogi wa fu kara" is one of the exceptional books in Shogi. Calling it the only true masterpiece is a bit strong, though. "Gendai Shogi no Kyujo" by Yamada, "Zokuzumiya tsumazaruya" and "Kosoku no Shubanjutsu" by Tanigawa spring to mind, and even Aono's Bilangual "Koko o naoseba tsyoku naru" (Better moves for better Shogi) can arguably be called a masterpiece. However, let's not discuss what a masterpiece is and what not. That might take a long time. Anyway, it is a very good idea to translate Kato's books. They are really very good. However, I would still prefer to translate the title as "Shogi starts with the Pawn". Having Shogi in the title makes indexing easier and because there is Shogi in the title the link with Pawn is easier than with "Foo" (I think "fu" is the normal way of writing). > 6. I got a recommendation letter written by AONO Teruichi, which > KATO san himself asked him to write down. I got it when I visited > KATO last week where we have agreed on the draft of "Preface to > English version" > I have not decided yet whether I put all the letter of AONO on > the book itself or only on tear sheet. KATO said it's totally > up to me. > What I swear is that I will do anything to give the required > honor to KATO's masterpiece as it's the treasure of Shogi world > which will become the treasure of whole the human beings. Good. I hope your native English friends will help there and that their Shogi knowledge is good enough to do justice to Kato's book. There are many pitfalls in translating a book and I hope you can overcome all of them. > 6. I'm not sticking nor insisting only on my own system. We are always > ready to hear and look through any ideas and modification appropriate > for making Shogi international. I'm actually doing that. > But what certain is that KATO's masterpiece shall never appear under > title such as "Everything begins with the Pawn" or like that. > I further never concede the right I have to anyone who takes the liberty > of trying such wrong translation. I do not agree that using Pawn for Fu is a wrong translation. However, you are entitled to your own opinion. Good luck with your work on Kato's books. > If you agree, based on the descriptions above, I'm ready to raise up > here several comments I got through those activities. As far as I can see the matter is closed. I know your position and you know mine. We do not agree about certain parts of the translation of Japanese Shogi terms and I am afraid we can not convince each other that either one is the best way. Of course you are free to dicuss the matter further if you feel the need. Anyway, I am looking forward to seeing your translation of Kato Jiro's books. Best wishes, Reijer Grimbergen -- Dr. Reijer Grimbergen Electrotechnical Laboratory Palcious Tsukuba 302 1-1-4 Umezono 1-24-8 Ninomiya Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki-ken Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki-ken 305 JAPAN 305 JAPAN E-mail: grimberg etl go jp Tel: 0298-59-1606 WWW: http://www.etl.go.jp:8080/etl/suiron/~grimberg Tel: +81-(0)298-54-5080 extension: 67431 Fax: +81-(0)298-58-5918