In this busy year, August-October have been the busiest months. I was in Japan from the end of July to the end of August, working flat-out on English-to-Japanese translation projects for my major Japanese automaker client.

Here is what I worked on for this client August-October:

• Translated the better part of the annual environmental report and edited the work of other translators
• Translated the better part of the annual corporate social responsibility report and edited the work of other translators
• Translated several articles for a new portion of the company website dealing with design
• Translated the better part of a the press kit for the 41st Tokyo Motor Show 2009
• Translated the copy for a poster used around the world
• Translated several press releases

I also did a lot of work for this client that did not involve translation.

The end of the year will probably be a bit less busy, since Japan goes into Shogatsu mode–but it will still be busy. Thank you, clients!

Here is what I’ve been up to…

For my major Japanese automaker client, I…

• Wrote and edited content for two major reports
• Edited the company’s internal newsletter (I do this every month)
• Wrote 89 individual articles for a new section of the company’s website

These projects involved translation to a degree. I also did several projects for this client that were pure Japanese-to-English translation.

For ghost blogging client No. 1, I…

• Updated the blog
• Edited a press release
• Named the company’s major new product
• Helped write a new brochure on the new product

For ghost blogging client No. 2, I…

• Updated the blog
• Provided a gratis consultation on the client’s current marketing mix (as a marketing MBA, this is something I do to help my clients out!)

For ghost blogging client No. 3 (new since August), I…

• Completely revised the client’s website both to create a better site and help the blog be maximally effective
• Updated the blog

I love this new client! They are the best at what they do in Indianapolis, and I’m proud to be their blogger. In line with my “Japanese training,” I have been visiting the client’s gemba: I’ve been going to every one of their stores, meeting their associates, and deepening my understanding of their business.

Sports fiction

I wrote seven new short stories for a major publisher, and I’ll be writing two other stories by the end of the year. Five of the stories dealt with football, and two dealt with basketball (the remaining two will also deal with basketball).

Another new client

Through a referral I developed another new client that is like a YouTube for positive, family-friendly infomercials.  I wrote two short video scripts about an agricultural product for their client. These scripts received very good reviews, so I hope to do more work for this company in the near future.

Yet another new client

This is a medical device company doing some very exciting things. I have helped them write two press releases, which seem to have gone over quite well.

Biz lit book

My coauthor and I have made major progress on the book, and we plan to have a pretty clean draft complete by Thanksgiving.

What I’d like to help you with

Since this is the first time I’ve had any breathing room since April or so, it’s a good time to talk about new projects! I am interested in taking on new ghost blogging and newsletter clients. Now would also be a good time to talk about revising your website copy–why not make your site new and fresh in the new year? I also tell people I am looking for “fun projects.” I have my regular work each month, and it’s nice to have variety.

Please feel free to call or email me about your projects–I can help!

• Translated from Japanese to English a script for a short video about a major new safety technology. I had earlier translated the press release, in effect branding the technology in the English language. This technology, and hence my particular wording, has received a great deal of attention in the press.
• Translated from Japanese to English a press release for a major new automobile model. I had earlier served as a lead writer (writing straight to English) on the US press kit for the model.
• Begun translating from Japanese to English a 13-page article on this model for internal use in the company.
• Edited a 20-page internal newspaper for the company. I translated several articles from Japanese to English, wrote others in English based on materials provided by the company, and edited articles by other writers.

In local news, I helped a Japanese family secure a mortgage the other day. I translated (or, in this case, provided an overview of) some Japanese banking documents for a local mortgage company and talked with one of the borrowers on the phone to help her understand what additional documentation was required.

My coauthor and I have reached a new milestone in the business literature book we’re working on: we’ve now got a mockup of the full book together in Word and are working on filling in the blanks and polishing the content.

That’s what’s going on in Horehound Central. I have a good plate full o’ work right now but would very much like to discuss your writing projects and needs, so please drop me a line.

Since my last post, for a major Japanese automaker, I have done the following:

• Did further editing of the press kit of a major new model so that the kit could be reprinted.
• Translated the year-end speech of a major executive of the company.
• Translated a press release for a major automotive event held in Japan.
• Translated an internal video concerning a major new safety technology. I translated the original press release as well, in effect branding the technology in English.

Of course, all of these documents except the press kit required skill in Japanese-to-English translation, which is something I have to offer. But getting a good and accurate translation isn’t enough: good English with the right feel and cadence to it is also necessary. And I have that to offer as well, whether you require Japanese-to-English translation or just well-written English from scratch!

One other thing that made December a very busy month was that for the last two weeks of it I was spending a lot of time in the hospital interpreting for families with sick kids. This post on my personal blog talks about the situation in greater detail, should you be curious.

I will be back in the hospital tomorrow morning, too, interpreting for a family whose child is having open heart surgery. Please pray with me that things turn out well for this child and this family.

• I am working on a video script for a major Japanese automaker that introduces a new model in its diesel automobile lineup. The video will be used in dealerships throughout Europe, according to what I’ve been told.
• Another video script project just came in, and this one is also for a major Japanese automaker but deals with the history of one of its Asian subsidiaries
• I will also be doing a press release for a major Japanese automaker about some of its new interactive environmental technologies.
• Finally, that press kit project (for, of course, a major Japanese automaker) continues to progress. My colleague in Japan has visited the client and received access to a wealth of graphics data which we will use to give the press kit a truly remarkable look. I am very proud to be a part of this project, which will introduce a very important new model to North America.

I am busy, but it’s a good even burn. I have stepped up my local marketing efforts and joined the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce. Salesperson Brady Jacoba has done a fantastic job of getting me on board and getting my listing up on their site (click on the “New Members” link on the home page to see the listing for Marrubium Inc.). It looks like the Indy Chamber has a very nice program ready for 2009, and I am proud to be a member. Call Brady at 317.464.2209 for more information.

I have also been meeting with local ad agencies and website developers to talk about helping out. I can take on about 3 – 4 medium- to large-size clients right now going into winter but am also happy to do one-off projects for individual businesses. If you would like to create some new marketing content for your business or start a long-term business relationship, now is a great time to talk with me, as I expect a very full plate in spring and summer 2009 (and yes, that is with the economic downturn, in which, as the old joke goes, I have decided not to participate).

I am happy to do visit your business to do a free consultation, and I also have relationships with excellent graphic designers and Web developers, so please give me a call!

For a major Japanese automaker, I continue to work on the press kit for a new model coming out in spring 2009. The project is going quite well, and it looks as though they’ll be giving us access to CAD data with which to make some cool graphics for the kit.

For this same company, I did a press release this week concerning their solar panel business in Japan, which is really taking off.

The other major project that has been occupying my time is the book I am writing with my friend, who is an extraordinary HR consultant. A real guru, if you will. Yesterday, I served at his assistant at a seminar he gave for free to a local charitable organization. It was pretty amazing how he held the room and got some pretty complex ideas across in a succint, appealing way. It’s a real honor to be working with him on this book and helping him convey these important and original ideas to an even wider audience.

• New model press kit. This consumed most of September, as my friends and family well know. It’s not done yet, but the US affiliate has approved the copy for the most part and we are now going to layout. Many revisions to follow, I’m sure. I need to keep mum about the details, but the vehicle is truly exciting! This press kit is not translation-based; I am writing it in English, editing a variety of source content and adding extensive copy of my own. Tough but rewarding work!
• Two press releases for the same vehicle, which has created quite a stir at the still ongoing Paris Motor Show.
• A press release for a very interesting new safety device. My translation in effect ended up branding the device, and it was by no means a literal translation (literalness would not have worked in this case) so I am rather proud of this. This release was picked up by auto-related media around the world.
• A press release about a power steering system.
• An internal media piece.
• A large panel for an international competition.
• A video script concerning another model. This video will not be seen by so many people, as the model in question is practically a race car and something quite exclusive. Fun stuff.

OK, that’s all for one company. Here’s what I have been doing here in the US the past month:

• Interpreted for hospitals. We had the Moto GT race here at the Speedway recently, and I was called to Interpret for a rider who crashed during the race and bumped his head. He was completely fine and was released in just a few hours. He certainly was an interesting fellow to talk to, though!
• Interpreted for a law firm.
• Am currently working on some bios for a local service provider to go up on their website. Very nice client.
• I’ve had a fiction story serialized in college football programs sent out to stadiums around the country. The publisher told me the circulation was at least 100k, so I hope readership will be substantial. The publisher liked my story quite a bit, so I’m working on a new one now.

Thanks much again to my clients, friends, and family who are always such a great support as I write like crazy. I promise now to blog here on a more frequent basis and keep you up to date with my goings-on!

I am also working on a piece of sports fiction that it is being serialized in a publication with a circulation of over 100,000. Once the story has been fully published, I have been told it is fine for me to post it on my site so that people who have missed installments can read the whole thing.