Author Archive

In Medical interpretation has slowed down a bit recently, but writing work has been plentiful. For a major Japanese automaker, I have done the following:

• 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.

This week, for a major Japanese automaker I translated some goodbye speeches to a manager who is leaving India to return to Japan. A somewhat unusual job, but quite interesting.

I have had a tremendous amount of medical interpretation work the past month.

My coauthor and I are picking up the pace on the book we’re writing. Actually, he is the star of the show; I am just helping him edit a bit.

Things are not too complex or harried right now, but suitably busy.

You may have read the press release I posted on this site for “Center,” my short story about high school football player going off to college in the year 1948. The story was recently serialized in Touchdown Illustrated magazine, and I now have it available on my personal blog. I think you’ll enjoy it as a story, and it’s another sample of my writing available for your inspection.

December, as noted in my last post, was most busy. I was actually incorrect about how much extra work that one internal manual would require; it was a slam dunk! And the reason it was a slam dunk was that I was able to see what dangers lurked from the beginning of the project and prepare accordingly with thorough research and documentation. Forgive me, readers, a tiny pat on the back for this; I am somewhat proud of and relieved at how things turned out there.

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 must beg the forgiveness of my subscribers who have been asking, “Where’s my update?” December has turned out to be quite a busy month–and there are still two weeks to go. For a major Japanese automaker, I have done the following:

• Completed the internal magazine dealing with the company’s history in an Asian country.
• Translated a PowerPoint presentation of over 50 slides, which was used at an event introducing a major new model to North America.
• Translated an internal manual of 41 pages (an ongoing project that will require a good deal more work, to be sure).
• Translated a blurb that will be used in another internal publication.

In the business literature project, my author and I are making great progress, and we should be able to get a final draft together within a month or so. We would like to start looking for a publisher in January.

Things are going well at my Web developer client in Southern Indiana. I visited the firm recently, interviewed all the staff, and am writing bios that the company will put on their websites. It’s a nice project, and the client is fun to work with!

Although I did not write it in December, my new sports fiction story has been published and is being distributed at college basketball venues around the country. I will write and post a press release as soon as I receive some copies from the publisher.

I also have been called into local hospitals to interpret quite a bit in the past two weeks. I like this work because it gets me out of the house, allows me to help people on an immediate, personal level, and keeps my interpreter’s saw sharp.

My networking efforts seem to be going quite well; a lot of people are interested in the product I have to offer, and several projects are on the horizon. What makes me happy is that I don’t have to sell too hard and price doesn’t seem to be an issue; I seem to be finding natural win-wins pretty easily.

For these reasons, 2009 promises to be a very busy year. That doesn’t mean, however, that I am not interested in helping you with your project. Please give me a call!

I’ve been working through the weekend on various projects. For a major Japanese automaker, I did the following:

• Continued to work on the internal magazine dealing with company’s operations and history in an Asian country.
• Wrote a press release concerning a vehicle lease to the Japanese government.
• Wrote a press release concerning an event in which children got to ride in an advanced new vehicle.
• Translated a Q&A series concerning environmentally responsible technologies.

All of the above documents required Japanese-to-English translation. The Q&A documents I do for this automaker tend to feel more like pure translation, perhaps because there is much less of a necessity to make the document flow well from one part to the next (each question and answer set is pretty much self-contained).

In local news, I am helping a Web development company in Southern Indiana by editing content it will be adding to a new website (the company’s own blog site, in this case). Also, a friend from a local networking event invited me to help him write a book. His project sounds very interesting, and I may take him up on his offer. Of course, I’m already helping another colleague write a book, so I’ll need to manage my time carefully.

I’m piled high with work right now, but December tends to be a slow month as people in both Japan and the United States turn their attention to the holidays. I welcome any new project inquiries. Why not have your marketing materials in place for the new year?

I have not updated in a while because a lot of jobs have been in progress: changes to the Japanese originals, and so on. It definitely keeps me busy.

I have got a new job in, however. Recently I did a translation of a video script about the history of a major Japanese automaker in Thailand. Now I have been privileged with the task of translating a short magazine (not an article, but actually an entire internal magazine) on the same topic. This is quite a chunky job and will consume about a week’s worth of time.

I have continued to work on my mysterious “business literature” book with my mysterious author. We are making good progress, and I feel that this book will be of great help to many people.

I have also been getting out and networking a lot lately. Indy is a great town for networking: I am a member of Rainmakers, and there are many other organizations and events. From the attitude of people around here, you would never think there was an economic downturn in the works. Perhaps our Hoosier spunk will see us through!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INDIANAPOLIS, November 13, 2008–Premier college football magazine Touchdown Illustrated has published “Center,” a short story by Indianapolis-based writer Matt Rouge. Set in the summer of 1948 and featuring authentic period detail, “Center” is the story of star center Dale Trump and the challenges he faces and overcomes in transitioning from high school to college.

According to Editor-in-Chief Tom Nondorf, Touchdown Illustrated, or TDI, is purchased and distributed by colleges and universities across the nation and boasts a circulation of over 100,000. Fans enjoy feature articles on a wide range of college football topics, interviews with players and coaches, quizzes and other entertainment pieces, and original fiction by established and up-and-coming authors. Advertisers include automakers, electronics manufacturers, major retail chains, and sporting goods companies.

TDI commissioned Rouge to write “Center,” serializing the story in five installments starting with an issue celebrating the history of college football. Because TDI provides subscribing institutions a full season’s worth of issues at a time, the five parts of “Center” will become available according to the game schedules of each individual college or university.

President of commercial writing and Japanese translation firm Marrubium Inc., Matt Rouge is receiving increasing notice for his poetry, plays, and short fiction. Said Rouge, “I am very proud to have TDI publish this story, and I hope the fans get a kick out of taking a peek into life and college football 60 years ago. I did my best to research all the details, and Tom has added some great period photos to the layout that really bring back the spirit of the times. Tom and the crew at TDI are always fantastic to work with.” Further information about Matt Rouge and Marrubium Inc. are available at www.marrubium.com.

There is a lot going on right now:

• 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!

I am working on a press release for a major Japanese automaker. This is a big document, 5 pages in Microsoft Word, and it deals with an all-new model in detail. I do love working on press releases and keeping abreast of new products in the market.

After I get done with this today, I’ll be starting on an automobile video script.

Just a short update for you, but it’s a lot of writing….