Language and translation are inescapably tied together. Studying one or both can lead wide-eyed and curious linguists deep down historical, cultural, and even philosophical rabbit holes. When we study language and translation, we study anthropology, geography, history, tradition, and more. Books about language in translation can open doors to new ways of thinking and seeing …

There is so much beauty, mystery, and excitement to Japanese history and culture. The best books on Japan explore the art, theology, architecture, theatre, and food of Japan. To really understand Japan, it’s vital to get a rounded view of the Land of the Rising Sun by reading the best books on Japanese culture and …

The full title of Matt Alt’s book is Pure Invention: How Japan’s Pop Culture Conquered the World. And this ambitious title is right on the money in ways that will surprise and delight you, no matter how prepared you feel going in, or how much you already think you know about Pokemon, Gundam, or Hello …

Whilst reading Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race, the elephant in the room was the British education system. In school, Brits are taught about the following areas of British history: 1066, the Tudors, the Black Death, the industrial revolution, World War II. And, when, we exhausted those, we’d learn them again. …

Cookbooks are a huge passion of mine, there’s very little that will stop me dropping money on a new cookbook despite my wallet crying out at me. The history and culture you learn from African and Asian cookbooks is almost always worth the price and I often find them better for digging into the culture …

A lot of us who devour media like things to be put in brackets: as a music-lover, I need to know what sub-genre of heavy metal an album comfortably sits in before I hear it. But life doesn’t exist in a vacuum or a series of vacuums. And so, it is very possible – refreshingly, …

How do I know if my story is worth writing? This is a question I imagine must often pop into the minds of writers considering a memoir, be it about their career, their travels, or anything at all. What makes me stand out? What makes my story interesting? Well, as the only gaijin in the …

It’s difficult to know where to start with talking about trans rights, gender dysphoria, and the politics behind transgender stories, other than to simply say that trans people need all the help and support that they can get. Understanding your own dysphoria and deciding on the next step can be confusing, frightening, and lonely. And …

At the age of 25, after the events of Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution in China, Jung Chang moved to London. There, she wrote a biography which told an epic story of herself, her mother, and her grandmother. Three women of 20th century revolutionary China. That book, Wild Swans, was a global sensation and a book …

I love linguistics. I’ve studied (though never become fluent in) Japanese, Chinese, Korea, French, and German. I’m one of those people who becomes fascinated with ‘untranslatable’ words, etymology, and the evolution of languages. I love accents, dialects, and how language can be so malleable and ever in flux. I’ve had arguments with people who get …