The Business and Technological English-Japanese/Japanese-English
Dictionary should probably carry a health warning.
For it caused Tokyo authors Fumio, 46, and Kazuko, 36, Unno extreme anxiety
during the four years they were writing it.
Both work as free-lance translators and over the years had collected many
pamphlets and manuals in English for reference in their work. For the last 10 years, Fumio
has been transcribing excerpts into notebooks -- he filled 30 -- to create a list of
expressions and phrases that are often used in business and technological texts but not
listed in dictionaries.
But with so many notebooks, it was hard to find listings he wanted quickly so he
decided he should use his research to compile a new dictionary.
Thus in 1990 Kazuko stopped doing translation work so that she could devote herself
full-time to the dictionary. She created a computer program to classify the collected
expressions and phrases and began inputting the data.
At first, the couple thought they would be able to complete the dictionary in about
six months, but they soon realized that all the expressions and phrases had to be checked
again if their dictionary were to be 100 percent accurate.
So in February that same year, Fumio also stopped doing translation work and joined
his wife in working on the dictionary in their Shinagawa home. That meant the couple had
no income. They dipped into the savings they had put aside for buying a house, and
relatives kindly offered money, food and other supplies. Still, their growing apprehension
over the future led to health problems -- they suffered numbness in the hands and
developed breathing difficulties. In the end, Fumio was forced to begin translating again.
Last fall, a number of publishers contacted the couple with proposals for jointly
publishing the work. Some proposed dividing the dictionary into two volumes and selling it
for a price of \50,000. But the Unnos wanted a lower price tag because they wanted to
provide a large number of people with an opportunity to use the dictionary. The publisher
eventually chosen was Nichigai Associates Inc.
In October 1993, the couple received some advance royalties from Nichigai and were
able to concentrate their time and energy on finishing the dictionary.
The B6-size 1,470-page dictionary, priced at \5,800, was completed and published in
January. Since then, the original 10,000-print run has been selling so fast it is almost
sold out.
The dictionary gives, in addition to the English equivalent of each word, related
meanings when the word is used in relation to, for example, computers.
Look up the word "import" and the definition will be "to bring as
merchandise into a country from abroad or to express and imply" -- just as in any
dictionary. But the Unnos' dictionary also lists the definition "to read data"
when the word is used in relation to computers, and gives examples of such usage.
The Unnos say they have received many letters from people who have bought their
dictionary. Some said the dictionary was truly practical and that if they had had such a
dictionary at school, they might have studied harder.
In response to the already growing calls for a revised and enlarged edition of the
dictionary, they are now working hard collecting more data to improve the first edition.
The couple acknowledged that there is plenty of scope for improvement in their dictionary,
as they were rushed for time before.
Photo: The Unnos work on their dictionary. Yomiuri Shimbun