The richvh thread

[richvh]

Resume
Name: Richard VanHouten
Handle: richvh
Born: May 3, 1958
Nationality: American
Residence: Port Jervis, NY
Languages spoken: English (native), Japanese (まだまだです), French, Latin, Spanish (more or less dimly remembered from middle and high school), Tagalog (a smattering picked up from my wife)

Japanese History
Had a crush on a Japanese exchange student in high school. Learned what I could from books in the high school library (a chapter in one of Mario Pei's books on languages, so it wasn't much.)

Was stationed in Japan from Jan. 1981 to Feb. 1982. Took Japanese 101 and 102 through the University of Maryland, Far East Division.

After a hiatus of nearly a quarter century, an obsession with Inuyasha caused me to dust off my old books, buy some new ones, start hanging out on The Japanese Page and Tae Kim's site, and rapidly become more proficient.

Starting in May 2006, I started writing a novel in Japanese (with numerous corrections from native speakers, most of whom were denizens of The Japanese Page)

Started translating 史上最強の弟子ケンイチ (History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi) for K-H Scans, now Kuro-Hana Edited Mangas, in July 2007, starting with chapter 62.

Translation threads:
History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi (史上最強の弟子ケンイチ):
Kenichi chapter 73
Kenichi chapter 74
Kenichi chapter 75
Kenichi chapter 76
Kenichi chapter 77
Kenichi chapter 78
Kenichi chapter 79
Kenichi chapter 80
Kenichi chapter 83
Kenichi chapter 84
Kenichi chapter 85
Kenichi chapter 87
Kenichi chapter 88
Kenichi chapter 90
Kenichi chapter 92
Kenichi chapter 93
Kenichi chapter 95
Kenichi chapter 96
Kenichi chapter 97
Kenichi chapter 98
Kenichi chapter 99
Kenichi chapter 100
Kenichi chapter 101
Kenichi chapter 103
Kenichi chapter 104
Kenichi chapter 105
Kenichi chapter 106
Kenichi chapter 107
Kenichi chapter 108
Kenichi chapter 111
Kenichi chapter 112
Kenichi chapter 113
Kenichi chapter 114
Kenichi chapter 115
Kenichi chapter 116
Kenichi chapter 117
Kenichi chapter 120
Kenichi chapter 121

Sengoku (センゴク):
Sengoku chapter 1
Sengoku chapter 2
Sengoku chapter 3
Sengoku chapter 4
Sengoku chapter 5
Sengoku chapter 6
Sengoku chapter 7

Hyougemono (へうげもの)
Hyougemono chapter 1
Hyougemono chapter 2
Hyougemono chapter 3
Hyougemono chapter 4
Hyougemono chapter 5
Hyougemono chapter 6
Hyougemono chapter 7
Hyougemono chapter 8

Tista(ティスタ):
Tista chapter 2
Tista chapter 3
Tista chapter 4
Tista chapter 5
Tista chapter 6
Tista chapter 7

Mahou Tsukai Kurohime(魔砲使い黒姫):
Kurohime (web) chapter 1
Kurohime (web) chapter 2
Kurohime (web) chapter 3
Kurohime (web) chapter 3 part 2
Kurohime (web) chapter 4
Kurohime (web) chapter 5
Kurohime (web) chapter 6

Bamboo Blade:
Bamboo Blade chapter 27
Bamboo Blade chapter 28
Bamboo Blade chapter 29
Bamboo Blade chapter 31

Threads for translations I've helped check:
Kenichi chapter 81 (Kei^2)
Kenichi chapter 82 (Kei^2)
Kenichi chapter 86 (Kei^2)
Kenichi chapter 89 (Kei^2)
Kenichi chapter 91 (Kei^2)
Kenichi chapter 102 (martigan)
Kenichi chapter 109 (martigan)
Kenichi chapter 144 (Rogue_Sapphire)
Kenichi chapter 145 (Rogue_Sapphire)
Kenichi chapter 146 (Rogue_Sapphire)
Kenichi chapter 147 (Rogue_Sapphire)
Kenichi chapter 148 (Rogue_Sapphire)

Releases I have translated, for which there is no translation thread:
Kenichi chapter 62
Kenichi chapter 63
Kenichi chapter 64
Kenichi chapter 65
Kenichi chapter 66
Kenichi chapter 67
Kenichi chapter 68
Kenichi chapter 69
Kenichi chapter 70
Kenichi chapter 71
Kenichi chapter 72

Releases I have checked the translation of:
Tista chapter 1

Manga read in Japanese:
史上最強の弟子ケンイチ(History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi) vol 1-26

Novels read in Japanese:
魔性の子 by 小野不由美(completed)
月の影　影の海 by 小野芙由美 (completed)
風の海　迷宮の岸 by 小野不由美(completed)
東の海神　西の総会 by 小野不由美 (in chapter 5)
レンタルマギカ　魔法使い、貸します！ by 三田誠 (completed)
カレとカノジョと召喚魔法 by 上月司 (in chapter 1)

Novels written in Japanese:
ゆきの物語 (70 chapters, ongoing)

 

[GGpX]

That's a pretty cool resume. Have fun translating. ;O

 

[kyubisharingan]

haha wow, cool.
no offense, but who would have thought a 49 year old man, has such a passion for manga. i wish you were my dad(again, no offense)

1. the university of maryland teaches japanese? that was the Uni my dad went to(he graduated this year). do you have any tips for people wanting to learn japanese?

2. what are some good japanese language learning books to get?

3. i also used the Tae Kim site. Great site to use...but kinda stopped becuase of the adjectives.....they got too confusing......anyway, how did you learn kanji? did you do it like everyone else and just write it a few times, and try to memorize it? XD

 

[richvh]

1) I have no idea if the main campus of the University of Maryland teaches Japanese or not, but the branch campuses on US bases in Japan definitely do. Language learning tips... buy a textbook. Some textbooks are better than others, some suit some people better than others, some are better for self study than others, but any textbook is better than none. Work your way through it. Don't bother with other references until you're well into the textbook. Once you've finished the textbook, find something interesting and start reading. By that time, you'll need a dictionary - either electronic or paper. Paper is cheaper and doesn't have batteries to run down or tie you to one place, electronic dictionaries are quicker to use.

2) An overview of many Japanese textbooks can be found here.

3) Tae Kim's site is great, but no substitute for a textbook (as he says himself.) For learning kanji, learn them in context, by reading. I copied most of the dialogues and reading comprehension exercises into text files, and that got me into the habit of transcribing Japanese text.

 

[kyubisharingan]

AH ok thats cool. i have another question....i hope your ready...

its about the "wa" and "ga" particles...i have read so many things about them...it just when it comes down to using the particles in a sentence.....its so hard. is there a certain thing i should remember while using the particles?

 

[richvh]

That's a complicated subject. Using wa and ga properly is as difficult for English speakers as use 'a' and 'the' properly is for Japanese speakers. (I still get it wrong on occasion.)

The rules are somewhat different for different types of sentences (noun predicate, adjective predicate, verb predicate) and there is no one thing that will make it all click. Read as much as possible, write stuff and get it corrected by someone better (or, preferably, a native speaker.) In short, practice, practice, practice. (There are knowledgeable learners and native speakers that hang out at the forums at TheJapanesePage and Tae Kim's Guide.)

 

[Zwivix]

Hey came by to ask you a very important question.

How do you think about Penguins? Do you think they should be protected or would you use them if they could serve a purpose?

 

[richvh]

I think Penguins should be used as dance instructors.

 

[Zwivix]

Lol. Nice what kind of dacne do you think they would teach people?

 

[richvh]

Why, tap dance, of course. Haven't you seen the documentary, Happy Feet?

 

[Zwivix]

I'm sorry to say but I have not gotten the chance to watch that emmy nominated documentary. But I have heard it is a great documentray that shows the true lifes of penguins.

 

[Wanderweiss]

Dear Richard VanHouten,

Why are you so old?

Sincerely,
aXf

 

[Ayah]

As kyuubisharingan already mentioned, who would have thought a 49 year old (and I add, non-Japanese) man has such passion for manga? That's awesome to hear/read!

My questions:
- Do you have children? If yes, is/are they manga fan(s) too? There's a tendency for one's kids not to choose what their parents like (not necessarily all). Who do you think among yourselves is the bigger fan?
- You picked up Tagalog from your wife?! I want to request for a sample What is your opinion on that language?

I also want to add that I was laughing at your answers to Zwivex's questions. They're funny

 

[richvh]

Why are you so old?

I blame my parents.

- You picked up Tagalog from your wife?! I want to request for a sample What is your opinion on that language?

Ang asawa ko ay Pilipina. Tagalog is different from any other language I'm aquainted with - though it's more similar to Japanese than to European languages.

- Do you have children?

Hay isang babae at dalawang lalaki.

If yes, is/are they manga fan(s) too? There's a tendency for one's kids not to choose what their parents like (not necessarily all). Who do you think among yourselves is the bigger fan?

(OK, I've run out of Tagalog.) None of them are into manga (or even American comics), but the older boy is into anime - but not to the extent of trying to learn the language. The younger boy has learned some Japanese, but that's because he's stationed in Japan, not because of an interest in anime or manga.

 

[kyubisharingan]

ah that sucks. i know if my dad knew japanese, i sure as hell would want to learn...especially since i like manga and anime

 

[Obxist]

Woagh lost word... outstanding resume.... thanks for the great work... and i hope we will always see u in the near future

 

[richvh]

Well, I'll stick around at least until I get paying work translating.

 

[Crayola]

Ohhh, apparently it seems like Kotonoha is going to shut down this year, what'll happen to Hyougemono ?

 

[Nomad Soul]

Ohhh, apparently it seems like Kotonoha is going to shut down this year, what'll happen to Hyougemono ?

Lies! Kotonoha will live FOREVAAAAR! Haha, just kidding! As long as richvh continues translating "Hyougemono" it will be scanlated. Whether or not the chapters will be released under the Kotonoha banner is a matter of lesser concern.

 

[itachisan]

This thread is inspiring me to learn japanese.