An Overview of the Honyaku Mailing List
The Honyaku mailing list was started in 1994 by Dan
Kanagy as a forum where professional translators could discuss and exchange
information on a wide range of issues related to Japanese/English translation.
Originally hosted on a list server and available only via email, Honyaku has
moved several times throughout its history and is now hosted at Google Groups.
It can currently be accessed via email or the Web interface at Google Groups.
Past messages can be searched and viewed via a Web Interface at http://www.honyaku-archive.
Given this long history, it might seem to someone new to the list that many of the Posting Guidelines given below are a legacy of obsolete Internet etiquette. A majority of the list's active members, however, agree with and make an effort to comply with these guidelines, which we feel help keep the noise-to-signal ratio as low as possible while making both the list and the archives easier to use from a variety of applications used in a wide range of computing environments for operating both desktop and laptop computers as well as increasingly diverse gamut of mobile devices.
Membership is predicated on agreement to comply with these guidelines as well as to allow your messages to be posted on the list and stored in the archives, either of which can be viewed by anyone with a Web browser. Although there are no penalties for failing to comply with these guidelines, the list owners and moderators will from time to time send out general reminders to the list at large as well as specific requests for compliance to individuals.
Honyaku is operated by two admins, who in principle are elected by the general membership to serve a three-year term as list owner. Terms are staggered so that an election is held each March for one position. The current admins are:
The list owners also appoint one or more people to serve as moderators, also on a volunteer basis, to assist the operation of the list. Their responsibilities include approving membership applications and other activities intended to help the list operate smoothly.
Anyone who has questions, comments, or concerns about Honyaku and how it is operated is encouraged to contact the list owners and moderators at honyakumods!@yahoogroups.com. (delete the ! in the address)
How do I . . .?
How do I subscribe?
To subscribe, access http://groups.google.com/
Alternatively, anyone who wishes to join the group
via email without acquiring a Google ID should click http://groups.google.com/
If you have any trouble with either of the above methods, please contact the list owners and moderators at honyakumods!@yahoogroups.com. (delete the ! in the address)
How do I post messages?
If you are new to Honyaku or just posting for the first time in a long time, please refer to the Posting Guidelines for the Honyaku Mailing List,
where you will find a detailed explanation of how to post messages and
which conventions we consider to be proper list etiquette.
To unsubscribe from the Honyaku mailing list, send an
email message to honyaku+unsubscribe@
This message must be from the address you subscribed from, but can contain any kind of message.
How do I set my list options?
If you have an account at Google, you can change your options yourself via the Google Groups website.
Alternatively, if you do not have an account, you may contact the list owners and moderators at honyakumods!@yahoogroups.com (delete the ! in the address) with your request.
Available delivery options include:
Related Resources
Adam Rice has developed a website that complements the Honyaku list: http://honyakuhome.org/
Also available at this site is a Web form with which
individuals or businesses seeking translation providers can post job offers to
the list: http://honyakuhome.org/node/
A helpful compendium of information on Japanese
encoding for mail is maintained by Nora Heath: http://www.fumizuki.com/
Ryan Ginstrom offers a searchable archive of all
Honyaku posts, including those from other hosts: http://www.honyaku-archive.
If you are looking for assistance in translating a simple word or phrase for free, Honyaku is probably not the best place to ask, because the people here do translation for a living. You would not ask your dentist to fix "just one tooth" for free; please give us the same courtesy. If you do have such a question, however, you can often get an answer in groups such as: