Random brain drippings will appear here from time to time.
Stay tuned.
Brain Drippings
Day: June 28, 2026
Diverse and Only Tenuously Linked Interests
This section will cover a wide range of personal interests and hobbies, including slide rule collection, seal carving (篆刻), and the ships of the Imprial Japanese Navy. 乞うご期待.
Discount for Handwritten Translation?
One day sometime in the early 1990s, a new manufacturer client ordered the translation of a short description of a manufacturing process. I quoted my usual rate for such translations and told him I could have the translation back within about three days.
The client came back and asked me if I could do the translation for a lower rate if he could accept a handwritten translation. I needed to break the news to him that a handwritten translation would not only require a bit more time but also a higher fee.
At the time, the keyboard was still sensed by some Japanese people as being an impediment to writing. I believe most people have now overcome this view.