Bridging Scholar J. Sam Bett Wins First Prize in JLPP International Translation Competition!

J. Sam Bett, a Bridging Scholar alumnus (University of Massachusetts--Amherst/Kwansei Gakuin 2007-2008), has just been awarded first prize in the 2nd Japanese Literature Publishing Project (JLPP) International Translation Competition.

Sam was kind enough to write to us, "Nine years ago, while preparing for a year abroad at Kwansei Gakuin University in Japan, I was fortunate enough to be one of the students selected for a Bridging Scholarship. In the intervening years I have gradually attained fluency in Japanese, living at times in the U.S. and in Japan.  These days I live in New York City, but I use Japanese every day in my day job involving patent translation, and my avocation, to which I devote much of my free time, is literary translation....I'm very thankful for the huge boost, both to the budget and morale, that receiving a Bridging Scholarship gave me early on in my studies, and I'm proud to be listing this new award alongside my Bridging Scholar status on my resume."

The JLPP award, affiliated with Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, seeks its mission of "discovering and fostering skilled translators who can help introduce and spread modern Japanese literature throughout the world." Sam's winning translations were Namida uri by Ogawa Yoko and Tokoya girai no Panse by  Horie Toshiyuki.