Yui Kajita

illustrator | translator | literary scholar

Art and culture

a Japanese shinto shrine in a snowy forest

I regularly work on translation projects related to art and culture, including essays and catalogues for art exhibitions, interviews of artists and other cultural figures, and manga. With my long-standing interest in art, I approach each project with curiosity and take care to produce accurate, articulate translations that catch the subtle nuances and ideas of the source text. If you’d like to work with me on a project — whether it’s a translation from Japanese to English or English to Japanese — please reach out with any query.

Art Exhibitions and Projects

  • TERASIA Theatre for Traveling in the Age of Isolation
    “Art enables us to encounter things that are hidden from view”: a collaborative theatre project with artists from 5 countries across Asia, exploring spirituality, beliefs, and views on life and death.
    • TERASIA Online Week + Onsite, November 2022 — coordinated translations [JP-EN/EN-JP]; translated the website, write-ups, an interview, subtitles for talks and performances
    • Masking/Unmasking Death: Exhibition in Tokyo, Spring 2022 — translated text on Myanmar’s coup d’état that accompanied the exhibition and the website [JP-EN]
    • TERASIA Online Week, November 2021 — translated parts of the website, an essay, correspondence between musicians [JP-EN]; round table discussion subtitles [EN-JP]
  • Subversive Film at Documenta Fifteen, June 2022 — an exhibition of documentary films related to Palestine and the region — translated the curatorial statement, film transcriptions, and synopses [EN-JP]
  • Yuma Kishi, Imaginary Bones — translated essays, poems, and endorsements for the exhibition book [JP-EN]
  • Taguchi Art Collection — translated some descriptive commentaries for an art catalogue [JP-EN]
  • Ars Electronica: Himatsubushi: The Art of Time Killing — translated long interviews of artists Yasuhiro Suzuki and Akinori Goto on the concept of time and how their works engage with it [JP-EN]

Magazine Articles

  • Gen de Art, Tokyo Fine Wines and Spirits Association — translated interviews of a diverse range of artists, art collectors, chefs, and liquor makers, including Tadao Ando, Reiji Hiramatsu, Seitaro Kuroda, Yuki Nara, Isao Onishi, Hiroko Otake, Sisyu, Souun Takeda, Tsuyoshi Tane, Akane Teshigahara, and Yoshimasa Tsuchiya [JP-EN]

Manga

Subtitles

  • Magical Princess Minky Momo (2022 release; anime episodes 1-9) [JP-EN: working from video files]

Community