Hi! Iʼm Kasumi Sminkey, a long-term resident of Japan and current resident of Naha, Okinawa.

Good Face Photo


My main job is teaching at Okinawa International University, but my side job is as a freelance Japanese-English translator. I enjoy translating Japanese literature, especially Okinawa literature. This page introduces my literary translations.

I used to post a lot of unpublished material but problems with copyright infringement have forced me to take those excerpts down. Instead, I
ʼll introduce work thatʼs been published.

Here
ʼs a complete list of my translations, including the unpublished ones:

“The Eel God.”
Unpublished translation of “Kamiunagi,” a short story by Medoruma Shun. Completed in February 2023, currently revising.

“The Cat Petition.” Unpublished translation of “Shomei,” a short story by Medoruma Shun. Completed in 2021, currently revising.

In the Woods of Memory. Published translation of Me no oku no mori, a novel by Medoruma Shun. Berkeley: Stone Bridge Press, 2017.

“Island Confinement.” Published translation of “Shimagomori,” a short story by Sakiyama Tami. Appears in
Islands of Protest. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2016. 113-160.

Ichigensan (The Newcomer). Published translation of Ichigensan, a novel by David Zoppetti. Birchington: Ōzaru Books, 2011.

“Round-trip over the Ocean.” Published translation of “Suijō Ōkan,” a short story by Sakiyama Tami.
Living Spirit: Literature and Resurgence in Okinawa. Manoa: 23: 1 (Summer 2011). 1-20.

A Rabbit’s Eyes. Published translation of Usagi no Me, a novel by Haitani Kenjirō. New York: Vertical, Inc. Press, 2005.

Okinawa International University General Information Bulletin (2020). Translation of the university information bulletin, much of which appears on the universityʼs current homepage. Assisted with updated versions up until the present.

GO! Unpublished translation of Kaneshiro Kazuki’s GO, a novel published by Kodansha Press in 2000. Translation completed in 2004. Go: A Coming of Age Novel, an excellent translation of the novel by Takami Nieda was published in 2018, many years later. The novel was also made into an excellent movie, starring Yōsuke Kubozuka, Ko Shibasaki, Shinobu Otake, and Tsutomu Yamazaki. Click here to view the trailer.

“Annotated Translation of Asada Jirō’s ‘Rabu Retā’ (Love Letter).” Master’s Thesis for Sheffield University (November 2000).



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