This notice appeared in issue #68 (December 1982) of Dragon:
Though the notice doesn't explicitly say so, I assume the job on offer relates to the project that would eventually become Oriental Adventures. Of course, it could also have been about translating Dungeons & Dragons (and other TSR RPGs) into Japanese. I recall that the first Japanese edition of D&D appeared in 1985 and was a translation of Frank Mentzer's 1984 edition. The fact that the contact person is Cheryl Gleason, a name I've never seen before, doesn't make the matter any clearer.
Does anyone out with better insight into the history of TSR know any more?
I remember this ad and thinking, even at the tender age of 13, that the ideal candidate for such a sweet job would be as rare as a unicorn. I would love to know who applied and who finally got the job. Perhaps some Honeywell engineer first-generation Japanese-American wargamer/history nerd. Exactly the sort of clever person who would not need a job…
ReplyDeleteEver after I always looked for similar job postings that might line up with my own personal history—“are you a sheltered suburban Boston Catholic supernerd who lives and breathes fantasy, science fiction, and the weird, worships at the altar of the Sorcerers Scroll, and has read all of Kafka and Dostoevsky? Come work for TSR!” Never saw one…—anthony (in toronto)
Not sure why Japanese would need to be your first language (or even your second - or any - language) for this position. Or Japanese history in general. Or playing D&D (you could teach a person that quite easily). The only 'requirement' here that makes any sense to me, is the "are you a student of mythology of the Far East" part. I can see how you might want to add 'Far East Mythology' bits to D&D products. The rest seems either irrelevant or easy to teach.
ReplyDelete"Hello, Comic Book Guy here... why are you running your business wrong? I'll back seat run it from the internet 40 years in the future and tell you how inefficient you are."
DeleteNerds, man. Never change. Pedantic and annoying as always.
The ad is titled "*Translation* and Design Opportunity" yet Anon wrote "Not sure why Japanese would need to be your first language (or even your second - or any - language) for this position."
DeleteTell me you've never done translation without telling me you've never done translation.
As someone who HAS done translation and interpretation, between Japanese and English, trust me when I say, if you were going to translate RPG products into Japanese, you need a native Japanese speaker fluent i English, not a native English speaker fluent in Japanese.
As the original anonymous commenter (anthony) i completely understand the need for a native japanese speaker for all sorts of marketing, writing, research, etc. i was just struck by how many people would fit that description AND also be a D&D player in an era before the game had even been translated into Japanese. It would be an amazing skillset to have.
DeleteI think i laugh more at myself for looking at such ads at the age of 13 and wishing that I could work for TSR some day…twasn’t meant to be. :)
I stand corrected.
DeleteWeren't their "Corporate offices" in 1982 just an old partly-converted shipping facility/warehouse combo? Putting in that random capital C not only fails to impress, it makes it look like they really need a better copy editor instead of a translator.
ReplyDeleteThe inconsistent trademark and copyright usage in the ad is classic TSR, though.
How was it inconsistent? Dungeons and Dragons (r) was the registered trademark, AD&D(tm) was the unregistered one, and once you do it once on a page, you don't have to do it again.
DeleteInteresting. That's not what I was taught back in college, but that was a long time ago. Perhaps my prof was just paranoid about potential legal issues when he insisted you should use your marks every single time (which was a pain in pre-word-processor days). Modern style guides agree with you that the first usage in a document should be marked, but I note they also shillyshally about whether that's good enough and advise consulting your lawyer to be sure.
Deletewell you're not entirely wrong, depending on the paranoia of your IP lawyer. In the late 90s, ours advised our software startup to apply it in every instance to cover out butts (something about which you have to worry more the smaller you are). as I read my comment, I realize I may have sounded a bit harsh, sorry.
DeleteHearkening back to your post about roleplaying vs. role-playing vs. role playing, notice the reference to FRP games - Fantasy Role Playing games.
ReplyDelete