Jocelyne Allen
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brainvsbook.bsky.social
Jocelyne Allen
@brainvsbook.bsky.social
2.2K followers 520 following 3.8K posts
アレン・ジョセリン
I write. I ramble. I translate. And interpret.
筆者／翻訳・通訳家／取り留めの無い人
(she/they)
brainvsbook.com
kaikatsu.ca
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brainvsbook.bsky.social
And now I'm thinking of pelican friend to baby. So many ways to enjoy pelican on the internet!
Photo of a pelican with its beak open and all scoopy, looking deranged. (Maybe pelicans always look deranged, but this one seems especially so.) Text below it reads: pelcan Mouth perfec t size for put baby in to n/ap! inside very Soft and Comfort baby sleep soundly put baby in Pelican Mouth. Put Baby In Pelican Mouth, no problems ever in peliccan mouth because good Shape and Support for baby neck weak of big baby head. Apelican Mouth yes a place for a baby put baby in pelican mouth can trust pelican for giveing good love to baby. friend pelican Below this, user name cornerof5thandvermouth replies: this was written by a pelican
November 11, 2025 at 9:52 AM
brainvsbook.bsky.social
I kept reading Wetuve as Wet-you-vay and wondering if it was a user name? Or?? Took me waaaay too long to connect that it's meant to be a Youtube fake. I wish the video of a pelican trying to eat a capybara was real, though. #AmReading
Manga panel of a phone in a hand. The screen shows an image of a pelican with its beak around a totally chill capybara. Above the image is the word Wetuve, and below the image, it says ペリカン、カピバラを捕食？【面白動画】
November 11, 2025 at 9:37 AM
brainvsbook.bsky.social
The janky wordplay in the title of this story is exactly why the local news is my favourite show. It's like if your dad had a news programme.
A photo of my TV showing some kid holding up a whole bunch of leeks on a sunny day in a field outside. The title in the top right corner of the screen is 「ねぎ束」作り”ねぎ„らう (This is also one more data point for my theory that Japanese punctuation is pure vibes, whatever you want it to be man)
November 10, 2025 at 9:58 AM
brainvsbook.bsky.social
Very cool exhibit happening at Kabuki-za! And they will give you a sticker for coming!! #thisiskabuki
Exhibit with actual kabuki props and some adorably janky diorama style boats Stage costumes on display. Richly coloured kimono and fans
November 10, 2025 at 5:16 AM
brainvsbook.bsky.social
If you need me, I'll be in the smorking room.
A wood sign listing facilities in English and Japanese on different floors in a hotel. Most are in black typeface, but 2 is in white and reads: Lounge ラウンジ Lavatory　トイレ Meeting room　ミーティングルーム Smorking room　喫煙室
November 8, 2025 at 1:11 PM
brainvsbook.bsky.social
Now that I'm back from vacation and getting into my Tokyo worklife routine, you know the first thing I did was go check in on the seasonal look of my favourite robot receptionist! Mini-chan delivered in spades with both an homage to autumn and the big baseball win. Stunning!
In a sunny tiled building lobby, Mini the robot wears a blue Dodgers jersey (the back is not shown, but yes, it has Ohtani's name and number on it) and a Dodgers cap on one corner of her touchscreen head. There are little stars, 祝 stickers, and cartoon baseball images around her touchscreen head, and there is a picture of food on the screen for some reason. Sprigs of red and orange momiji leaves sprout from the shoulders of her jersey.
November 7, 2025 at 9:47 AM
brainvsbook.bsky.social
Plus, when I bought my books, they gave me a bonus grape juice and a sticker of their mascot character! You cannot go wrong with a bookstore that has Columbo chilling on the scaffolding outside.
A floor map showing the route through the store and all the different sections. The books I bought. 探偵ゲーム（坂田靖子）、ユリゴコロ（沼田まほかる）、ホタルの嫁入り（橘オレコ） The front of the shop. The left side is painted like a spooky house and there is a dummy falling over the railing of some stairs. A word balloon near its head says, Hi, I'm John. 本日のおすすめだよ！ The left side of the storefront, also painted like a house. Above the window on the first floor, a dummy dressed in a tan overcoat, grey trousers, and brown shoes with a little hat stands on some scaffolding. A word balloon near its mouth says, Hey, I'm Colombo. 2Fには古本もあるよ！
November 6, 2025 at 9:01 AM
brainvsbook.bsky.social
This mystery place in Nagoya is maybe the coolest bookstore I've ever been to. Arrows lead you through the winding path of the store like a museum exhibit, all the shelves are giant books, and there are little sitting rooms/crime scenes throughout the store.
Two chairs against a wall with large writing on it facing a bookshelf shaped like an open book filled with paperback books. An ornate chair in front of a small table with an old-fashioned lamp facing a wall with a picture hanging askew. A dead-end on the path through the bookstore. Book-shaped bookcases are on either side of the path, and on the other side of the sign that says STOP, two clerks are visible at a desk. There's a cool standing clock on the other side of them. A close-up of a shelf with some books and a black sign that says Act 10/13 女性とミステリ 嫋やかな筆が紡ぐ謎
November 6, 2025 at 8:44 AM
brainvsbook.bsky.social
Got attacked by a bookstore again today. #AmReading
A bunch of books on a wooden floor. ユビキタス by 鈴木光司, バッドベイビーは泣かない3・４巻 by鳥飼茜、ガールズ・アット・ジ・エッジ3・４巻 by 犬怪寅日子 &ハトリアヤコ, とんがり帽子のアトリエ１４巻by 白浜鴎、介護未満の父に起きたこと by ッジェーン・スー、俺の妹に勝てる気がしねぇ by ためこう, オンリー・トーク by 一穂ミチ&志村貴子, そういう家の子の話 by 志村貴子
November 5, 2025 at 9:22 AM
brainvsbook.bsky.social
Fuji was looking good today!
Snow-capped Mount Fuji against a blue sky with a puff of clouds to the right of the peak. there is ring of clouds around the base of the mountain. A cityscape unfolds below the clouds.
November 1, 2025 at 1:32 PM
brainvsbook.bsky.social
Celebrated Halloween by going to a fox's wedding, in a rainstorm at night funnily enough (funny bc the idiom 狐の嫁入り means sun shower).
A procession of people in fox masks and kimono walking single file through a covered shopping street. Everyone is wearing black, except for the second person in the line who is dressed in white bridal kimono. Some people are playing flutes or drums or carrying lanterns.
October 31, 2025 at 12:01 PM
brainvsbook.bsky.social
Ah, yes. Japan, famously the only country where words are important.
Books on a shelf. The one in the middle has an anime woman posing and a tag at the bottom that reads "In Japan, words are important"
October 29, 2025 at 12:02 PM
brainvsbook.bsky.social
One adlult please
Sign through a window 入園料　Entrance fee 大人 Adlult ￥800 こども　Child ￥400 (4ages~15ages) 開園時間 Open time 9:00am~4:00pm
October 27, 2025 at 1:18 PM
brainvsbook.bsky.social
Stopped in at Kinokuniya and they had a new artbook by battan! Signed!! And there are goods!!! Clear file, stickers, cards!! Plus a limited edition of the newest Onna no Sono which comes with a standee!! A fine welcome back to Japan for me!
A bunch of books on a table. Plus battan goods. All the covers are beautiful and exciting.
October 26, 2025 at 4:25 AM
brainvsbook.bsky.social
The hotel conditioner has an important message for you.
A bottle of white conditioner on a stone tiled shelf. It says “HAJIMARI Start to tomorrow Today never comes back to you again and always makes a start tomorrow. “Hajimari” will support your day to be pleasant.”
October 24, 2025 at 4:31 AM
brainvsbook.bsky.social
The confounding conclusion to my wild ride of a translation baby has arrived on my doorstep!
Hardback manga My Name is Shingo V6 by Kazuo Umezz against a red background. Two children peer in through a doorway at a room with the remnants of a party or something strewn all over the floor. Liquid is shooting up out of the glasses (maybe? I have no idea what's going on). The children and doorway are highlighted in an orange rectangle, and the title is a shiny lavender purple, as is part of the spine that's visible. Two-page spread of two children from the waist up running against a background of galaxies.
October 21, 2025 at 6:47 PM
brainvsbook.bsky.social
Special Saturday treat of a translation baby! Look at these horny lovebirds!!
Classmates volume seven by Asumiko Nakamura against a red background. The cover has an illustration of the two main characters doing the crossword together at home and eating cookies, with a window pane type shape in white over top, so it looks like we're peeking in on them at home. Which works nicely with the subtitle of the volume: home. One of my favourite scenes in the book. Kusakabe lights up at the thought of taking a bath with Sajo at the ryokan they're staying at. He stands and grabs the sitting Sajo's hand, and then freezes mid-jaunt when Sajo doesn't move. Sajo's too embarrassed at the idea of getting in the bath together and can't look at Kusakabe. It's very sweet and cute, and Kusakabe's thwarted jaunt cracks me up.
October 18, 2025 at 8:26 PM
brainvsbook.bsky.social
I know they intend this to be read as Urba-con, but I can only see Ur-bacon, the bacon that begat all other bacon.
A black sign with a greyish-green rectangle in the middle with the word URBACON in white in the centre. Below the rectangle on the black part of the sign, it says "Experts at construction where people live, work & play." There's a brick building to the right, and a green tree behind and to the left of the sign. Below the sign is a fence covered in black tarp-type sheets, as if hiding a construction area from view.
October 17, 2025 at 11:58 PM
brainvsbook.bsky.social
Yes. Yes, translation *is* a gentle, rigorous art to unsettle and remake. #AmReading
A photo of text from The Lantern and the Night Months by Yilin Wang: Difficult choices and interpretations must be made when I am translating, but what is translation if not the gentle, rigorous art of embracing and pushing back against the constraints of language, in order to unsettle and to remake?
October 14, 2025 at 6:51 PM
brainvsbook.bsky.social
A thing I really love about the Veil series is the pages of sketches tucked in between finished illustrations and manga vignettes. It's like peeking behind the curtain to see how the manga magic happens. #AmTranslating
Rough sketches across two pages of the attractive man and woman who are the protagonists of Veil. There's lots of movement in the linework and many different facial expressions, plus some charming little moments, like the two of them happily chowing down on some food.
October 10, 2025 at 4:38 PM
brainvsbook.bsky.social
My Japanese brain knows the "ufun" is a little giggle spelled with the alphabet instead of kana, but my English brain can't help but read it as "U fun" like a Prince lyric, especially combined with Hibari's sidelong glance.
Chapter title page from Hibari-kun. Kohsaku is in close up on the right, looking sideways to the left at HIbari, who is similarly looking at Kohsaku. Their names are in English type above their heads, and the SFX on Kohsaku reads DOKI while the one on Hibari says UFUN. The title at the top of the page is 彼女（！？）はおれのものの巻
October 9, 2025 at 12:05 AM
brainvsbook.bsky.social
Reminded that my sister had a portrait done of her old lady dog, and it is the most amazing dog painting of all time.
A shih tzu with her tongue hanging out and a fairly empty look on her face has her fur on her head pulled up into a little ponytail above her eyes. She has a person's body, shown from about the waist up, dressed in fancy white clothes that look they're made out of silk and satin, strings of pearls draped around her neck and a diamond brooch on her chest near the bottom of the painting. It's all very realistic looking and giving noblewoman gets her portrait painted.
October 7, 2025 at 11:28 PM
brainvsbook.bsky.social
My nibling coming to me with the important translation questions.
I have a question! We saw demon slayer infinity castle and the subtitles were normal and didn’t translate the song at the end. But some theatres did and it created the unfortunate sentence “from the smelly darkness” …. Is there a word that would likely have been mistaken for smelly??
October 5, 2025 at 2:40 PM
brainvsbook.bsky.social
Spent too much money at the bookstore again so I could add more books to the mountain waiting to be read. It's a good thing my job is reading.
The End of the World as We Know It anthology, Queen Demon by Martha Wells, and Sacrificial Animals by Kailee Pedersen sitting on a black, scratched-up table.
October 2, 2025 at 10:47 PM
brainvsbook.bsky.social
Why are white guys illustrating the correct usage of ご迷惑??
Waist-up shot of a generic young white guy in a navy suit holding a tablet(?) in front of a bright window beneath a text banner that says 3. 「ご迷惑」の類語・例文 Head shot of a white guy in glasses and a suit clutching his head with a worried look in front of a bright window beneath a text banner that says 2. 「ご迷惑を」の正しい使い方・例文. Below him the text reads 「ご迷惑を」を使った文章には謝罪の意味が込められていますが、「ご迷惑」は謝罪をする際や、頼みごとをする際の前置きとしても使われます。
October 2, 2025 at 8:09 PM