# Japanese translation help (re: Ray Harryhausen) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 13, 2010, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-translation-help-re-ray-harryhausen/557029 "2010-10-13T19:04:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-translation-help-re-ray-harryhausen/557029/1 "2010-10-13T19:04:52Z")
I have occasion to put together a small shrine to Ray Harryhausen in a context involving his work, Japanese monster movies, bad samurai films, and anime. I plan to make a simple triptych, with each panel involving a picture of Harryhausen and one of his creations. Given the context, I’d like to make a sign for it in Japanese. So, I’d like to know how to write “Maker of Monsters” in Japanese. Bonus points for helping me figure out how to render the man’s name in katakana. Any Japanese-speaking stop-motion monster fans in the house? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-translation-help-re-ray-harryhausen/557029/2 "2010-10-13T19:10:48Z")
怪獣の創造者 (_kaijuu no souzousha_) perhaps? The katakana is easy: レイ・ハリーハウゼン ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-translation-help-re-ray-harryhausen/557029/3 "2010-10-13T19:24:29Z")
I can take a stab at the katakana: First, in Roman Characters: Ra-i Ha-ri-ha-sen レイ ハリハテン ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-translation-help-re-ray-harryhausen/557029/4 "2010-10-13T19:28:42Z")
To get the Japanese form of a well-known person’s name, find the article about them in Wikipedia, then click on the Japanese characters for the Japanese language (日本語). In this case you get [this article](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%AC%E3%82%A4%E3%83%BB%E3%83%8F%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%8F%E3%82%A6%E3%82%BC%E3%83%B3), where he is indeed named レイ・ハリーハウゼン ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-translation-help-re-ray-harryhausen/557029/5 "2010-10-13T19:38:26Z")
“Monster Creator” works for me, cckerberos. (That’s the direct translation, right?) Much obliged, folks! And thanks for the tip, Giles–I hadn’t thought of that. Now I just have to dig out a brush and get to it. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-translation-help-re-ray-harryhausen/557029/6 "2010-10-13T19:50:12Z")
Yes, Wikipedia is a very useful tool for translators, especially with scientific or technical vocabulary. For example, I had to review some Swedish translations recently – a language that I know very little of – and found that the Swedish for “human resources” is “human resources” – [cite](http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_resources). (Though most words are a bit trickier than that).