Mercedez Clewis

JP - EN Translator & Localizer
Staff Editor at Anime Feminist
Freelance Transcriptionist
Writer and Reviewer
Occassional Podcaster

Interests

Hobbies
Shamisen (3.5 years experience)
Koto (3 years experience)
Fiber Arts (cross stitch, embroidery weaving)
Japanese Sashiko Stitching

Japanese Cultural Interests
Ikebana (3 years experience)
Plus-sized Japanese Fashion
Sashiko Stitching
Local Cuisine/Specialties
Yokai and Ayakashi
Onsen

General Interests
Chiptune
Cooking
Cosplay
Illustration
Reading
Video Games

About

My name is Mercedez Clewis (she/they) and I am an aspiring Japanese to English Translator with an interest in manga and video game translation and localization. I additionally am particularly interested in working with LGBTQAI+/Queer media, Boy’s Love, Yuri, and food-centric series. Furthermore, I am open to working with Adult/R18+ media, including fanworks and doujinshi.

Previously, I worked as a JP-EN video game news translator for Siliconera, where I honed my translation skills by writing over 100 articles 2-3 times a day for the website on a variety of topics, including mainstream Japanese gaming news, niche news, and merchandise posts.

Currently, I am a staff member of Anime Feminist, a website focused on looking at Japanese pop culture media through a feminist lens. I am a contributing editor and transcriptionist for the AniFem podcast Chatty AF. Additionally, I cover seasonal anime reviews and will soon become a contributing writer.

As of August 2020, I am looking to take on freelancing work as a transcriptionist, editor, and aspiring QA. I’m particularly interested in helping make fandom podcasts more accessible, and am particularly interested in proofreading and providing feedback for visual novels and light novels that will be published in English.

Education

University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
MA in History with a csertificate of Museum Studies with training in Archival Studies, Collections Management, and Research and Design, May 2016

Westminster College - Fulton, Missouri
Bachelor of Arts - History with a minor in Asian Studies, May 2014; supplimental archival study and front desk management experience at the National Winston Churchill Museum.

Awards and Certificates

Goodwill Ambassador for Fukushima
I was awared the title of International Goodwill Ambassador of Fukushima Prefecture by Uchibori Masao, Govenor of Fukushima, as recognition of my service and my continued work on behalf of the prefecture.

MyTEFL
TEFL Certification (120-Hour Profession Course), Nov. 2017

Work History

Cross Infinite World
October 2020 - Current
Editor

Rotten Blossoms
October 2020 - Current
Quality Assistance

100 Word Gaming Reviews
October 2020 - Current
Video Game Reviewer

Fandom Post
September 2020 - Current
Manga/Anime Reviewer and Contributing Writer

But Why Tho?
September 2020 - Current
Manga/Anime Reviewer and Contributing Writer

Anime Feminist
May 2020 - Current
Contributing Editor
Contributing Writer and Reviewer
Transcription (Chatty AF)

Siliconera
February 2020 - April 2020
Contributing Writer, Japanese to English News Translator

JET Program
August 2016 - August 2020
Assistant English Language Teacher (Fukushima Prefecture)

Project History

Cross Infinite World
Another World’s Zombie Apocalypse Is Not My Problem! Volume 2 - Editor

Rotten Blossoms - Doujinshi
That is a Sensitive Place! (15+) - Quality Assurance
WINGS Concerto A (R18+) - Quality Assurance
NDA - Quality Assurance
NDA - Quality Assurance
NDA - Quality Assurance
NDA - Quality Assurance

Rotten Blossoms - Audio & Drama CDs
NDA - Quality Assurance

Transcription Work

Podcasts

Chatty AF (Contributing Transcriptionist)
Episode 58: Ouran High School Host Club, Ep. 14 - 20
Episode 64: Shojo Manga - Part 1
Episode 75: Galko-chan
Episode 79: Team Q&A - 2018 Edition
Episode 89: Classic BL

Okazu (Freelance Transcriptionist)
Online 2020 Yuri Panel - Transcript and Youtube Captions

Sparkleside Chats with Magical Girl Ayu (Official Transcriptionist)

Witch, Please (Official Transcriptionist)

Skills

Skills
Blogging
Creative Writing
Editing & Proofreading
International Relations
Podcasting & Podcast
PowerPoint
Social Media
Timeline Management
Transcription (Audio & Video)
Translation
Typing (Baseline: 54 wpm)
Written Communication

Languages
Primary/L1: English (native)
Secondary/L2: Japanese (Upper Intermediate - Lower Advanced)
Secondary/L2: JSL / Japanese Sign Language (Beginner)
Tertiary/L3: Korean (No Proficiency/Absolute Beginner)

Prior Language Experience
Spanish (2007 - 2009; Intermediate)
Mandarin Chinese (2010 - 2013; Upper Intermediate-Lower Advanced)

Program Proficencies
Canva
Google Suite: Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms
Microsoft Office: Word, Powerpoint

Social Media
Instagram
Tumblr
Twitter

Rates

Translation (Manga)

Per Moji/Character
¥4 - 7/moji
¢ .04 - .07 /character

Per Page
¥330 - 420/page
$3.25 - $4.00/page

Editing and Proofreading

Fandom Media
Fiction - $0.05/word
Non-Fiction - $0.05/word
Articles - $0.06/word

Copyediting
Fiction - $0.08/word
Non-Fiction - $0.08/word

Proofreading
Fiction - $0.08/word
Non-Fiction - $0.08/word

Sensativity Reading
Fiction - $0.13/word
Non-Fiction - $0.13/word

❖ General turnaround time is four to seven business days.

❖ All clients will receive a detailed timetable estimate in addition to their invoice.

Transcription

Podcasts/Audio
Unscripted/No Script, Notes or Materials Provided: $35/hour
Scripted/Materials and/or Notes Provided: $30/hour

Fandom Media
Unscripted/No Script, Notes or Materials Provided: $30/hour
Scripted/Materials and/or Notes Provided: $25/hour

Videos/Live Streams
Per Hour: $25

Captioning and Timing - YouTube
Hourly: $15-18

24-Hour Turnaround
$55 - 75/hour, depending on content and media

Weekend Turnaround
$80 - 100/hour, depending on content and media

Additional Services
Please note that noisy audio, poor quality audio, or any media that is considered "hard to hear" will incur an addition charge to be discussed with the client prior to transcription. Generally, this additional charge will be at least $5/per hour.

❖ General turnaround time is four to seven business days for less than three hours of recording and five to eight business days for additional hours of recording.

❖ All transcriptions are delivered digitally as a Word Doc or Google Doc, along with a PDF file.

❖ Rates include research, editing, and writing. Rates are measured in hours worked, not length of media. All clients will receive a detailed timetable estimate in addition to their invoice.

Writing

Articles - 500 - 1000 words
$50/article

Articles - 1000 - 1500 words
$80/article

Articles - 1500 - 2000 words
$110/article

Blog Posts (Short)
$65/post

Blog Posts (Long)
$85/post

Media Review Article (Manga/Graphic Novels/Ect.)
$40/post

Media Review Article (Anime)
$60/post

Media Review Article (Video Games)
$80/post

Contact

Please contact me at [email protected] if you have questions or want to request my resume. You can also contact me there for in further inquiries, including interview request, consulting, work opportunities, collaborative projects and more.

Additionally, please contact me via email if you have any questions regarding my rates or work calendar.

Furthermore, I am avaliable for guest and panel hosting, especially for projects and productions focused on LGBTQAI+ and Queer media, Visual Novels, Yuri and Boys' Love media, and anime and manga in general.

Additionally, if you would like to support the content I create or would like to continue to support my endevours as a writer, editor, translator, and transcriptionist, please consider gifting me a nice warm cup of Ko-fi or by donating to me via PayPal. Additionally, you can support my work as a Black creative directly by buying items from my Amazon JP Japanese Reference Tools wishlist.

Additionally, you can find me at the following places: