Applications Open: JPP Digital Classical Japanese–English Dictionary Content Curation Team

Japan Past & Present (JPP) invites applications for a short-term (2-month) team to contribute to and refine the content of Bungonary 文語ナリー, a digital Classical Japanese–English dictionary currently in development for the JPP website. Team members will be asked to help choose and translate sample sentences for dictionary entries, and log their sources.

Bungonary will be a crucial, unprecedented open-access digital resource for students and readers of Classical Japanese. This project is the brainchild of editor-in-chief Haruo Shirane who, with co-editor Charles Woolley and a small, core editorial team, worked with colleagues to develop it for a number of years; JPP is partnering with this team to refine the dictionary and ensure that it is sustainable long-term. In its current beta form it already contains English-language definitions for some 17,000 words from sources ranging from the first books of the Man’yōshū to the early modern period, and a growing number of sample sentences.

This team’s goal will be to:

  • choose suitable sample sentences in classical Japanese for dictionary entries that currently do not contain sample sentences

  • produce basic citation/reference information for new sample sentences

  • cross-check existing sample sentences for accuracy in content and citation from

  • translate new sample sentences into English

We welcome applications from people with all sorts of backgrounds, and who are based in any location around the world. Please see below for details. For more information on the Japan Past & Present project, please read our mission statement.

Digital CJ-ED Content Curation Team (4 people)


Term: 2 months, Jan 1, 2027–Mar 1 2027 (some flexibility may be possible)
Location: Remote (via Zoom)
Commitment: est. 3–4 hrs/week
Compensation: $30 USD/hour*

*Variations in compensation may apply depending on laws or regulations pertaining to an applicant’s individual circumstances or institutional rules or requirements.

**Established scholars who expect to be compensated indirectly by an employer for work of this sort, or who do not feel the need to be paid, may choose to have the funds they would otherwise be provided redirected to support other JPP projects.

Eligibility:

  • MA degree or equivalent (minimum)

  • scholars of all disciplines, specializations, and career stages in Japanese humanities are invited to apply

  • ready access to essential reference materials, specifically Nihon koten bungaku taikei 日本古典文学大系, Shin Nihon koten bungaku taikei 新日本古典文学大系, and Shinpen Nihon Koten Bungaku Zenshū 新編 日本古典文学全集, other relevant compilations of classical Japanese literature

  • individuals who have previously served on a JPP project team within the last two years are not eligible to apply

Requirements:

  • knowledge of premodern Japanese Studies

  • ability to work/collaborate in both English and Japanese

  • a good knowledge of/proficiency in Classical Japanese

  • an interest or expertise in dictionaries, digital or otherwise

  • digital search and organizational skills

  • good communication skills (particularly as part of a team)

  • responsiveness to electronic communication

Application Requirements:

1) Form: https://forms.gle/VYf97cWA22sdYjHS6 

2) CV (max 3 pages), emailed to admin@japanpastandpresent.org


Application Deadline: Dec 4, 2026, 8:00 pm PT

We look forward to reviewing your applications!

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