Erskine Co., Ltd.
株式会社アースキン
We think more.
A small company in Ueda, Nagano, working between Japanese and English. Translation and localisation, teaching, design and web, publishing, and consulting, for readers and clients on both sides.
Who we are
会社について
Erskine Co., Ltd. was founded in October 2026 in Ueda, a castle town in Nagano Prefecture in central Japan. It is a small company by design: one principal, and a habit of thinking a job through before making anything.
It is run by Tedra Ogawa, a Canadian who has lived in Ueda since 2013. She taught English at AEON (英会話イーオン) and independently, then developed textbooks and curricula at Quietude LLC (合同会社Quietude). Her work with the game studio Cherrymochi (合同会社チェリーモチ) began with international community management on Tokyo Dark; for the past four years she has been a producer at the studio. She holds JLPT N2 and works in Japanese every day.
Outside work she plays with the local taiko group Isami Daiko and hosts Ueda, Let's Talk, a programme about Ueda in simple English on the community station うえだFM. Thirteen years of living in Japanese, not just translating it, is where the judgement below comes from.
- Company
- Erskine Co., Ltd.株式会社アースキン
- Representative
- Tedra Ogawa, Representative Director代表取締役 小川 てどら
- Location
- Goka, Ueda, Nagano 386-1324, Japan〒386-1324 長野県上田市五加
- Founded
- October 14, 2026
- Contact
- info@erskine.jp
Two directions
二つの方向
Most of our work comes down to one question: what does the reader on the other side actually need? We work in both directions, and the answer is different each way. Rather than claim cultural insight, we would rather show you the reasoning on a real piece of text.
Japanese to English
Japan, explained to English-speaking readers
A Japanese document rarely survives a straight translation. The order of information, the level of formality, and what is politely left unsaid all work differently in English. We say so before starting, propose whether to translate or to restructure for the English reader, and deliver with translator's notes that give the reason for each decision, so you can explain it to your own colleagues.
English to Japanese
English-language work, brought to Japan
A game, a course, or a brand built for an English-speaking audience carries assumptions a Japanese reader does not share: how much text fits, what counts as polite, what counts as proof, which jokes travel. We flag these early and in plain terms, so that the decisions are yours and are made before production, not after. Every step is checked with two sets of eyes, Japanese and English-speaking.
Services
事業内容
Translation and localisation
Japanese ⇄ English
Tourism, business and PR, academic, legal, and game text, in either direction. We ask who will read it and what they should do next before we translate a line. Samples are available on request; we do not post client work online.
English teaching
Online
Online English lessons for adults, built around what the learner actually has to do in English rather than a textbook sequence. Course and materials design for schools and companies, drawing on thirteen years in English education.
Japanese for beginners
Taught in English
Beginner Japanese taught in English by a non-native speaker who learned the language as an adult, and who had to work out the grammar that native speakers can feel but cannot explain. For newcomers, staff on assignment, and partners who want a working footing in Japanese.
Design and web
Print, websites, brand
Websites, print, and brand identity in Japanese, English, or both. We design from how the piece will be used, decide who will update a site before choosing how it is built, and hand over files with the reasoning attached. An English version of a Japanese site is built for English readers, not translated from the Japanese one.
Publishing
Erskine Press
Our imprint, Erskine Press, publishes Light Readers Editions: hi-lo readers for teenage and adult learners of English. Real books at an easier reading level, some adapting public domain classics, others original writing on history and folklore. First titles December 2026.
erskinepress.comConsulting
Before you build
Bringing a Japanese product to English-speaking readers, or an English-language one to Japan: what to change, what to keep, and in what order. For a studio, a hotel, or a university, this is usually a short engagement at the start of a project, and it ends with a written recommendation that includes the options we rejected and why.
How we work
進め方
Before anything is made, we work out together what it is for and who it is for. Then we widen, narrow, widen, narrow, and hand over, checking each stage with both Japanese and English-speaking eyes.
Explore
01
Listening
Purpose, readers, and the situation the work will be used in, taken broadly.
Narrow
02
Defining
The problem, stated in one sentence we both agree on.
Explore
03
Proposal
Two or three options, each with its reasoning.
Narrow
04
Making and testing
The chosen option, checked in the place it will actually be used.
Deliver
05
Handover
The complete files, with notes on how to use them and why the decisions were made.
Contact
お問い合わせ
For enquiries, write to us in English or Japanese. We work from Ueda, Nagano, on Japan time (UTC+9).
お仕事のご依頼・ご相談は、日本語でもお気軽にどうぞ。
