An independent hub for language learning, teaching, making, etc. rooted in anti-capitalist, anti-colonial, anti-imperialist, and internationalist principles.
About
Mudskipper is an independent language school and studio space that offers group language classes and individual language tutoring, as well as a range of other services such as translation and interpreting, coaching, manuscript editing, query letter editing, and consultations related to translation and other multilingual activities and projects.
We take our name and inspiration from the mudskipper, a type of amphibious, semi-aquatic fish that lives on both land and in water. Multilingual author Yoko Tawada describes her mode of being in the world as “swim-walking,” a portmanteau of her own invention that captures both the playfulness and the disorientation of existing between languages, worlds, and types of terrain.
Similarly, we view language learning, teaching, making, translating, and interpreting as oxymoronic activities which force us to inhabit contradictions as impossible as the idea of a walking fish. Like Tawada, we view language as a site of unequal power and struggle for political and social change, and reject the ways that language is co-opted by the state to further colonial and imperial interests.
School
Mudskipper offers both group language classes and individual language tutoring. We currently offer Japanese, and welcome other language teachers and educators to join us who are aligned with our political vision and goals.
Our language pedagogy is rooted in anti-colonial, anti-capitalist, and anti-imperialist principles.
We view language learning not as an end in itself, but as a means of social struggle and change. We value language learning and teaching as political acts, and the aspiration toward multilingualism not as an individual career asset but as a means of rejecting the artificial borders drawn by states, and the violence maintained by them.
We reject the premise that language teaching must be a gendered, and therefore underpaid and exploited form of work. From the home to the university, language teaching is overwhelmingly regarded as women's work, a thankless form of social reproduction whose gendered nature devalues it both monetarily and otherwise, despite that language is a vital current that carries on tradition and culture from one generation to the next.
No matter what level you are at, or where you are in your language learning journey, here you will encounter lessons on grammar and vocabulary that are fully integrated with anti-colonial history and social struggles relevant to your linguistic context.
Group language classes reject the framework of “grades” and other quantitative modes of evaluation in favor of practical, hands-on projects that materially contribute to transnational struggle and organizing.
Individual language tutoring is tailored to the goals of the student, who is encouraged to actively reflect on why they are studying the language, and to what social and political ends they would like to apply it.
Fees, rates, and further details available upon request.
Studio
Mudskipper offers a variety of services, including translation, interpreting, consultations, coaching, manuscript editing, copywriting and copy editing, sensitivity reads, as well as proposal and query letter editing.
Translation: Need something translated? Get in touch for details and rates on anything from short statements to full-length book projects.
Interpreting: Need a live interpreter for a meeting or event? Get in touch for details and rates.
Consultations: If you are seeking guidance on navigating the often confouding process of pitching a translation project, set up a consultation. We’ll discuss the fundamental components of your project, your process, and your goals. We’ll also offer advice such as how to compose a query letter and/or proposal, share strategies for pitching to literary agents and publishers, and more.
Coaching: If you are curious about trying your hand at translation, or are just getting started, we offer individual coaching sessions where we will help you learn the nuts and bolts of translation theory and practice. Sessions will be tailored to the individual student’s interests and goals.
Manuscript Editing: Have a completed or nearly completed manuscript of a translation project, but don’t feel confident submitting it without a second opinion or extra pair of eyes? We offer both primary and intensive options.
The primary package includes a concise assessment of the fundamental components of your manuscript, such as voice, style, dialogue, tone, and more. We will provide a written assessment to guide your revision process, broad margin comments to point out recurring issues, and a phone conference to discuss next steps.
The intensive package includes everything in the primary package as well as a sentence-by-sentence edit to highlight and correct minute issues, such as syntax, inconsistency, tense agreement, etc. In addition to a written assessment to guide your revision process, this package provides extensive margin comments to point out discrete issues, line edits to elevate and polish each sentence, and regular correspondence during your revision process.
Copywriting and Copy editing: Need something copy edited during the pre-production process? We will create a style guide based on The Chicago Manual and tailor it based on your in-house standards and guidelines, then work with you to get your text or manuscript publication-ready.
Sensitivity Reads: If you are a writer, translator, or publisher who is working on a text or manuscript that involves elements of a culture other than your own, we will work with you to offer a detailed report on your project that includes specific recommendations for alterations or revisions that ensure your content is as accurate and context-appropriate as possible.
Proposal and Query Letter Editing: Have a draft of a proposal or a query letter for a translation project? We will provide revisions, edits, and recommendations based on your particular project as well as the publisher you are pitching to.
Fees, rates, and further details available upon request.