Japanese to English Literary Translation

Charlotte Goff is an Edinburgh-based Japanese-English literary translator, who has translated Nao-Cola Yamazaki’s Beautiful Distance (Daunt, Zando 2026) and Aya Koda’s Tree (Penguin 2026). Her translation of Kei Ichiki’s Zero Chance of No Regrets is due to be published in 2027 (Bloomsbury, Counterpoint).

She is drawn to texts which question social expectations around gender roles, family and relationship ideals, and what life 'should' look like; issues that have been central to her previous roles in the Violence Against Women and Girls sector.

Charlotte was selected for one of the National Centre for Writing’s 2023-2024 Emerging Translator Mentorships, which involved six months’ mentoring by Polly Barton. More about that here.

When she is not translating, Charlotte enjoys piling up books she will not read, messing around with gelli plate printing, and cycling around Scotland.

Read about her favourite books and more here.