We have enjoyed working for individual designers, companies, creative institutions, publishers, editors and government agencies on both sides of the language divide.

Interacting with Japanese design masters is never simple. Although their art speaks poetry, communication does not always come easy, so having the help of Maggie Hohle and Yukiko Naito was precious, as they understand Japanese culture and language as well as the language of design.

Laetitia Wolff
futureflair, former editor of Surface Magazine, Graphis Magazine

I put my complete trust in Japanese-English translations done by Yukiko Naito and Maggie Hohle. Naito creates a precise and deliberate translation from Japanese to English, and Hohle polishes it with her linguistic ability and precision. The translation seems to be imbued with a new brilliance, thanks to their teamwork. Translation is not simply a matter of replacing words in one language with those in another. It is creative work whose goal is to guarantee the reproduction of the sensations and effects induced by the original language and its context, by carefully comprehending the author’s concepts, sensory perceptions, and the aesthetics hidden behind the words. The collaboration of these two certainly signifies that creativity.
Their work has produced remarkable results, most recently in the annual newspaper ads describing the philosophy of MUJI, and my book, Designing Design, released in 2007 by Lars Muller Publishers. Thanks to their sincere efforts, I myself have rather enjoyed crossing the border between Japanese and English.

Kenya Hara
Hara Design Institute, Nippon Design Center
Muji
Board Member, Mujirushi Ryohin (Muji)
Professor, Musashino Art University

The partnership of Naito and Hohle is unique because Yukiko and Maggie have a genuine passion to touch on the humane side of design and of creative industries in general. The fact that they can move a project on a 24-hour schedule because of their respective locations in Japan and the US is a great benefit as well. There are not words enough to express how much I appreciate their willingness to go out of their way to make each assignment more than perfect.

Leimei Julia Chiu
Executive Director, Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization
Professor of Visual Communication Design, Musashino Art University
Executive Board Member, International Council Societies of Industrial Design
Formerly Director of Global Communications at International Design Center
Nagoya (Œ92-Œ08) and Vice President of Icograda (Œ97-01)

In Japanese, we call “design” “dezain”, and spell it in katakana, the syllabary reserved for transcribing foreign words. Just as the words "design" (in its original language) and the katakana word "dezain" already lead different lives, simply because a text is technical doesn’t mean that it’s acceptable to translate it mechanically. Yukiko Naito and Maggie Hohle resolve the language gap with explicit translations reflecting the difference between context and intuition. 

Kiyonori Muroga
Editor in chief, IDEA magazine (Tokyo)

We've been very pleased with the quality of translation service and helpful responsiveness provided by Yukiko Naito and Maggie Kinser Hohle in preparation of the VISUALOGUE Congress. The importance of accuracy and contextual correctness in communications with a creative community of thousands cannot be overstated, and it takes a particular mind-set (as well as cross-cultural skill-sets and understanding) to be able to interpret and convey complex concepts well in languages as diverse as English and Japanese. Based on our positive experiences, I can highly recommend Yukiko and Maggie's professional services.

Robert Peters
Circle Design
President, Icograda (International Council of Graphic Design Organizations) 2001-2003
Fellow of the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada

Working with Takumi is extremely heartening. Maggie Hohle and Yukiko Naito not only respond to our client’s needs with an unwavering commitment to quality, but also join us in considering the ideal form of the final product.

Kumi Ohba
Editing and Advertising Section, Publishing Department
Seibundo Shinkosha Publishing Co,Ltd.