The thing I most liked about this article was that the author drew on her personal experiences to speak about the challenges of translation. Even though I have just started translating in a classroom setting, I found myself agreeing with many of her main points. For example, her jigsaw puzzle metaphor to describe the necessity of rearranging different parts of a sentence was very relatable. As I struggle through the differences in grammar between Japanese and English, trying various organizations of the same sentence is so far the most tedious aspect. Another important distinction she mentions is the focus on clarity in English literature, while the Japanese style tends towards subtlety. This is something that I have definitely picked up on while reading translated Japanese novels, and it is an art to achieve a balance between the two so that the content is understandable without losing the original author's style. One thing I learned that was helpful to consider was about Hirano's beginning process, to know the intended readership and purpose of the translation. She approaches academic writing very differently from literature, as one emphasizes content and the other style just as equally. Her examples from "The Friends" novel really show the importance of preserving aspects such as rhythm, flow, and voice when translating fiction. Not to mention the added challenge of translating culture as well. I wonder if some ideas, like the example she used of juku, can ever be completely successfully translated to an audience that is unfamiliar with one of the cultures. Especially without explicitly explaining it in a way that would definitely negatively impact the reading experience. This cultural void being only one of the many challenges I will have to face in this class!
Joanne
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