C. Terry Reading

    In expressing his thoughts on translation, Terry doesn’t mince his words. One note that stood out to me is that the usage of common phrases is, as he puts it, “a sign of bad writing in English.” Yet, they are used liberally in Japanese works. So translators have to make the choice of whether to keep the phrasing in or omit it. On the topic of omitting words and phrases, in some scenarios, it may actually be the best choice. The example given in the text is before a meal, Japanese people will say “itadakimasu.” However, in English there is no such courtesy. It’s interesting to see that an important aspect in Japanese culture is nonexistent in somewhere like America.

    In addition, Japanese written language is much different than conversational language, while in English, they are similar. This makes translating dialogue and transcripts different than written works. Furthermore, every work has a certain rhythm, which Terry acknowledges in the notes. If a work in Japanese is a fast-paced novel, then the English translation should be the same. People’s views on translation will also differ depending on what they’re translating from. For example, Russian translator Nabokov believes translating word-by-word is the best approach; but words in Russian are very similar to words in English, and there aren’t as many linguistic barriers. It’s not as simple with a language like Japanese, so the translating process will differ.

    The most important point I think Terry brings up is “if no one is going to read what is translated, there is very little reason for translating it.” The translation should be readable, and manageable for its target audience. Otherwise, they may stop reading due to the translation being too difficult or incomprehensible. Then what is the point in even translating it in the first place? Sometimes it means taking out details or adding more for clarification, but what’s important is to preserve the original’s meaning.

Alex