On Carpenter Readings

 As I was reading Carpenter's readings, I felt a good amount of inspiration. I really like the point she made about learning a language. You never stop learning, and what you need to know if infinite. I think often times in my struggle of learning Japanese, I allow my frustrations to get the better of me and forget that even the most experienced language learners don't know everything and struggled just like me at some point. I am also seeing a pattern of translators emphasizing the importance of maintaining the voice of the original work. Putting your own creativity into a work is inevitable. The art of translation and writing in general cannot be void of personal style, but finding balance between you and the author is crucial. I really liked the analogy that translation is like coloring in a coloring book. You can add all the colors you want and add your own creativity to it, but you have to stay within the lines. As Carpenter noted, a translator is stuck with the feelings and message of the author, and there is no changing that crucial component.

-Ariel