Terry and Riggs Discussion Post

    Near the beginning of the Terry reading, he mentions that "it is an unfortunate fact that many common devices of Japanese writers do not accord with the accepted standards of good English writing." I could definitely agree with this sentiment. From the readings and translation assignments, the differences between Japanese and English writing conventions have been made glaringly obvious. One example of something that is fine to do in Japanese and the opposite in English that I have noticed myself is the use of repetition. I have found it to be common in Japanese to do this with names, and when translating, I have repeatedly chosen to omit the use of the name past the first time that it is mentioned. Like Terry mentions, translating these phrases results in not so proper English, therefore requiring a decision to include or remove the repetition. 

    In the Riggs reading, I found the section discussing the approach of a professional translator to be insightful. He lists two ways of producing a translation draft. One being a quick and rough draft where it is being done while simultaneously reading the piece for the first time, and the other being a thorough draft involving a careful read of the piece from beginning to end and some contextual research before starting to translate. I think that the second method is most likely the better approach as it is careful, but the first one may be the better method of creating a draft as it is essentially the pure process of drafting. The first approach is also more optimal in terms of time since it is being worked on as you are reading. Later on in the Riggs reading, he also mentions the traits of a good English title. So far for assignments, I have been directly translating titles, but Riggs mentions that titles do not have to be "a straight translation of the Japanese title." I agree with the statement that a good title invites readers to read the rest of the piece. It is interesting to then consider how much of a different title should be allowed, assuming that it is still relevant to the piece of course.

 

June