Japan Read 2012: Translators and Presses

Japanese literature seems to finally be gaining some ground outside of Japan what with the myriad of translations that are now available and the presses and publication companies that are deciding to publish more fiction from that country.

With that, more and more translators are starting to come in but how good are they? I thought it'd be interesting to make note of the translators of our texts as we progress throughout the year. Who are the big guns of the Japanese translation world? As Dostoevsky has Pevear and Volonkhonsky, who are the big translators? E. Dale Saunders is one of the classic translators. Who else? Let's also gather a good list of the different presses we are using to read these works.

And since we are discussing translations here, perhaps we can try and tackle some of the intricacies of the Japanese language here?

As I noted in my review of Shipwrecks by Akira Yoshimura, I had trouble with some aspects of the translation (which was by Mark Ealey). Specifically, he occasionally used terms that were too modern and too colloquial for a book set in medieval Japan (e.g., "tying the knot" and "breadwinner") and, while the book uses traditional ways to refer to time, e.g., "Hour of the Horse," in one section corresponding modern times are given in parentheses: this inconsistency was jarring (and I would have preferred just sticking to the traditional). The second problem could have been caused by the publisher, but not the first.

I'm currently reading Kokoro, Tuttle Classics Edition, translated by Edwin McClellan. It was printed in Japan but is in English. I am not familiar with Soseki so I can't come this translation to anything, but I like it. It reads very simply and has the slightly old fashioned prose you would expect. It has some useful footnotes for Japanese terms, currency, etc. that I find useful.

That's interesting technodiabla. I read the Meredith McKinney translation and did not warm to the writing at all. I have found quite a number of contemporary translations (not just Japanese) to be less easy to read than the older, classic versions to the extent that I endeavour to avoid anything billed as a "fresh new translation" where a well-respected alternative exists. I'm in no position to judge whether these recent translations are more accurate.

And since we are discussing translations here, perhaps we can try and tackle some of the intricacies of the Japanese language here?

I have an opportunity in April to attend a lecture that will "...trace the history of the Japanese written language and show how it is a hybrid of both phonetic and ideogrammic systems." I wish I had more background in linguistics. I took one course as an undergraduate and found it fascinating.

The Center for Japanese Studies of University of Michigan publishes works in translation from Japanese, usually under the Michigan Monograph Series in Japanese Studies. Some titles can be ordered directly from this publisher (though some are already out of print) or from other online booksellers.

Official site: http://www.ii.umich.edu/cjs/
Publications: https://www.cjspubs.lsa.umich.edu/
Catalog: https://www.cjspubs.lsa.umich.edu/catalog/index/index.php

Selected fiction from their catalog:

And Then by Natsume Soseki, tr. Norma Moore Field

Grass on the Wayside by Natsume Soseki, tr. Edwin McClellan -- I read it in another edition. It's considered Soseki's most autobiographical novel. Recommended.

Nowaki by Natsume Soseki, tr. William N. Ridgeway

Sanshiro by Natsume Soseki, tr. Jay Rubin

Song of Sadness by Shusaku Endo, tr. Teruyo Shimizu -- the latest translation of Endo, it's a sort of sequel to The Sea and Poison.

The Wild Goose by Mori Ogai, tr. Burton Watson -- I just finished this one. Recommended.

Laughing Wolf by Tsushima Yuko, tr. Dennis Washburn -- I'm nearly finished with this book. A brilliant and innovative novel about the immediate aftermath of WWII in Japan. I also highly recommend this.

--edited to add touchstones

The Michigan Press is great. I've read And Then by them and it's fantastic. I have Japan's First Modern Novel: Ukigumo by Futabatei Shimei on my wishlist which is a book they publish.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fl20120225a1.html

A simple article about Charles de Wolf's and how he became to be a translator. I recognize his name and am pretty sure I've read one of his translations. However, I'd have to remember which.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/ek20120227a1.html

Another article describing "ateji" in Japan. Fairly interesting. Has a small paragraph towards the end about the presence of "ateji" in Natsume Soseki's work that shows how difficult it can be to translate the Japanese language.

"Popular Meiji Era author Natsume Soseki (1867-1916) endeared himself to readers by sprinkling his prose with ate-ji, writing out such words as 兎に角 (tonikaku, anyway) with characters meaning "horns on a rabbit," or writing 出鱈目 (detarame, nonsense or poppycock) as "popeyed codfish." Considering how these ate-ji spur creativity and lend themselves particularly well to humor, it's no surprise they have endured and continue to thrive, particularly in advertising and the names of businesses."

Too bad there's no way for an English reader to appreciate this in Soseki.

http://wordswithoutborders.org/find/languages/japanese/

Some online stories translated from the Japanese in Words Without Borders from authors like Natsuki Ikezawa, Ryu Murakami, Dazai Osamu, and Fumiko Enchi.

Thanks for the interesting link, Rise. Much to explore there!

The Kurodahan Press is an essential resource, particularlry for those who wish to venture outside the established classics of Japanese literature, and into science-fiction, pulp, and so on. Check them out here: http://www.kurodahan.com/mt/e/index.html

http://www.ifverso.com/en/node/278165

An interview with Ōe Kenzaburo where he talked about French literature and translation.

Just came up with a name I had forgotten: John Bester. Great translator, usually for the likes of Osamu Dazai.

The July issue of Words Without Borders features writing from Japan.

http://wordswithoutborders.org/issue/july-2012

More Japanese writing in the August issue of Words Without Borders.

http://wordswithoutborders.org/issue/august-2012

A blogger I enjoy reading is a huge Murakami fan and recently wrote a post about differences in the English translation to the original work. Always interesting to be reminded that works are constantly being edited and changed.

http://howtojaponese.com/2012/09/02/jurassic-sapporo/