A year in the life of a translator

Speakers

Abstract

While some translators devote their entire career to the works of a single author, I find one of the most exciting things about my work is the chance to tackle a wide variety of projects. In 2006, I had five book-length translations published: a bilingual child's introduction to Mozart, a book of modern poetry, a murder mystery, an examination of the meaning of life from the perspective of Shin Buddhism, and a memoir of making movies with Akira Kurosawa. I found all five personally very rewarding. They run the gamut in terms of how I became involved in each one, how long it took, how well it paid, and the process involved. I will discuss some of the challenges and opportunities of translation through the prism of these projects. Some of the issues I will look at include finding the proper voice and register; use of profanity (IN the text, not directed at it!); working with editors; working with authors who do back-translations of one’s work, and otherwise; translating figurative language and proverbial expressions; juggling deadlines; etc.

Translations for discussion:

(in order of publication)

Welcome to Mozart/motsaruto e yo koso, illus. Jiri Votruba. Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006. 32 pp.

Overkill, by Mizuki Misumi. [Obakiru, 2004] International Publishing Institute, ed. Yamaguchi City, 2006. 96 pp.

The Hunter: A Detective Takako Otomichi Mystery, by Asa Nonami. [Kogoeru Kiba, 1996] Tokyo: Kodansha International, 2006. 269 pp.

You Were Born for a Reason: The Real Purpose of Life, by Kentetsu Takamori, Daiji Akehashi, and Kentaro Ito. [Naze Ikiru, 2001] Torrance, CA: Ichimannendo Publishing, Inc., 2006. 224 pp.

Waiting on the Weather: Making Movies with Akira Kurosawa, by Teruyo Nogami. [Tenki machi, 2004] Berkeley: Stone Bridge Press, 2006. 296 pp.

Schedule

Day 1
Starts: 14:15:00
Ends: 15:00:00
Room: Workshop

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