Session

Ambiguity in the source text is one of many challenges faced by Japanese-into-English translators. In this presentation the speaker will focus on two specific types of ambiguity: 1) the Japanese writer’s use of terms that appear to be ambiguous or overlapping (when translated into English) to make what is intended to be a clear distinction in Japanese, and 2) a Japanese sentence that could yield very different meanings depending on the translator’s understanding of the sentence structure. The deciding factor in either case is context. The speaker will present examples drawn from multiple documents prepared by different writers. In the first case the speaker will suggest ways to use context to determine the scope of each ambiguous or overlapping term, thus helping the translator recreate the distinction intended by the writer. In the second case the speaker will suggest a technique for analyzing the sentence structure to resolve the ambiguity.

[This session takes place on Friday, May 9 and requires a separate 「IJET-33 金曜: 前日の集い」 Ticket to attend. More information can be found here.]