9/14 reading comments: Emily Bian

 I enjoyed the readings this week, and all the readings gave me insight into behind the scenes of a novel in translation. one of the most interesting part that stood out to me in Gabriel's interview was the debate over skinhead vs buzzcut he had with Rubin and Murakami. Rubin and Gabriel had differing opinions, but ultimately Murakami made the final decision on which word to use. When the author is still alive, translators have the opportunity to ask them questions, but if the author is deceased, there would be no way of knowing which translation is the more accurate choice. 

I think that words and intentions can get diluted and disappear between translators and within time very fast. This is one of the reasons why I generally like to avoid reading translated literature all together. I was kind of relieved when Rubin, an actual translator, said that you really just shouldn't read translated literature. I feel just a little more justified in my unwillingness to read translated works. However, now that I've read many different articles and interviews on the topic, I've adjusted my opinion. I don't think that people should read translated works with the expectation that they're reading the author's words. Because the fact is, they're not. They're reading the translator's words, and the author's words are more of a template for the translator. I think that if I read a book with the expectation that things are going to be different, I feel that I'd be able to enjoy the translator's version of the author's intention much more.