10/13 Reading Questions and Comments

 Notes from Interlingual Hell:

    Questions:

    1) Which method of translating is more helpful to translators? Riggs mentioned two: the first being reading the piece as a whole and then creating a "rough-draft" skeleton, or taking the time to research all unknowns as you are reading? 

    2) What are some of the difficulties in translating a title? Is there anything that gets lost when moving from one language to the next?

This reading actually broke down the criteria of translating an essay. I found it really interesting to learn that Japanese essays don't have much of an "opener" as we're so used to reading in English papers. Riggs wrote about the fact that translators have to change cultural references or figures to things that a foreign audience will understand, in a way that still carries the same meaning and nuances with those sentences. From the opening, to the body structure, to even the title choice, there are a lot of moving parts for the translator, and then even having to be available for consulting with the editor after the first draft is done. I do agree with Riggs in that there should be at least two people working on a translating project at a time, given the laborious nature of the task. 

A Live Dog:

    Questions: 

    1) When translating didactic writing to English, even though English speakers prefer not to read didactic writing, is there some kind of feeling or meaning from the original that is lost if they are left out?

This article was actually really interesting. I was surprised at this text. Terry made English readers almost sound a bit picky- which is not wrong. I agreed with all of the points he made in his outline, especially with the differences in Japanese vs. English reading and writing habits. It's fascinating to have these pointed out, because I knew exactly what he meant when he said that English readers prefer not to have clichés, or that English don't like to be asked didactic questions. I wonder if in Japanese, essays of this type have a tendency to almost look down upon the reader? Maybe my perspective as an English reader is skewed, so I'm not sure if that has to do with the social hierarchy or anything, but at least the examples Terry provided almost made the sentences sound elementary-like (e.g. ningen wa doubutsu de aru).