10/19 Reading Comments- Sarah Watanabe

     Through Hibbet's writing it was interesting to hear about how much translators actually read, especially of different styles of writing to help them figure out how to best translate their works. Hibbet also mentions the issue he faced with the title of a book which referenced the Buddhist swastika, which has a very negative and different connotation in the Western world. This is an interesting example of how the timing at which a translation is published can greatly affect the wording that a translator chooses. Certain events can deter a translator from some words because of their new meanings and connotations. On the flip side, old translations can be misconstrued because of the new meaning of a word that came about after the translation was published. Lastly, Hibbet brought up an interesting point about dialects which I hadn't thought about before, Dialects seem to exist in many languages but are highly culture specific as well as having specific sound patterns, thus making them hard to translate. I think dialects are hard too translate accurately because though there are some similarities that can be drawn, it's hard to replicate and there is a potential for offending people. However, removing it could remove a key aspect or feel of a text. 

    In contrast, Nathan's piece gave me a lot to think about as his opinion seemed quite removed from the conflicts other translators have cited. In terms of the idea that the real conflict was between assuming the original is unmoving or dynamic, I agree to an extent but find it hard to agree with him because it seems to be an impractical argument. Even if we try to understand what an author means through the symbolic nature of one language to convert it into another, it means we must find meaning beyond words, which though possible, is very difficult and requires deep analysis. Though translators and their abilities are amazing, this seems to be quite a tall order as it requires mastery of both languages and a working understanding of linguistics that might be hard to find, even amongst many accomplished translators. Thus, I doubt the achievability of this viewpoint even if it seems to have some basis of truth.