10/2 Reading Comments

 I thought the article by Carpenter was really helpful, especially by talking about how she handled certain struggles. She also had some other perspectives on translation that were a bit different than what I usually hear. Instead of word for word translation versus sense for sense translation, she mentioned translating the 'spirit' of the original. This is really interesting, because it helps the translator open up a bit more, while maintaining accuracy. She described cutting or adding parts for the sake of maintaining that sense of the original. Her examples of the onomatopoeia in the children's book captured how difficult it is to find an equivalence in English. But knowing what the source text is trying to convey, you can use the appropriate English to describe the Japanese. 

In the interview as well, she mentioned that there were times in the translation that call for additions. This can benefit the reader, and I thought it was really interesting that when these additions are made, they can be retranslated back into Japanese. But I think it is important that she mentioned that additions aren't made without a lot of consideration. She emphasized that if something doesn't make sense, the translator shouldn't first assume that it was the problem of the author. In order to really make a good translation, the translator has to really understand the Japanese. From there, the translator can decide what really needs to be said in the translation.