Julie Carpenter - Kenneth Cho

 

Similarly to Julie Carpenter, before this class I had considered translation as more of a logical

or direct process. And likewise, it was interesting to become aware of the ‘existence of the 

translator’ after having read multiple translations of a work. The analogy she gives to 

translation being like filling in a coloring book was also quite interesting. The idea of ‘giving life

to a work for people to whom it doesn’t mean anything because it’s in a foreign language’ is a

really nice way to view translation. Seeing examples of how some translators view how to 

interpret a text differently was also interesting. The choice to omit mentions of the mother in the

poem “Tag” in order to avoid  conveying that the main character might have a mother complex

was an interesting case to me because while it does make sense, it also seems like a bit of an

overstep on the translator's side. 

When reading the interview with Julie Carpenter, the amount of collaboration that seemed to
go into the translation of A True Novel was interesting to read about. In one of the previous
readings, there was a mention of some collaboration between translators and authors, but I 
don’t think it wasto this level. The amount of work that went into the translation, and 
Carpenter’s description of the process with the author makes it very clear the amount of 
passion they both have for the book itself and its translation. The part mentioning how Mizumura
chose to add a phrase explaining “Japanese prudishness” was also interesting to me because 
that kind of addition is something I would typically expect a translator to make, not the author. 
But it does make sense that the author would be more attuned to the cultural nuances behind the
work, and want to make sure those are conveyed properlyin the translation.