Rebecca Copeland Response - Suis

Reading Rebecca Copeland’s article reminded me of how important it is to collaborate with others when translating, especially works that have more weight such as literary works. Copeland collaborated with Aiko Okamoto and received the input of many other native Japanese speakers in her process of translating which led to much insight. Copeland’s discussion of “voices” (137-139) in relation to collaboration and consultation is also very insightful. Copeland finds help in translating dialect in The Puppet-Maker Tenguya Kyukichi by remembering the voices in her “past” such as “an elderly beekeeper, [...or her] own grandfather” to capture the cadences of an elderly speaker (137). She also seeks assistance from Akiko Hayashi in order to better understand the Tokushima dialect. In this way, she contributes the “voices” formed in her translation to the voices of those she found inspiration from. It’s interesting to think about a translated work–and the voice(s) in the work–as a collective of voices the translator has encountered in their life and in their translation process. For Copeland, translation is a collaboration, directly and indirectly.

Copeland’s discussion on the cover of Grotesque reminded me of the discussion we had in class about Japanese literature and how the western covers tend to feature photographs of Asian women on them. I went to Brookline Booksmith during the weekend and paid special attention to the covers of translated Japanese literature. I hold a newfound realization that publishing companies capitalize on the “exoticism” of Japanese culture, and exploit the “orientalist” image of Japan, and in particular, the eroticism associated with “geisha” (148). This is problematic and offensive, however, I hope that this is starting to change now.