J Carpenter

Melissa 

I liked the coloring-book analogy Carpenter uses in the "Jumping into the Pond" article. A big challenge in both creating your own translation and analyzing others is the translator's exercise of creativity. How far is too far when it comes to adapting the source text to a new language? We have discussed this problem in all sorts of ways. How can we stay faithful to the text while successfully adapting it to the new language? Carpenter approaches it in an artistic way. You must be immersed in the text you are translating. You have to research and make sure you fully understand it. The places it takes place in, the cultural references made. You must understand it as well as the author themselves in order to produce a "good" translation. But this is hard when we allow our own creativity into the mix. Recently, we discussed poems in class. We came across a poem that referenced rape blossoms. In Japanese poetry, these flowers are referenced often and are known for their bright yellow color. But in English, their name is not very pretty, nor are they widely known. So, we discussed replacing the flower with something else yellow. To me, the only suitable replacement is another kind of bright yellow flower. A sunflower, a buttercup, a dandelion, etc. A way to be creative in adapting the poem to be more accessible without leading to far. However, when the idea was brought up that it could be any yellow thing, I could not agree. The flower is not just a color; it is a purposeful symbol of life and beauty. A hope tied to the excitement in the poem. Changing the object strays too far, in my opinion. 

Carpenter expresses the need to balance three different perspectives when translating: the author, reader, and translator's own artistic interpretation. A good translation should feel natural to its new audience without losing the original work's intention.

Another way of ensuring a "good" translation is openness to critique or collaboration. Having a different set of eyes can catch your mistakes or add color you might not have thought up on your own. That's been particularly helpful for me in this class. Being able to submit my work and improve on it after in-class discussion or edits from Prof. Elliott. Of course, if I felt really strongly about something and everyone else felt really strongly against it, that may prove to be a bit exhausting, but so far, so good. But having another person to translate with can also help with justifying an risque decisions being made. Such as the dreaded "explanation".  As we know, Japanese and American culture are worlds apart, so there tends to be quite a few cultural gaps in Japanese texts. So we encounter the age-old question of translating what's there, explaining, or omitting altogether. At least with another person, you'll have someone to back you up when someone inevitably complains about whatever technique you choose. Like a partner in crime!