Comments on "Eight Ways to Say You" - Yang

I agree that the most difficult aspect of translating between Japanese and English is finding ways to capture the "differences in cultural perspectives and ways of thought." 

Hirano's example of translating 塾 for The Friends shows just how hard it is to convey the same meaning to a different group of people, as cram school isn't quite the same concept in America. What she did (using cram school but adding more description) was smart though. I also thought it was smart to substitute the mention of Tokugawa Ieyasu for Buddha instead. It fits the description of "round and smooth" nicely and is now a figure that is recognizable in both a Japanese context and for the average American reader. This is especially impressive given how hard it is to translate humor between these two cultures without losing or significantly altering the original joke.

What she said about the differences in subtlety between Japanese and English books was interesting. I never thought about how translating from Japanese to English or vice versa could make the story sound too abrasive or inconclusive. It's also interesting how she describes English as a "linear" language but that Japanese is more "circular" at times.

It's funny how Yumoto uses the word "jersey" to mean a tracksuit in The Spring Tone, whereas, in an American context, people would picture uniforms for athletic teams. I'm not sure why Hirano thought sweater was the correct translation though, as it seems pretty farfetched. I thought it was brilliant how she tackled the translation of 君 in the same novel, as it has that sense of superiority that any variations of "you" do not have in English. Instead, she leaves the "your" unchanged but adds "I presume," which perfectly encapsulates that snobbish tone. 

Finally, I think the last paragraph about her son is very precious and proves how important translation is for connecting various countries' cultures and literature to one another. It also goes to show just how good of a translator Hirano is that even her ten-year-old son can appreciate the humor and other contents of a book that is originally written in a language that is foreign to him.