1st Edition

The Routledge Course in Japanese Translation

By Yoko Hasegawa Copyright 2012
    368 Pages 2 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    368 Pages 2 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    The Routledge Course in Japanese Translation brings together for the first time material dedicated to the theory and practice of translation to and from Japanese.

    This one semester advanced course in Japanese translation is designed to raise awareness of the many considerations that must be taken into account when translating a text. As students progress through the course they will acquire various tools to deal with the common problems typically involved in the practice of translation. Particular attention is paid to the structural differences between Japanese and English and to cross-cultural dissimilarities in stylistics.

    Essential theory and information on the translation process are provided as well as abundant practical tasks.

    The Routledge Course in Japanese Translation is essential reading for all serious students of Japanese at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

    Chapter 1 Introduction

    1.1 Why Translation?

    1.2 About This Book

    1.3 What Is Translation?

    1.4 Translatability

    1.5 Translation Direction

    1.6 Translator Competence

    Chapter 2 Kinds of Meaning I

    2.1 Propositional Meaning

    2.1.1 Proper Nouns

    2.1.2 Polysemy

    2.1.3 Synonymy

    2.1.4 Hyponymy

    2.2 Presupposed Meaning

    2.3 Expressive Meaning

    2.4 Indexical Meaning

    2.4.1 Indexicality

    2.4.2 Phatic Communion

    2.4.3 Register

    Chapter 3 Kinds of Meaning II

    3.1 Symbolic Meaning

    3.2 Allusive Meaning

    3.3 Associative and Collocative Meaning

    3.4 Textual Meaning

    3.5 Figurative Meaning

    3.5.1 Simile

    3.5.2 Metaphor

    3.5.3 Metonymy

    3.6 Speech Acts

    3.7 Ambiguity and Vagueness

    3.7.1 Ambiguity

    3.7.2 Vagueness

    Chapter 4 Discourse Genre

    4.1 Narrative Discourse

    4.1.1 General Characteristics

    4.1.2 Tense and Aspect

    4.1.3 Free Indirect Style

    4.2 Procedural Discourse

    4.3 Expository Discourse

    4.4 Descriptive Discourse

    4.5 Hortatory Discourse

    4.6 Repartee Discourse

    4.7 Reiss’ Classification

    Chapter 5 Understanding the Source Text

    5.1 Introduction

    5.2 Reading as Constructing Meaning

    5.3 Predicates and Arguments

    5.4 Argument Recovery

    5.4.1 Wa and Ga

    5.4.2 Connectives

    5.5 Noun Modification

    5.5.1 Internally-Headed Relative Clause

    5.5.2 Gapless Relative Clause

    5.5.3 Multi-layered Relative Clause

    5.6 Complex Sentences

    5.7 Evidentiality and Egocentricity

    5.7.1 Evidentiality

    5.7.2 Egocentricity

    5.8 Ambiguity Revisited

    Chapter 6 Translation Techniques

    6.1 Vinay and Darbelnet’s Categorization

    6.1.1 Borrowing

    6.1.2 Calque

    6.1.3 Literal Translation

    6.1.4 Transposition

    6.1.5 Modulation

    6.1.6 Equivalence

    6.1.7 Adaptation

    6.2 Translation by Omission

    6.3 Information Addition/Deletion & Offsetting the Loss

    6.4 Contrustive Rhetoric

    6.4.1 Text Organization

    6.4.2 Paragraph

    6.4.3 Verbiage

    6.1.4 Phaticism

    Chapter 7 Translation Studies

    7.1 Premodern Translation Theories

    7.2 Mid-Twentieth Century Translation Theories

    7.3 Skopos Theory

    7.4 The Negative Analytic

    7.4.1 Rationalization

    7.4.2 Clarification

    7.4.3 Expansion

    7.4.4 Ennoblement

    7.4.5 The Destruction of Vernacular Networks or Their Exoticization

    7.5 Recent Approaches

    7.5.1 Cultural Communication

    7.4.2 Formation of Cultural Identity

    Chapter 8 Translation Projects

    8.1 The Translation Situation

    8.1.1 The Initiator and His/Her Skopos

    8.1.2 The Author, His/Her Skopos, and the Spatiotemporal Location

    8.1.3 Audiences

    8.1.4 Other Factors

    8.1.5 Case Study

    8.2 Reading the Source Text

    8.3 Research

    8.4 Writing and Revising the Target Text

    8.5 Working as a Team

    8.6 Translation Evaluation

    8.6.1 Evaluation Criteria

    8.6.2 ATA Certification Program

    8.7 Concluding Remarks

    Appendix A Romanization

    Appendix B ATA Certification Program Error Marking Sheet

    Appendix C ATA Flowchart for Error Point Decisions

    Appendix D Answer Key

    References

    Index

    Biography

    Yoko Hasegawa is Associate Professor of Japanese Linguistics in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of California, Berkeley.

    The Routledge Course in Japanese Translation is a stimulating textbook for teaching the theory and practice of translation to and from Japanese. It introduces many abstract concepts from Japanese linguistics, but makes them tangibly understandable for any student of Japanese by utilizing unintimidating explanations with authentic translation examples. This textbook serves as an excellent venue to learn Japanese linguistics, gain insights into translation strategies, appreciate Japanese literature, and significantly improve one’s Japanese language skills.

    Eriko Sato, Stony Brook University, USA