How to translate Japanese
the-tls.co.uk
the-tls.co.uk
I'm not sure Japanese is being replaced, just going through a period of rapid change. Like many other languages living under English's shadow. I see French, one of the most conservative linguistic cultures, constantly mangle English idioms into supposedly creative and original French.
The article made me wonder about that lucid, unstructured quality of the Japanese language and whether that was a reflection of Japanese culture. Peaceful, unassuming, curious. It mentioned the structured thought of the Western mind in contrast, which on the face of it seems beneficial, but on reflection might channel thought down narrow, blinkered lines.
Perhaps we could learn from Japanese vagueness of expression. Freedom to interpret multiple meanings could lead to increased connections and discoveries across social, scientific and political areas. This, instead of constant affirmations, confirmations, congratulating and ego-stroking might actually be one of Japan's greatest gifts to the world. It's not as if it has held them back as a nation and culture, after all.
This small island, tucked away on the periphery of planet Earth, has led the world in technology, art and science. Perhaps it is not a world literary power, but perhaps that's only right for the culture around the language. Maybe the author's longings for classics in Japanese to match those of her French degree course were a case of unmanaged expectations. Like the Tokyo-ite surviving on the cheapest of noodles just to fund their Louis Vuitton habit, perhaps the author is missing the point of the wider context surrounding Japanese language and culture, and how it relates to the rest of the world. If she were less angered by what doesn't exist and more in praise of what does, she might be more at peace with her language and culture.
That's all a whole lot of speculation and assumption on my part, but sometimes it's fun to break out of fact-land and get a little vague. Cheers to the article author, book author, translators and link sharer here for the reminder.
"The Japanese literary scene is plagued by rehashed American literature. Contemporary novelists are “brainless writers of crap.” Exhibit A: Haruki Murakami..."
(I modestly used as a title the last sentence of this bit:
"Mizumura discusses the problem in a broad cosmopolitan context, warning the world not only of the impending fall of Japanese but the likely fall of all national languages in the age of English and the internet. Japanese is just the canary in the coal mine."
but the inexorable "original article title" HN policy eventually prevailed ;-)