Problems in Translation...

[Ron Beaubien]

Hello,

I saw this book review by Donald Richie in the Japan Times the other day and thought it might be of interest to some of you.

He reviews a new translation of the Heike Monogatari (The Tale of the Heike in English) by Burton Watson. Most interestingly, he compares the same passage against three prior English transations side by side, and discusses their various merits and the importance of tone.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/print/fb20060709dr.html

Regards,

Ron

[P Goldsbury]

Hello Ron,

Your thread has elicited no responses so far.

Richie wrote a historical novel entitled Memoirs of the Warrior Kumagai, which stems from this episode in Heike Monogatari. Have you looked at the Japanese text of this episode? Without it, I think the review reflects Richie's preferences, more than the degree of accuracy in capturing the sense of the Japanese. The same problems occur in translating Homer.