"Eight Ways to Say You" Response (Daniel)

After reading Cathy Hirano's "Eight Ways to Say You: The Challenges of Translation,” I found that it provided a lot of detail into the issues translators face, especially when translating Japanese literature into English. I really found it interesting how Hirano provided an example of how a Japanese sentence is typically formulated through the use of English words. It became very apparent how difficult it is to first dissect a sentence in Japanese, and then rearrange it to be readable in English. Moreover, her explanation of implied information in Japanese, such as the subject or plurality, echoed a lot of what we have read previously regarding how Japanese is much more subtle compared to English (which is quite blunt and direct). I also was surprised at how many things that we as a class have read and talked about were mentioned in the article, such as how to fully communicate cultural ideas and assumptions, how to convey the same type of humor when translating, and the complexities of translating the word “you.” 

Lastly, I found it extremely interesting when Hirano talked about arrogance. She explained that translating is a balancing act, requiring “a combination of humility, vigilance, and arrogance.” Initially, I was puzzled by this notion until I read why: “I need that arrogance during the translation process to sustain me to the finish. Otherwise I would be paralyzed by doubts.” This aspect of arrogance never crossed my mind when considering what sort of characteristics a translator typically has, but regardless, it definitely sheds light on the mindset of a translator, especially someone like Cathy Hirano, when approaching a literary work.