Eight Ways to Say You (Kelly)

 In translating Japanese to English and vise versa, an interesting point that was brought up was the subtlety of the Japanese language. For me, when learning English, I do agree with Cathy that English is taught to express clarity and persuasion. All your essays and ideas should be linear with an introduction that provides context, followed by body paragraphs that present all your evidence, and ending with a conclusion that cleanly sums up all your points. I find the way that Japanese authors dance around their subjects and themes and allow the reader to take leaps in logic to grasp the story is understandably hard to translate into English. Here, I recognize the importance in the consideration Cathy takes into who the intended readers are and the purpose of the text. 

The part where Cathy talks about translating juku was also very interesting. There isn't really an equivalent in America where children attend school after their regular school day, so by describing juku in the translation despite it not being explained in the original text is a liberty that a translator may decide to take but I agree that it adds to the nuances of what juku is and the cultural significance it has in Japanese readers. And, of course, the eight different ways to say "you" was also a great point brought up. The way we address other people in English is quite straightforward wither either, name, pronouns, title or "you," but in Japanese the way you refer to someone can dramatically show or change how you feel about someone or reveal things about their status or age.