Response to the readings (Musashi)

 First of all, it was very interesting to know how much time the translator spends on the translations of the books. twenty pages per week is much faster than I expected. Moreover, it was fresh to know how the speed of the translation process can vary a lot depending on the author. It makes sense to me that Murakami's literature was easier than others because his writing style is well influenced by European style and also more logical than other authors. I cannot imagine how difficult it would be to translate some books that authors like to write not logically and freestyle. It was also critical to realize how working with authors who are still alive could be very important. The option of asking a question to authors for clarification would definitely make the translation closer to perfect. 

We translate jokes in sentences, and there have been many debates about how we should translate, such as whether we should just translate jokes literally or translate with other jokes that can have the closest humor in English. Through the reading, the translator explained how they replaced words to make the same humor in English. It was very essential for me to see that. Moreover, when working with multiple translators, I was reminded how important the editor is in the process of revising translations to make the translations made by different translators as smooth as possible. Without the editors, it would be very confusing and not well-translated. I also liked how he did the translation in his own way instead of trying to translate in a similar style to make the translation in the best way while admiring Jay's and Alfred's translations. I think it is very important that each book has a very different meaning and no matter how many books of Murakami are translated by two of them, it's very important to translate in the style that works the best for the translation. 

Lastly, the question about whether the translation can improve and be better than the original was cool. As he answered, it is going to be very difficult, but it has at least some possibility to express the context better than the original since even the author sometimes asks to change the words to make it better in translation.