In this reading, Edward Seidensticker addresses many interesting points regarding translation, some of which I don’t believe we have touched on before during class. One prominent point Seidensticker brings up is the difficulties balancing rhythm with other things such as proper names. He brings up a short sentence from Hamlet to explain this concept: “Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.” When translated into Japanese, many translations focused on providing a direct translation by sacrificing the rhythm and simplicity that makes the statement so impactful. This truly highlighted how many decisions translators have to make, and how it is not simply the words you are translating but the cadence, feeling, and emotion as well.
Another very interesting thing that stood out to me was how Seidensticker believed that it is not a translator's job to improve or fix the work's imperfections, but rather be as faithful to the original as possible. This creates a very difficult dilemma, as translators are constantly placed in difficult positions where they must decide what to sacrifice (rhythm, proper names, ambiguity, etc.) in order to convey the most faithful representation of the work. Ambiguity was a prominent topic in the reading as well, as Seidensticker really highlighted the challenges he had previously faced translating Kawabata’s work, which I found to be extremely interesting. His exploration of the excerpt from Snow Country made me realize how many things a translator must consider when working with such ambiguity, as well as how the dynamic between translator and author plays into how a translator must approach the unknowns within the literature.
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