Musashi response to the reading

In Howard Hibbett's talk about Tanizaki's works, I learned that Tanizaki, known for his controversial writing style, faced criticism and rejected the Nobel Prize. Despite this, there's a growing interest in translating his works for international readers and I thought it was very cool. During translation, Hibbett encountered challenges in conveying Tanizaki's unique style and dealing with the title "Manji," changed to "Quicksand," a decision that seemed questionable to me at first. Hibbett's translation principles involve understanding the work before looking at earlier translations and I agree with this. The reading also explores differences in Japanese writing styles, particularly between katakana and hiragana. The translation of "The Key," involving different alphabets for the husband and wife's sides, adds complexity. The discussion extends to translating titles, like "Manji," with considerations for cultural sensitivity. These words are very difficult to translate even for people who also grew up in Japan since there is no defined meaning. Hibbett's idea that translated texts should sound a bit strange as foreign literature raises questions about finding a balance between adapting for foreign readers and preserving the original character. I believe it is better to use terms that are similar to the original versions and still familiar to the reader. It might not sound like the original, but as long as the meanings are similar, I think it is better not to sound weird.