Reading Response (Jordan)

 I like how Terry broke down the aspects of Japanese writing that are viewed as normal to Japanese, but unnatural in English. I never thought about it myself, but now that I read about the differences I find myself reflecting on Japanese texts I've read in the past. It seems like a common trend among the various differences is that writing in English may be more straightforward than in Japanese. The tendency to state the obvious, to repeat things, and even rhetorical questions are all seen as unnecessary in English texts, and will therefore often be omitted. It's interesting that most of the differences involve leaving things out that were in the Japanese text, as opposed to adding things. I wonder if someone translating English to Japanese would feel as if the text is missing certain elements, and take it upon themselves to add it, in the same way someone translating Japanese to English would want to omit certain elements. Terry mentioned that when he is asked by an American how to say something in Japanese, he often tells them they shouldn't say that in Japanese. This is one of the most difficult elements of learning a new language, because often you know what you would want to say in English, but not only do you have to wonder how you would say that in Japanese, but if you would even say it. There may be a more natural response than what first comes to mind. This means you have to develop a unique style when speaking in a different language, which is one of the most challenging, yet intriguing, elements of learning Japanese for me.