The Power of Words
Rebecca Copeland's piece was eye-opening to me. As an avid believer in direct translation, I was thoroughly surprised that I agreed with her on a plethora of points. Her description of the power of words in particular resonated with me: "For a translator such as myself who had earlier been so attached to words, Sievers' admission was edifying. When you translate, it is not just the word that you must consider but the power that resides around it (Copeland 128). I had predominantly thought that words were simply used to describe something; that such a power wasn't very strong. However, after reading this article and many more like this one in my anthropology class, I have come to learn that I was partially correct. Words are used to describe, but also to cultivate a particular feeling, or can be viewed as a reflection of one's culture or societal standing. In regards to this class, this is especially true when we are confronted with translating a Japanese dialect into an equivalent English form. As we have discussed extensively in class, most translators simply omit dialect due to (1) how difficult it is to translate and/or (2) fear in offending other cultures. However, Copeland breaks free from this and chooses to translate the dialect in her translation of 人形師天狗野球基地. By translating the Tokushima dialect used in the novel, she is able to expose foreign readers to potential class and geographical differences in Japan whilst giving the translated work a similar feel to the original by simply choosing specific words to convey this. So, words do not simply have the power to define, but also the power to resonate and to reflect.
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