musings

What Good Is Literature?

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Today, one of my advanced and highly motivated students embarked with me on his first foray into Japanese literature: we started reading the short story 「神様」 (“Kamisama,” or “God”), by Hiromi Kawakami. It’s the second time I’ve taught this story, which features a walk to the river with a delightfully polite bear. It was hard … Read more

Translator as Holiday Navigator

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We translators spend most of our working time critically examining the question, “What did this person mean by these words?” Maybe that’s why over the years I’ve noticed myself at company meetings or music rehearsals or parties saying, “Fred, I think what Jane is trying to say is…” In other words, interpreting not between languages, … Read more