Creating Personae: the translator’s afterword in Japanese translations of teen fiction

Authors

  • Isabelle Bilodeau

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14456/nvts.2012.5

Keywords:

Japanese translators, persona, translator afterwords, translator status, Venuti, visibility, young adult novels

Abstract

This paper investigates how translator afterwords can impact the visibility of translators. A reading of the highly personal yakusha atogaki (translator afterwords) written for the Japanese translations of the Harry Potter and The Princess Diaries series reveals thetranslators’ self-presentation strategies. In these texts, the translators create personae that link them closely with the author and the fictional world of the books. They present the work of translation as an emotionally involving adventure, while largely eschewing discussion of translation strategies. Their insistence on strong identification with the authors and characters can be read as an attempt to authenticate their intervention as translators. Whereas past studies have insisted on the role of translator afterwords ascritical interventions that “demystify” translation for the reader, this study points out the potential of these uncritical yet charismatic translator personae in making the idea of translation appealing to readers.

 

Author Biography

  • Isabelle Bilodeau

    Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan

     

Published

2023-04-04

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