Table Of Contenti
Japanese– English Translation
This volume is a textbook for aspiring translators of Japanese into English, as well
as a reference work for professional Japanese– English translators and for translator
educators. Underpinned by sound theoretical principles, it provides a solid foundation
in the practice of Japanese–E nglish translation, then extends this to more advanced
levels. Features include:
• 13 thematic chapters, with subsections that explore common pitfalls and challenges
facing Japanese– English translators and the pros and cons of different procedures
• exercises after many of these subsections
• abundant examples drawn from a variety of text types and genres and translated by
many different translators.
This is an essential resource for postgraduate students of Japanese–E nglish transla-
tion and Japanese language, professional Japanese– English translators and translator
educators. It will also be of use and interest to advanced undergraduates studying
Japanese.
Judy Wakabayashi is Professor of Japanese Translation at Kent State University, Ohio.
With experience as an in- house and freelance translator, she has taught Japanese–
English translation to postgraduate students in Australia and the United States for
over three decades. She has co-e dited four books on translation—A sian Translation
Traditions (2005), Decentering Translation Studies: India and Beyond (2009), Translation
and Translation Studies in the Japanese Context (2012) and Translating and Interpreting
in Korean Contexts: Engaging with Asian and Western Others (2019)— and translated
seven books.
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Japanese– English Translation
An Advanced Guide
Judy Wakabayashi
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First published 2021
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2021 Judy Wakabayashi
The right of Judy Wakabayashi to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by
her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised
in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or
hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks,
and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing- in- Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Wakabayashi, Judy, author.
Title: Japanese–English translation: an advanced guide / Judy Wakabayashi.
Description: London; New York: Routledge, 2020. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020017584 (print) | LCCN 2020017585 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780367863340 (hardback) | ISBN 9780367863333 (paperback) |
ISBN 9781003018452 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Japanese language–Translating into English.
Classification: LCC PL650 .W35 2020 (print) |
LCC PL650 (ebook) | DDC 428.040956–dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020017584
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020017585
ISBN: 978- 0- 367- 86334- 0 (hbk)
ISBN: 978- 0- 367- 86333- 3 (pbk)
ISBN: 978- 1- 003- 01845- 2 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Newgen Publishing UK
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In loving memory of Wakabayashi Kazume and Wakabayashi Noboru
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Contents
Preface xi
1 Words 1
Beyond dictionaries 1
Semantic mismatch and culture- specific items 5
Abstract nouns 12
Affixes 13
Neologisms 16
Conclusion 17
2 Word groups and figurative language 21
Lexical collocations 21
Multi- character and abbreviated compounds 22
Doublets 23
Proverbs 24
Idioms 27
Metaphors and similes 29
Metonymy and synecdoche 34
Hyperbole 35
Allusions 35
Conclusion 38
3 Names 40
Personal names 40
Terms of address 46
Organisation names and job titles 51
Names of laws and products 52
Eponyms 53
Place names and addresses 53
Initialisms, acronyms and abbreviations 55
Conclusion 56
4 Numbers 57
Numeric expressions 57
Inclusive vs. non- inclusive expressions 58
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Approximate and exact expressions 59
Currency amounts 61
Units of measurement 61
Ordinal constructions, 倍 and fractions 62
Time expressions 63
Alphanumeric combinations 66
Tables and phone numbers 67
Conclusion 68
5 Technicalities 70
Punctuation and symbols 70
Lists 81
Orthographical and typographical issues 81
Conclusion 84
6 Recurring grammatical issues 86
Verb orientation vs. noun orientation 86
Verb- based pseudo- topics 87
Non- verbal pseudo- topics 90
Topicalisation 91
Situation focus 92
Process orientation 94
Long sentences 95
Parsing 96
Word order 97
Passive constructions 100
Aspect and tense 101
Grammatical ambiguity 103
Non- specification 105
Conclusion 106
7 Rhetorical hedging and indirectness 108
Verbosity 108
Lexical ambiguity 110
Euphemisms 110
Jargon 112
Indirect expressions 115
Requests 116
Indirect forms of advice, command and prohibition 117
Phatic language 118
Sentence- final expressions 120
Self- effacing and self- deprecatory expressions 122
Rhetorical questions 122
The ubiquitous など and all that jazz 124
Conclusion 126
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Contents ix
8 Register, tone, emphasis, repetition and parallelism 129
Register 129
Tone and colour 131
Emphatic devices 134
Repetition 140
Parallelism 142
Conclusion 143
9 The spoken word 145
Speech representation 145
Quotations 147
Dialogue 148
Interactional particles 153
Keigo 154
Formulaic expressions 157
Conclusion 160
10 Non-standard varieties of language 161
Dialect 161
Male and female speech 167
Idiolect 168
Slang and swearing 169
Insults 171
Classical and literary forms 172
Archaic language 175
Conclusion 177
11 Languages interacting 178
Gairaigo and wasei eigo 178
False friends 180
Foreign expressions in Japanese texts 181
Deliberately unorthodox Japanese 184
Metalinguistic references 185
Conclusion 190
12 Translators at play 192
Wordplay 192
Phonological and prosodic effects 198
Mimetics 201
Slogans, catchphrases and mottos 206
Titles, headings and headlines 209
Conclusion 211
13 Discourse- level issues 213
Cohesive devices 214
Sentence connectives 215
