Notes on How I Translate

"There's no such thing as a perfect translation."

I took a class on Japanese Literature back in University. We read Japanese classical and fuedal literature in English. At one point when we were studying haiku, my professor presented us with a haiku in Japanese. He then provided us with a list of 8 different translations of that one haiku by different Japanese Studies PhDs across different universities found in various textbooks.

Each translation took a different take on that one haiku. Some tried to translate words and grammar exactly, some tried rewrite it in the 5-7-5 syllabyle style of English haiku. Still others ignored grammar, and tried to keep the meaning intact, but in doing so, added their own interpretations of what the images meant.

I'm currently working as an ALT in a Japanese High School. There is huge emphasis here on translating. But at the same time, the sublties between English and Japanese make exact translations impossible. Exact grammar translations mean the intended meaning gets lost. My students even have stories in their textbooks where the authors explain the differences. In the case of factual or spoken lines, direct translation isn't so bad. However for writing that relies on metaphoric images and double inuendo words such as in lyrics or poetry, direct translation becomes a bit more problematic.

Having stated that, these are some rules I've been following for my translations. You are welcome to argue the way I've translated something, afterall, I'm only at 三級 level, nothing when it comes to being fluent. I'm bound to have gotten some things wrong. I ask that you only keep the above and below in mind before you offer up a flame. Unless I've said to the contrary, I've translated all of the songs with the only the help of the dictionaries in "references." I did not look up other translations (unless otherwise stated, which I may do when I am stuck on how best to phrase something), or steal from them. If it's different, then consider that we're all amateurs or have all our own takes on what a song means.

Rule 1: Meaning > Grammar

* When I first started translating I was annoyed that people weren't keeping to the "direct" translation. That's just being naive. Japanese lyrics string words, phrases, and images together. The relation is something you have to figure out for yourself. I tend to translate the phrases and words individually, and a grammar point if there is one. Then I play it like a puzzle and figure out how the words can go togther sensibily, paying only BRIEF attention to grammar (which is usually in the form of present/past). In fact, certain grammar patterns are only indicators and are not to be translated directly at all. "よ" for instance indicates that the sentence is an emphasized statement.

Rule 2: Add connecting words

* Japanese lyrics don't need those words, English, however, does or it's just a bunch of random phrases with no relation. This means that I sometimes add connecting words like "and," "but," "as," "when," "like," etc. even if that grammar point isn't in the lyrics. Sometimes they are, and I'll try to include them "sensibly" whenever possible.

Rule 3: Remember it's Poetry, The Thesaurus is your Best Friend

* Is this wrong? That's open to debate. Being an English major, I find this is perfectly valid. Synonyms make the song sound much prettier. For example "sorrow" > "sadness" or "albaze" > "burning." Meaning is kept essentially the same. Good word choices enchance the theme of the song.

Rule 4: Identify the people involved

* And if you can't figure it out, make it up! ^.^ You, I, We, Our ... sometimes they're specified, most of the time they are not. Understanding a little of the background context gives you a good idea of when you should use those words.

Rule 5: Switching Lines is Okay!

* Basic Japanese grammar format is SUBJECT+OBJECT+VERB. Basic English grammar format is SUBJECT+VERB+OBJECT. This is a really loose defintion, but you can kind of see the problem when translating. So, many times I'll swtich around lines in order for it to make gramatical sense.

Rule 6: Know your Conjugations! (and common particle usage)

* This is absolutely essential when looking up verbs or adjecties. Verbs in the dictionary are given ONLY in present plain format. Verbs in everyday usage, however, come with a huge vareity of different endings. Plain, Root, Present, Continuing, Past, Want, Volitional, Passive, Caustive, Caustive Passive, Polite, Humble. These can drastically change the meaning. In addition certain grammar patterns require verbs and adjectives to be in certain forms in order to use them. (the ～たり、～たり pattern for instance). I acutally got pretty good at verb conjugations because of this ^^

Rule 7: The simpliest answer is the best answer

* If you're starting to look up complicated words, or are finding definitions that don't fit the sentence, then you're probably doing something wrong. Likewise, if you can't find a verb or adjective in the first dictionary then it's probably conjugated or you're attaching grammar or particles to the word when you're not supposed to. You could even be overcongating the word (thinking it's a conjugated word when it's not). Occasionally you'll also encounter alternate furigana readings for kanji with similar meanings.