by Danielle

Seidenstiker's attitude towards translation intrigued me. He argues that the role of a translator resembles that of a counterfeiter, as both require someone to "imitate" and "reproduce every detail" included in the original work. With this analogy, he then explains how the idea that a translation may be better than the original is "not to praise it at all." The role of the translator is to give the reader in the target language the same experience as a reader in the original language, not to rewrite or improve the material. 

Sticking with his desire to recreate the same events and feeling in the target language, Seidenstiker recounts his first attempt at translating Snow Country. When he took on the work, Seidenstiker explained that he had not realized the popularity of the book, especially the opening lines, until after his translation had been published. Once he learned how important the opening lines were to the Japanese, he listen more closely to critique on his translation. Sticking to his previous claims, Seidenstiker rewrote those lines in future editions of the translation, sticking more closely to the meaning expressed in Japanese. 

I enjoyed Seidenstiker's approach towards translation, as well as the fact that he held true to his approach. We have discussed rather heavily the question of how much we should translate literally and how much needs to be adjusted for the target audience. While I don't necessarily agree with his idea that translator must be like counterfeiters, but I am both intrigued by an appreciative of his approach and commitment to it.