HIbbet Reading-Allen

 What I found most interesting was choosing between naturalizing and estrangement when translating Tanizaki’s works. Furthermore, Tanizaki’s books often involve themes of masochism and themes connected to traditional works like Genji Monogatari, which further complicates interpretation. Hibbett debated how to approach translating Tanizaki’s stories and pointed out two paths. One way is to make the translation natural for the intended audience, but this may lose some authenticity from the original. The second way is to try to preserve the strange essence, but it may feel awkward if not translated well. Take, for example, translating The Key—how can one convey the difference between katakana (masculine) and hiragana (feminine)? Personally, I would change the tone of the sentences with more masculine or feminine words, but I liked how the author tries to create a “waspish and wicked undertone.”