This ‘how to and why’ workshop is intended for Japanese-English translators at all stages of their career, from those still relatively new to the profession to experienced translators seeking fresh tips and insights. The first step to improvement is realizing our current strengths and weaknesses, but research shows that humans are poor at evaluating their own competence, and it is easy to fall into a rut or routinized translation. Outside input and ongoing learning (reflective practice) are key to burnishing our skills as translators.
This intensive four-hour workshop on translating Japanese will be presented by Dr. Judy Wakabayashi (from the graduate program in translation at Kent State University), who has been translating Japanese since 1978 and teaching Japanese-English translation to graduate students since 1988. The workshop will offer a mixture of ‘nuts’n bolts’ tips, peer and instructor feedback on participants’ translations of a selected text, consideration of the decision-making that underpins translators’ work, and a peek under the hood at the resources used for teaching Japanese translation at Kent State. Judy will facilitate discussion of a range of practical and theoretical issues in Japanese-English translation and how to handle them, with time for Q & A and sharing of experiences and collective wisdom. So come ‘talk translation’ on June 9.