Michael Emmerich is a literary translator and scholar whose interests range from classics like The Tale of Genji to contemporary writers like Yoshimoto Banana. By approaching the question of translation from unfamiliar angles, his two-part talk will aim to provide new insights. We are very pleased to welcome this well-respected member of the translation community.
Speaker: Michael Emmerich
Date: July 12, 2014
Time: 14:00-17:00
Doors open: 13:30
Venue: Forum 8, Shibuya
Address: Dogenzaka 2-10-7, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0043
Tel: 03-3780-0008
Cost: JAT members 1,000 yen; non-members 3,000 yen (advance registration is not necessary)
*Please note TAC fee structure as of April
(Details: http://jat.org/news/show/change_in_tac_seminar_attendance_fees/ )
Koryukai: From 17:15 (advance registration is not necessary, register and pay at seminar reception)
Venue: The Aldgate (http://www.the-aldgate.com/ )
Address: Shin Iwasaki Bldg 3F, 30-4 Udagawacho, Shibuya
Tel: 03-3462-2983
Cost: 2,000 yen (food only/cash bar)
Inquiries: [email protected]
This talk, divided into two parts, will use the example of translations of Japanese literature to explore the ways in which the “thingness” of books and language more generally matters to translation. The first half will offer a new perspective on the concept of translation by considering modern editions of premodern books; the second part will give a somewhat idiosyncratic overview of the early history of translation from Japanese into English.
About the speaker:
Michael Emmerich teaches Japanese literature at the University of California, Los Angeles. He has translated numerous books from Japanese, including works by authors such as Kawabata Yasunari, Takahashi Gen’ichirō, Yoshimoto Banana, Matsuura Rieko, Kawakami Hiromi, Furukawa Hideo, and most recently Inoue Yasushi. He is the editor of Read Real Japanese Fiction and New Penguin Parallel Texts: Short Stories in Japanese, and the author of The Tale of Genji: Translation, Canonization, and World Literature.