‘Ordinary’ readers’ reviews on retranslation: A case of retranslation by Haruki Murakami

Presenter: Miki Sato (Sapporo University/CTS SOAS)

Abstract

This study presents an example of ‘ordinary’ readers’ reviews that illustrates the changing views of (re)translation and the negotiation of translation norms in 21st-century Japan. I will focus on the third Japanese version of J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye (1951), published in 2003 and translated by Haruki Murakami. This publication attracted a great deal of attention because the second version, published in 1964, had been well-received by the Japanese reading public and was retranslated by that world-renowned bestselling novelist.

One of the features of the literary scene in the 21st century is the active participation of readers in the literary field by posting book reviews online. Such reader responses exert an influence on the literary market that cannot be ignored, and they also provide researchers with interesting epitexts for comprehending the translation readership as well as its market. I, therefore, intend to share a case study of the linkage between readers’ views on retranslation and the translation market from the 2000s to the present. I also hope to discuss related issues during the seminar.

Speaker biography

Miki Sato is a professor at Sapporo University, Japan, and teaches English, English literature and translation. She received an MA in Comparative Literary Theory (University of Warwick, UK) and a PhD in International Media and Communication (Hokkaido University, Japan). Her research interests include the reception of foreign literature via translation, paratextual analyses of literary translation, ‘rewritings’ of foreign literature, and the history of translation and interpreting in early-modern and modern Japan.

Registration

This event is free and open to public. Please note that this event will be held in-person and online.

If you would like to attend the event, please register via Microsoft Forms. Details will be sent by 19 October 2022.