Translation and Translation Studies in the Japanese Context

Japanis often regarded as a ‘culture of translation'. Oral and written translationhas played a vital role in Japan over the centuries and led to a body ofthinking and research rooted in a context about which little information hasbeen available outside of Japan in the past.
Thechapters examine the current state of translation studies as an academicdiscipline in Japan and a range of historical aspects (e.g., translation of Chinesevernacular novels in early modern times, the role of translation in Japan'smodernization, changes in stylistic norms in Meiji-period translations, ‘thicktranslation' of indigenous Ainu place names), as well as creative aspects oftranslation in modern and postwar Japan. Other chapters explore contemporaryphenomena such as the intralingual translation of Japanese expressions embeddedin English texts emanating from diasporic contexts, the practice ofpre-translation or writing for an international audience from the outset, theinnovative practice of reverse localization of Japanese video games back intoJapanese, and community interpreting practices and research.