New Horison of the Translation Studies of the Japanese Literature

Research Project

Project/Area Number	08610534
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	文学一般(含文学論・比較文学)・西洋古典
Research Institution	The University of Tokyo
Principal Investigator	OHSAWA Yoshihiro The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Professor, 大学院・総合文化研究科, 教授 (00107418)
Project Period (FY)	1996 – 1997
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 1997)
Budget Amount *help	¥2,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,000,000) Fiscal Year 1997: ¥400,000 (Direct Cost: ¥400,000) Fiscal Year 1996: ¥1,600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000)
Keywords	Natsume Soseki / Ten Nights of Dream / Translation Study / English Translation / Korean Translation / 言文一致 / 英語訳 / 韓国語訳 / 川端康成
Research Abstract	This study has been able to show that there are remarkable differences between Japanese literature and its translations both in English and Korean. The investigator initially focuses on the comparison between Natsume Soseki's "Ten Nights of Dream" and its English and Korean translations. Comparing two English translations and two Korean counterparts with the Japanese original, the investigator discovers noteworthy differences in principles of translation. Generally speaking, both English and Korean translations give top priority to the literary quality of translations and regard its faithfulness to the original as secondary, which is a rare phenomenon in Japanese translations. The investigator also discerns a surprising twist from the Japanese original text both in English and Korean translations. The above-stated results have been published in the paper "The Eighth Night in Soseki's "Ten Nights of Dream" : A Comparison of the Japanese, English, and Korean Versions."