2017 Fiscal Year Research-status Report

The Social and Cultural Impact of Literary Translators in Japan from 1950 to 1970

Research Project

Project/Area Number	17K13436
Research Institution	University of the Sacred Heart
Principal Investigator	Corbeil Steve 聖心女子大学, 文学部, 准教授 (80469147)
Project Period (FY)	2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
Keywords	Translation studies / Censorship / Comparative literature / Domestication / Japan
Outline of Annual Research Achievements	I have presented two conference papers, one in Japan, the other in Australia. The first paper helped me define the philosophical concept of sincerity in 20th century literature and how it can be applied to circumvent social and political pressure of conformity and domestication. The other aimed to convey to an international audience the difficulty faced by Japanese translators after World War II using Lawrence Venuti's theories of translation. I have also published a referee paper addressing issues of translation in Japan using Venuti's concept of“invisible translator” as well as addressing the issue of sincerity in literature after WWII. These platforms allowed me to explain how literary writers and translators have developed tools within their literary productions in order to overcome domestication. I have shown some differences between Japanese literary translators and their Western counterparts. My research is evolving toward a better definition of the translator and the role of translation studies in Japan. Initially, I mainly used concepts developed in order to understand the situation of translators in European and North American countries. I am working on a definition that is more suited to describe the unique relationship between translators and Japanese society.
Current Status of Research Progress	Current Status of Research Progress 2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned. Reason I have conducted interviews with important social actors related to the field of translation in Japan. Through these discussions, I have developed various concepts that will allow me to explain the unique social status of translators in Japan. I have made progress in my data collection. The grant money allowed me to do research outside of Tokyo. This lead me to have a better understanding of the different modes of transnational cultural exchange throughout Japan. These results will help me broaden the scope of my research beyond the first corpus of Japanese translators that I initially intended on analyzing. I also worked on a book chapter in Japanese about Shibusawa Tatsuhiko and the translator's visibility that will be published during the 2018 academic year. I have also started working on a paper in English that I intend to submit in 2018 to a referee journal.
Strategy for Future Research Activity	During the 2017 academic year, I decided to limit my data collection to Japan, but I will expand it overseas starting from 2018. Based on contacts I have established last year, I will do field research in Europe and Australia. I will continue conducting interviews with translators in order to have enough data for a research paper. I will also rewrite and translate these interviews in English in order to publish them before the end of this grant. I intend to write another paper in English that will explore the idea of domestication in literature and philosophy. I believe that a better definition of this concept will allow me to apply more effectively to the situation of translators in Japan during the 1950-1970.
Causes of Carryover	During the 2017 academic year, I intended to go to the United States to conduct interviews and do research. Unfortunately, I had to postpone this project because some interviewees were not available. Furthermore, I realized it would be better to conduct my field work in Japan, in order to better define my primary corpus. During the 2018 academic year, I need to analyze my corpus in a comparative perspective while taking into account international research on translation studies. I will use the additional amount in order to conduct research abroad in Europe and Australia as well as communicate the results of my research to an international audience. If the interviewees in the United States are available, I will complete this part of my research project this year.