As a translator, I need to perceive what the writer tries to say in the source
language Japanese text and read between the lines. The difficult thing is that
the source-language text may not always be “accurate” and “easy-to-understand”
Japanese. It is sometimes written wrongly and contains errors in phrases and expressions. Furthermore, it tends to lack clarity. Yet, Japanese language is tolerant towards ambiguity and such ambiguity may be resolved according to the context.
Nevertheless, Japanese reading comprehension is not a simple activity. In order to convey the intended meaning in the translation, I make certain changes by omitting phrases or rephrasing in the process of translating the text when necessary. I also replace a term with cultural connotations, where those connotations are restricted to readers of the original language text in Japanese, with a term with corresponding cultural connotations that would be familiar to readers of the translated text in English. Therefore, I add a translator's note to the target text to provide additional information pertaining to the changes made in the original text, the limits of the translation, the cultural background, or any other explanations.
Nevertheless, Japanese reading comprehension is not a simple activity. In order to convey the intended meaning in the translation, I make certain changes by omitting phrases or rephrasing in the process of translating the text when necessary. I also replace a term with cultural connotations, where those connotations are restricted to readers of the original language text in Japanese, with a term with corresponding cultural connotations that would be familiar to readers of the translated text in English. Therefore, I add a translator's note to the target text to provide additional information pertaining to the changes made in the original text, the limits of the translation, the cultural background, or any other explanations.
