FY2024 Report: Japanese–Turkish Literary Translators’ Visit
In November 2024, the Japan Foundation hosted a thirteen-day visit to Japan for seven early- to mid-career translators involved in the direct translation of Japanese literature into Turkish.
The visit, part of a broader project to commemorate the centennial anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Turkey, was organized to encourage quality translations of Japanese books for Turkish readers and to inspire the next generation of Turkish translators in particular to continue sharing Japanese literature abroad.
During their stay in Japan, participants attended lectures on Japanese literature and translation, met with Japanese writers, visited literary museums, and went on a “literary excursion” to Iwate Prefecture. The program helped participants gain expert knowledge of Japanese literature, translation, and the current situation of Japanese publishing, and develop a network of professional contacts that will be beneficial to them in their work moving forward as translators.
Post-program interviews with participants and a project report video offering an overview of their stay are published at the link below.
Following are a list of the participants, their itinerary while in Japan, and some of the presentations they gave on their encounters with Japanese literature, works they would like to translate in the future, and their thoughts on the theme “Translation, Literature, and Me.” We ｗill be updating the series in April, 2025.
At the Tono Children’s Book Forest, November 2024
List of participants:
- Nuray AKDEMİR (Assistant professor, Social Sciences University of Ankara)
- Nilgün AYDOĜDU (Master’s candidate, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University; translator, Japanese language instructor)
- Hatice HAN (Employee, Sango Türkiye, Inc.; interpreter and translator)
- Nesibe KAYA (Research fellow, Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University)
- Zeynep Ebru OKYAR (Employee, AI Data & Language Services; freelance translator and editor)
- İrem ÖZDEL (Research student, Graduate School of Humanities, Osaka University)
- Filiz YILMAZ (Associate professor, Ankara University)
Itinerary:
Program period: November 4 to November 16, 2024
■Lectures
Lecture 1: “Japanese Literary Works in Translation Abroad”
Lecturer: YOSHIO Hitomi (professor, Waseda University)
Guest: SHIBATA Motoyuki (translator and professor emeritus, University of Tokyo)
Lecture 2: “Cultural Distance / Linguistic Distance: Japanization of Characters in Yakuwarigo ‘Role Language’ (Fictionalized Speech Patterns)”
Lecturer: MIYASHITA Ryo (associate professor, Osaka University)
■Discussions
1. “Translation, Literature, and Me” moderated by MIYASHITA Ryo
2. “Books You Want to Translate and Books We Want to See Translated” moderated by KANEHARA Mizuhito (translator and professor, Hosei University) and KURAMOTO Saori (book critic)
■Exchanges with Authors (in alphabetical order)
1. KASHIWABA Sachiko: “On Tōno monogatari (The Tales of Tono)”
2. KAWAKAMI Hiromi: Translation Workshop on Manazuru: A Novel and People from My Neighborhood: Stories
3. LI Kotomi: “Multilingualism as Seen in Hoshitsuki yoru (Starry Night)”
■Literary Excursion to Iwate Prefecture (Hanamaki and Tono)
Miyazawa Kenji Museum, Tono Folktale Museum, Tono Children’s Book Forest
■Site Tours
The Waseda International House of Literature (The Haruki Murakami Library), The Museum of Modern Japanese Literature
■Networking and Social Event
