Lovers of literature are fascinated by writing’s power to touch, deepen, and reshape lives, to let us explore both beyond and within ourselves. I want to be a part of that transformative story as a translator, creating a link in the chain from a Japanese or French text, through my understanding as a reader and creativity as a writer, to an English text that can now be discovered by Anglophone readers. When I encounter new perspectives on life or different cultural mores and practices; explore imaginary vistas; ponder twists and turns of character development and unfolding plot; laugh over wordplay; and find styles, rhythms, and sentence structures that strike a powerful chord with me, I want to share that fascination and beauty with others. Literary translation is a challenging and rewarding way to transmit the power and potential of literature to a new audience.
Below is a list of my literary translations to date, including a short story published as part of a mentorship programme run by Kurodahan Press and the University of Cardiff.
Short story in Vampiric: Tales of Blood and Roses from Japan | 『楽園回帰』, translated as “Paradise Missing” | 飯野文彦 |
Submission to the 2018 Kurodahan Press Translation Prize | 『パラソル』 | 井上雅彦 |
12-page manga sample for Japanese e-publication company EAST | 『ハルコさんの彼氏』 | 倉塚りこ |
Dissertation (MSc) | 『鮫人』(extract) | 谷崎潤一郎 |
Translation and Creativity (MSc) | 『二百年』(extract) | 大庭みな子 |
Portfolio of Literary Translation Exercises 1 [J→E] (MSc) | 『非色』(extract) | 有吉佐和子 |
『細雪』(extract) | 谷崎潤一郎 | |
『火に行く彼女』 | 川端康成 | |
Portfolio of Literary Translation Exercises 2 [E→J] (MSc) | Amid Shortages, a Surplus of Hope (English translation of the original, Japanese article by Ralph F. McCarthy) | Murakami Ryū |
Weetzie Bat (extract) | Francesca Lia Block | |
Catch-22 (extract) | Joseph Heller | |
Young Dracula screenplay (extract) | Danny Robins, Dan Tetsell |