CHFA | Global Languages Senior Colloquium

Presenter Information

Olivia YasteFollow

Academic Level at Time of Presentation

Senior

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Major

Japanese Translation and Interpretation

List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)

Dr. Benjamin Post; Dr. Roxane Riegler

Presentation Format

Oral Presentation

Abstract/Description

Olivia Yaste

Olivia Yaste is an undergraduate student at Murray State University double majoring in Japanese Translation and Biology Pre-Medicine. Olivia is interested in connecting how the Japanese lifestyle allows for the impressive lifespan and quality of health of Japanese people. She is a firm believer in the connection between physical and mental health and is thus fascinated with the poignant way emotions are portrayed in Japanese literature and stories. When she is not studying, Olivia enjoys listening to a variety of podcasts and dancing with her friends from Zumba group. In the future she plans to attend medical school to pursue a career in pediatrics or OBGYN.

Reentering “The Walnut Room”: An Analysis of Cultural Context in Mukoda Kuniko’s Short Story and its Accompanying English Translation

Although the current era encompasses much globalization, translation between unrelated languages continues to be an obstacle. Particularly, translation between languages of widely different origins such as English and Japanese poses difficulties. Not only are the languages themselves distant, but cultural differences also create a significant barrier. As a result, although there is prevalent translation between Japanese and English due to the popularity of modern Japanese media, English translations are notably less rich. Even if the original text is translated logically, the extra meaning hidden in between the lines is often overlooked. This is because the assumed common knowledge of the cultural and historic background of the Japanese people remains fairly inaccessible to the English reader. This presentation focuses on a comparison of Mukoda Kuniko’s short story “Kurumi no Heya” from her collection of stories titled Tonari no Onna with its accompanying translation by A. Reid Monroe-Sheridan “The Walnut Room”in The Woman Next Door. Through examination of several cultural and historical references integrated within the story I analyze how important understanding their implementation is for the overall meaning of the text. My comparison shows the need for context to be written more explicitly in Japanese translation in order to prevent loss of meaning which undermines the gravity of the story’s themes.

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Ben Post

Spring Scholars Week 2023 Event

GTL 400 Senior Colloquium

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Reentering "The Walnut Room" An Analysis of Cultural Context in Mukoda Kuniko's Short Story and Accompanying English Translation

Olivia Yaste

Olivia Yaste is an undergraduate student at Murray State University double majoring in Japanese Translation and Biology Pre-Medicine. Olivia is interested in connecting how the Japanese lifestyle allows for the impressive lifespan and quality of health of Japanese people. She is a firm believer in the connection between physical and mental health and is thus fascinated with the poignant way emotions are portrayed in Japanese literature and stories. When she is not studying, Olivia enjoys listening to a variety of podcasts and dancing with her friends from Zumba group. In the future she plans to attend medical school to pursue a career in pediatrics or OBGYN.

Reentering “The Walnut Room”: An Analysis of Cultural Context in Mukoda Kuniko’s Short Story and its Accompanying English Translation

Although the current era encompasses much globalization, translation between unrelated languages continues to be an obstacle. Particularly, translation between languages of widely different origins such as English and Japanese poses difficulties. Not only are the languages themselves distant, but cultural differences also create a significant barrier. As a result, although there is prevalent translation between Japanese and English due to the popularity of modern Japanese media, English translations are notably less rich. Even if the original text is translated logically, the extra meaning hidden in between the lines is often overlooked. This is because the assumed common knowledge of the cultural and historic background of the Japanese people remains fairly inaccessible to the English reader. This presentation focuses on a comparison of Mukoda Kuniko’s short story “Kurumi no Heya” from her collection of stories titled Tonari no Onna with its accompanying translation by A. Reid Monroe-Sheridan “The Walnut Room”in The Woman Next Door. Through examination of several cultural and historical references integrated within the story I analyze how important understanding their implementation is for the overall meaning of the text. My comparison shows the need for context to be written more explicitly in Japanese translation in order to prevent loss of meaning which undermines the gravity of the story’s themes.

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Ben Post