33.2489, Review: Applied Linguistics; Translation: Sato (2022)

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LINGUIST List: Vol-33-2489. Mon Aug 15 2022. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 33.2489, Review: Applied Linguistics; Translation: Sato (2022)

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Date: Mon, 15 Aug 2022 20:40:50
From: Laura Dubcovsky [lauradubcovsky at gmail.com]
Subject: Translanguaging in Translation

 
Discuss this message:
http://linguistlist.org/pubs/reviews/get-review.cfm?subid=36810157


Book announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/33/33-1129.html

AUTHOR: Eriko  Sato
TITLE: Translanguaging in Translation
SUBTITLE: Invisible Contributions that Shape Our Language and Society
SERIES TITLE: Translanguaging in Theory and Practice
PUBLISHER: Multilingual Matters
YEAR: 2022

REVIEWER: Laura Dubcovsky, University of California, Davis

SUMMARY

Eriko Sato offers a book based on the Japanese language to illustrate key
concepts of translanguaging (Garcia, 2009, Garcia & Li, 2014) and translation
(Venuti, 1995, 1998). The monograph includes an introductory chapter that
frames the nature, development, and learning of languages, as well as the
benefits and challenges encountered in translanguaging in translation. Sato
follows a comprehensive perspective on language, by which it shapes and is
shaped by social interactions, embedded in socio-cultural contexts, to fulfill
communicative purposes through a variety of functions (Halliday & Matthiessen,
1985-2014). Within this meaning-based linguistic approach, the
conceptualization of translanguaging used in the book departs from monolithic
interpretations, by which “code-switching” presupposes the translation between
two separated language repertoires. On the contrary, the current
translanguaging proposal considers a fluid continuum between languages,
including a broader range of modalities (oral, written texts, multimedia),
verbal and non-verbal communication (gestures, body language, pitch, etc.),
and interlingual and intralingual and idiosyncratic elements. Moreover, the
author proposes to combine literal and direct mechanisms of translations (word
borrowings, calques, and literal translations), with free or oblique
strategies of transpositions, modulations, equivalences, and adaptations.
Finally, the introduction highlights how internal and external forces impact
the translator’s decisions of distorting, manipulating, assimilating, or
resisting the source text into a “domesticated” or “foreignized” target text
(Sato, 2016).

In the second chapter, ‘Scripts’, Sato explains that they are not simple
coding symbols but rather semiotic elements, as they comprise complex layers
of social, historical, and political meanings. The three distinctive Japanese
scripts (Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana) have been evolving during the Nara,
Heian, Edo, Muromachi, and Meiji periods, producing hybrid practices of
reading and writing, driven by sounds and meanings (phonological and semantic
readings, respectively), and by pictographs, sounds, and symbols (logographic,
phonetic, and semantic writings, respectively). More importantly, language and
literacy evolutions are strongly connected to sociopolitical, economic, and
historical changes, as shown in numerous examples. During the Heian period
(794-1185) women used Hiragana, associated with a “female style,” while men
preferred Kanji, which symbolized hierarchy and intellect, signaling strong
connections between scripts and issues of gender and power (Seeley, 1991).
Likewise, during the Meiji Period (1868-1912) the Japanese language broadened
its lexicon, incorporating native Japanese words (Wago), Sino-Japanese words
(Kango), and non-Chinese borrowed words (Gairaigo) to represent new and
abstract concepts coming from the West, such as “society” and “individual.” 
Finally, the Western word “tobacco” was transliterated in Katakana script
(instead of using Kanji or Hiragana) to express correctly that the substance
is harmful for our health, while well-known companies like “Sony” evolved from
Kanji to Katakana to be perceived as more modern and globalized enterprises.

Sato moves into the translanguaging of ‘Names’ in Chapter 3. She starts by
distinguishing etymological, semantic, and phonological motivations for the
translation of common and proper nouns, as well as their possible effects and
connotations. The author concludes that translators sway between remaining
faithful to original words from the source text,and thus privileging the
language of origin, or adding, omitting, or modifying, by replacing confusing
expressions to gain clarity in the target text, focusing on the reader’s
accessibility. The tension persists and, therefore, the translation of places
and names is still challenging, as languages may include different phonemic
inventories (phonological level) or source words may carry linguistic and
cultural meanings associated with specific socio-historical contexts that are
lost in translation. Sometimes translators unintentionally impose “cultural
transplantations” that may risk authorial meanings and cultural identities or
create textual inconsistencies (Sato, 2016).  The chapter classifies
phonological, grapho-semantic, and pragmatic rendering of names, illustrating
each level with appropriate examples. Sato extends the localization of
Japanese names in the current technological world through popular video games
and comic books. For example, the popular Pokémon game presents characters
with hidden meanings in their names, such as “Arbok” and “Ekans,” which are
the reverse of the English nouns “cobra” and “snake,” respectively.
Conversely, famous Western films and books originally in English are
translated with more literal or more thematic titles. For example, the famous
movie “The Sound of Music” received a calque-like title in Chinese, whereas it
was called “Truth, kindness, beauty” in Taiwan and “Heavenly music floated on
the winds and could be heard everywhere” in Hong Kong.  The chapter concludes
with a thorough description of transliteration (phonological rendering),
translation (semantic rendering), renaming (pragmatic rendering), and
direct-literation, supported by examples and a clear visual of “Localization
of names” (Figure 3.2 p. 91).

Chapter 4 focuses on ‘Words,’ examining six distinctive types, mostly drawn
from poems and novels. Under “Culture-specific words” Sato points out that
objects, food, musical instruments, etc. evoke landscapes, sounds, smells,
sizes, and materials rooted in specific contexts. For example, the Japanese
term “Suō” (a primitive sleeveless outer garment) and the Hindi word “Lathi”
(a heavy stick used as a weapon but that can assist in walking) are partially
translatable, as it is impossible to transfer the whole contextualized meaning
into other languages. Among “society-specific terms,” the author includes
professional titles, caste systems, and slogans, as used in Hindi literature
through terms such as “Zamindar” (master, landlord, or landowner), “Brahman,”
“Thakur,” and “Chamar” (hierarchical classes) and “Swadesh” (“Our country”)
used as propaganda for decolonizing India. The third category describes “units
of measurement” used to quantify size (meters or feet), weight (kilos or
pound) or temperature (Celsius or Fahrenheit), which vary in different
countries, and amount of currency, value, and prices that change over the
years. Sato analyzes the paradigm of “personal pronouns” that may vary in
different languages, and thus it requires delicate treatment for an
appropriate translation. For example, Japanese has a complex pronominal
system, with a broad range of terms for the first person singular (“I”),
considering gender, hierarchy, age, and levels of formality, an almost
avoidance of the second person (“you”), and a third person that does not
differentiate gender as the English counterpart does (“he/him/his”,
“she/her”). 

The fifth classification refers to “terms for addressing people,” at the
lexical and morphemic levels. It includes family members, professional titles,
and life-time relationships. Many languages have a finer distinction of
relatives in the family, assigning specific terms to grandparents, uncles, and
aunts from maternal and paternal sides. Others include terms of endearment not
only to address a direct family member but also other blood-related and even
farther acquaintances, such as the Hindi term “dada” used to address the
father but also an older brother, a neighbor, or a teacher. Sometimes
professional titles are addressed by names, such as Japanese “Sensei,” or a
suffix added to the person’s name, such as the Hindi morpheme “-ji” in
“Editor-ji” and “Mehta-ji”. These words and particles imply a life-long
relationship of respect and admiration toward the addressee. Finally, a sixth
category is given by mimetic words that approximate sounds, symbols, and
psychological states, and that may comprise lexicalized and non-lexicalized
items, usually reinforced by repetitions. Sometimes translators opt to delete
the mimetic expression or reduce it to its lexicalized elements. Moreover,
non-lexical items or onomatopoeias are expressed differently in different
languages, showing that they are the product of a social construction. In
children’s literature there are abundant examples of different expressions
used to represent barking, such as “bow bow” in English, “wan wan” in
Japanese, and “mung mung” in Korean, etc. Overall, the author claims that
translanguaging in translation will convey personal attitudes, language
nuances, and intercultural communication embedding meaning into the
socio-cultural circumstance.

In Chapter 5 Sato emphasizes the need for understanding ‘Contexts’ to render
an adequate translation. She analyzes three figures of language that are
usually treated as “untranslatable.”  Metaphors carry literal and deeper
meanings along a continuum that evokes image and sense. Newmark (1988) traces
a correspondence between specific types of metaphors and appropriate
translations, revealing that “original” metaphors are alive and evoke an
image, and therefore they require a literal translation, while “standard
“metaphors that still evoke images need to be translated with care, paying
attention to their images and cultural differences, and “dead” metaphors,
already outdated and hardly recognized as metaphors, ask for translations that
preserve the sense. The second difficulty in translation is given by puns or
language games, where one word may have multiple meanings, or several words
may have similar sounds in the source language, but not necessarily in the
target language. Sato illustrates with an excerpt from Shakespeare’s “Romeo
and Juliet” (Act V, Scene 3) wherein he uses the English term “ground” with
the double meaning of physical terrain and reason or cause. The term is not
always accurately reproduced in translation, and is either omitted, recreated
by a different new pun in the target language, or appears as paraphrasis,
explaining its content and sense. The third challenging task is represented by
the translation of monolingual and heterolingual source texts into target
texts. For example, in the English poem “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley” Ezra Pound
intercalates lines in Greek and French in the original to bring out the
foreign atmosphere (heterolingual source text), but the translation rendered a
Japanese only version (monolingual target text). In contrast, the Japanese
novel “Strawberry Road” by Ishikawa includes English words, American
spellings, and Western ways of addressing people (heterolingual source text)
but has a parallel English translation (heterolingual target text). Lastly,
Murakami’s short story “Rēdāhōzen,” written in Japanese (monolingual source
text), yields an English translation that incorporates German phrases and
expressions to reproduce original attitudes, environment, and lexicon
(heterolingual target text). In closing, Sato underlines the benefits of
translanguaging practices that depart from language purism and is open to
represent current multilingual realities, composed by diverse backgrounds,
identities, social status, and voices, crossing “interlingual and intralingual
boundaries” (Figure 5.2 I, p. 197). 

Chapter 6 highlights the ‘Roles of Translanguaging and Translations’ in three
relevant respects. First, Sato describes language development and changes,
exemplified with Japanese during the contrasting Edo and Meiji periods. She
applies recursive and multi-directional characteristics of language to trace
the path of translanguaging, from old Kanji characters to Japanese compound
words, and to more modern technological terms used first in Japanese and
loaned afterwards to the Chinese language. The author also stresses the
productivity of language, capable of generating native Japanese words (Wago)
and expanding vocabulary through Sino-Japanese words (Kango), and foreign
loanwords (Gairaigo). Second, and after summarizing language uses from
monolingual and multilingual perspectives, Sato encourages translators to
adopt an open-minded and sensitive position toward linguistic changes,
languages in contact, and neologisms, embracing intercultural communication
above all. Finally, the chapter develops a pedagogy of translanguaging,
applicable in foreign language and bilingual classrooms. Sato revisits old
teaching methods, such as Grammar Translation and the Direct Method,
emphasizing effective strategies that can still be useful in translanguaging
pedagogy. Current dynamic practices as well as current textbooks and learning
tasks show beneficial results to accomplish the goals of Communication,
Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities of language standards.
Above all, translanguaging practices contribute to meeting the needs of an
increasing multilingual population, including second language learners,
heritage speakers, and newcomers, in different environments and settings.  

Sato offers a brief ‘Conclusion’ in Chapter 7, restating relevant concepts and
premises, such as the social nature of language and the lattice of factors
that support individual and communal identities. Translanguaging in
translation is a powerful tool that extends from the macro understanding of
idiolects, linguistic varieties, and registers to the micro analysis of words,
particles, and expressions, to capture hidden meanings and facilitate integral
comprehension. Translators are placed in the boundaries between two languages
and have the big responsibility of conveying linguistic and cultural meanings,
without overlooking socio-cultural contextual and political and economic
factors.

EVALUATION

“Translanguaging in Translation. Invisible contributions that shape our
language and society” is a solid monograph about the purpose, scope, and power
of translanguaging during the translation process. The book may be of interest
to scholars specialized in applied linguistics and translation as well as to
those teaching a foreign language or working in a bilingual/multilingual
context. Eriko Sato offers a clear layout of the book’s goals and content,
adding tables, figures, and appendices to enrich major points. The book is
strongly supported by Sato’s deep knowledge of the Japanese language, her
literature review of relevant studies in the field and, above all, the careful
selection of literary passages, mainly from Japanese and Hindi, listed at the
end of the book under “Primary Sources.” Sometimes the author gets too much
involved in the plot or characters of the chosen poems and novels, depicts
excessive descriptions, or elaborates longer than needed summaries. These
deviations are hard to follow, especially for lay readers less familiar with
Japanese and other Asian languages. It would be recommended to shorten the
extended explanations and observe a stylistic mix throughout the chapters,
where the author combines a highly academic tone with colloquial expressions
as if she were delivering a lecture to her students. Finally, I found some
omissions and mismatches in the year of publication between the body of the
text and the final reference. Overall, Sato’s insightful analysis and thorough
comparisons between source and target texts in less frequent languages
represent a valuable contribution to the fields of languaging, translation,
and applied linguistics.

REFERENCES

García, O. (2009). Bilingual education in the 21st Century. A global
perspective. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell

García, O., and Li, Wei. (2014). Translanguaging: Language, bilingualism, and
education. New York, NY.: Palgrave Macmillan

Halliday, M. A. K., & Matthiessen, C. (1985/2014). Halliday's introduction to
functional grammar. 4th edition. London: Arnold.

Newmark, P. (1988). A textbook to translation. New York: Prentice Hall
International.

Sato, E. (2016). Proper names in transnational contexts. Theory and Practice
in Language Studies, 6, 1-10. 

Seeley, C. (1991). A history of writing in Japan. Honolulu: University of
Hawaii Press.

Venuti, L. (1995). The translator's invisibility. A history of translation.
London: Routledge.

Venuti, L. (1998). The scandals of translation. London: Routledge.


ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Laura Dubcovsky is a retired instructor and supervisor from the Teacher
Education Program in the School of Education at the University of California,
Davis. With a Master’s in Education and a Ph. D in Spanish linguistics/with
special emphasis on second language acquisition, her interests tap topics of
language, bilingual education, and bilingual children’s literature. She has
taught bilingual teachers to use and practice communicative and academic
Spanish needed in bilingual classrooms for more than ten years. She is
currently helping with professional development courses for bilingual
teachers, interpreting in parent/teachers’ conferences, and translating for
several institutions, such as Davis and Riverside Joint Unified School
Districts, the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, YoloArts in Woodland, Davis
Art Center, STEAC, and the Zapotec Digital Project of Ticha.  Laura is a
long-standing reviewer for the Linguistic list Serve and the California
Association of School -University Partnerships (CASUP), and she also reviews
articles for the Elementary School Journal, Journal of Latinos and Education,
Hispania, and Lenguas en Contexto. She published “Functions of the verb decir
(‘to say’) in the incipient academic Spanish writing of bilingual children in
Functions of Language, 15(2), 257-280 (2008) and the chapter, “Desde
California. Acerca de la narración en ámbitos bilingües” in ¿Cómo aprendemos y
cómo enseñamos la narración oral? (2015). Rosario, Homo Sapiens: 127- 133.





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