Are you someone with a general interest in Japanese culture and society? Or are you a sixth form student or current university student, either studying Japanese language or with an interest in learning more about Japan? Why not come and listen to our next lecture as part of our seminar series: 'Exploring the World of Japanese Studies'!

Our third talk, Beyond Words: Understanding Japanese Society Through Literature and Translation, is hosted by the University of Leicester.

 

Talk Description

In recent years, Japanese literature has been gaining attention in the UK. Reading literature offers much more than the enjoyment of a story; it provides a window into the social and cultural values that shape it. This session explores how literary works help us understand Japanese society and the wider world, and how we can make sense of Japanese literature's recent growth in popularity. We will also consider what happens when such works are translated from Japanese into English: how is the cultural context of the original text conyed, adapted, or transformed in the process? For example, we will consider how onomatopeic expressions used commonly in Japanese can be translated to be understood worldwide.

To discuss these questions, we will bring together a literary scholar, a specialist in translation studies, and a professional translator working between Japanese and English.

*Arriving by car: There is a paid car park available for visitors.

Paid car park: The Freemen's multi-storey car park is the closest parking space to the Sir Bob Burgess building. Access to the car park is on Putney Road (please see the map above). The cost for 3 to 6 hours will be £2.50, payable by card (no cash). THIS CAR PARK IS ACCESSIBLE FOR WHEELCHAIR USERS.

 

About the Speakers

Dr Michael Tsang is Senior Lecturer in Japanese Studies and Programme Director for BA Japanese Studies at Birkbeck, University of London. His research focuses on world literature, postcolonial literature, and popular culture with an emphasis on East Asia. He has published widely in journals and edited volumes, including Murakami Haruki and Our Years of Pilgrimage (co-edited with Gitte Marianne Hansen: Routledge, 2021). He is also a creative writer and has published tanka poetry in English.

Professor Nana Sato-Rossberg is a leading scholar in the field with expertise in Japan and East Asia. She is currently Chair of the Centre for Translation Studies at SOAS, and the programme convener for the BA Translation pathway and MA Translation and Intercultural Studies. She is also an Executive Council member of the International Association of Translation and Intercultural Studies and the co-founder of the East Asian Translation Studies conference series (since 2014). She is author of thre monographs and five co-edited books, including Translation and Translation Studies in the Japanese Context (co-edited with Judy Wakabayashi, Bloomsbury, 2012) and 「翻訳と文学 (Translation and Literature)」(ed. Misuzu, 2021).

Ms Joanna Dare is University Librarian at De Montfort University in Leicester. Alongside her work as a university librarian, Joanna Dare is active as an emerging literary translator and Coordinator of the East Midlands Regional Group of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting. She studied Japanese at the University of Sheffield, and Translation Studies at Portsmouth University. She currently studies Japanese through the Languages at Leicester programme at the University of Leicester. In 2020, she won second prize in the 4th Japanese Literature Publishing Project International Translation Competition, followed by first place in the Institute of Translation and Interpreting Japanese Network Translation Competition in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

This event is free to attend, but registration is essential for online and in-person attendees.

For IN-PERSON attendance, click here.
For ONLINE attendance, click here.

---