What are the major differences between them? What has been omitted? What has been altered? Why do you think the translators decided to make these choices? How does this affect the experience of the reader?

Humanities Question

Write a short essay on the following topic. Be sure to support your arguments by exact references to the readings during Weeks 4-6 of this course. Avoid long quotes, and express the ideas found in the texts in your own words as much as possible. The essay should be between 600 and 700 words. Use font size 12 and double space the essay.

The assigned translation of the short story “The Dancing Girl of Izu” written by Kawabata Yasunari was done by J. Martin Holman in 1997. An earlier translation was published by Edward Seidensticker in 1955 in The Atlantic Monthly with the title “The Izu Dancer.” (This second translation can be read in the pdf file below.) Compare the two translations. What are the major differences between them? What has been omitted? What has been altered? Why do you think the translators decided to make these choices? How does this affect the experience of the reader?

(Note the two different translation strategies summarized in the page “Kajii Motojirō: Life and Works” in the Week 5 module.)