On Friday 23 January, we hosted our third talk in our ‘Exploring the World of Japanese Studies’ series. This time, we were supported by the University of Leicester.

The talk topic was Beyond Words: Understanding Japanese Society Through Literature and Translation.

We were lucky to be joined by three speakers: Dr Michael Tsang (Birkbeck, University of London); Ms Joanna Dare (De Montfort University, Leicester); and Prof. Nana Sato-Rossberg (SOAS University of London).

Dr. Michael Tsang contextualized our topic by discussing the changing waves of Japanese literature overseas, and the growing infrastructure of translation and translators. We heard about the increasing prevalence of female writers being translated into English, as well as the different texts that have been popular outside of Japan.

Next, Ms. Joanna Dare took us on a journey through her growing interest in Japanese literature and translation. She then focused on ‘Culturally Specific Items’ (CSIs) in translation, and the challenges and techniques that translators might use to overcome difficulties in relaying the meaning of CSIs. It was a fascinating insight into just one aspect of the choices translators must make.

Last but not least, Prof. Nana Sato-Rossberg spoke about trends in Japanese novels in the UK in the present-day. She spoke about the prevalence of cats, cafes, and bookstores in novels that are popular currently. Then she focused on the idea of ‘ikizurasa’ as a theme in popular Japanese literature, namely the idea of the difficulties of everyday life and fitting into what is perceived as ‘normal’.

After the three fascinating talks, we had a Q&A session. Both online and in-person audience members had so many questions for our speakers. It was clear to see the enthusiasm and passion for Japanese literature in the UK. From the number of comments and interest in translation, it seems that it is a market that will only continue to grow.

To round off the evening, Martin Agnone, the coordinator of the Languages at Leicester programme, gave an introduction to the language programme at Leicester, where Japanese is one of the languages offered. He spoke on the values of studying foreign languages and the ways in which it can enrich our lives.

We would like to thank the University of Leicester for their kind support for this talk event, as well as our fantastic speakers.

Thank you to all those who attended! We look forward to seeing you again soon!

The Japan Foundation London’s talk series ‘Exploring the World of Japanese Studies’ aims to display the breadth and diversity within Japanese Studies, to inspire and motivate future researchers as well as to shine a light on the research being conducted at various universities around the UK.

To view videos of our previous talks, as well as event details and reports, click here.