Animation Insider recently had the opportunity to interview experienced Japanese language interpreter, manga translator, and author Frederik L. Schodt. Experienced in a variety of areas of interest, Mr. Schodt recently acquired widespread recognition for his authorship of the biography of translator and interpreter Ranald MacDonald. The book, Native American in the Land of the Shogun: Ranald MacDonald and the Opening of Japan, brings to light several fascinating and remarkable truths about this young man's career as one of the
earliest translators of the Japanese language.
In 2003, Fred Schodt authored a biography of Ranald MacDonald, a young man whom in the middle of the 1800s made an adventurous journey to Japan and became one of the first glossarists of the Japanese language and teachers of the English language within enclosed country. The biography entitled, Native American in the Land of the Shogun: Ranald MacDonald and the Opening of Japan (Stone Bridge Press), is acknowledged by Choice Magazine, a publication of the Association of College & Research Libraries, as an Outstanding Academic Title.
Taking time out of his busy schedule, Fred Schodt--professional writer, translator, interpreter, and author--has answered a variety of questions from Animation Insider regarding his most recent endeavor: the biographical publication. Additionally, Mr. Schodt has answered questions about his work as a translator of popular Japanese comics.
This biography about the traveler and adventurer, documents MacDonald's early years in the Pacific Northwest, and details his education in central Canada, and chronicles his employment in Ontario. It then follows him to sea working for a New England whaling fleet and his time in Hawaii where he prepared for his adventure to Japan. He later gave both Japanese and American officials useful tips on how to understand and communicate with each other, a great service when Commodore Perry made his historic arrival on the American "Black Ships" in 1853. MacDonald is an important historical figure, having been one of the first glossarists and translators of the Japanese language for the west.
Native American in the Land of the Shogun: Ranald MacDonald and the Opening of Japan is 432 pages in length with sixty black and white photographs and maps. The biography of Ranald MacDonald is available in hardcover for $39.95 and in paperback for $19.95.