How did you come about working as a translator for the late great Osamu Tezuka? And subsequently, on the translation of some of his manga? Such as: Tetsuwan Atomu (a.k.a. "Astro Boy"), and with Dadakai: Hi no Tori (a.k.a. "Phoenix")?
It all began with Dadakai and
Phoenix, around 1977. Dadakai was a group of four people, originally, and we wanted to translate manga.
Phoenix was our favorite manga series, and being young and ignorant at the time, we went straight to the top. Amazingly, Tezuka actually liked our idea of translating his work.
Do you have a comment on the seemingly everlasting popularity of "Astro Boy"?
"Astro Boy" (
Tetsuwan Atomu), which was not Tezuka's favorite work, is an amazing story. For those who have only seen the animation, I can't recommend the books enough. It's truly a 'deep' story. Deceivingly so.
"Phoenix"--often referred to as Tezuka's life work--is a powerful saga of survival and is a string of narrated tales concerning human evolution (this in addition to facts regarding Japan's history in the text, of course). What is your favorite chapter in particular?
My all-time fave is "Karma," or volume four, in the series. The page layouts were amazing for the time, and the story telling is superb. Also, Tezuka's Buddhist world-view is most developed in this particular volume.
How did you come about working on the translations of Shirow Masamune projects? Such as: Koukakukidotai (a.k.a. "Ghost In The Shell") and Koukakukidotai 2: Manmachine Interface (a.k.a. "GitS 2: Manmachine Interface")?
I was asked if I were interested by Toren Smith (who was the head of Studio Proteus). I think other people had passed on it because it was too confusing and time-consuming. I took it on because I had some time, it looked unusual, and it seemed a challenge. Little did I know what I was getting into!
Do you have a comment on how this particular manga from this particular artist has also stayed with its audience for a number of years?
Like Tezuka's work, Shirow's material is
DEEP. You really get a big bang (no metaphysical or astronomical pun intended) for your buck. I don't think it's possible to understand his work with only one reading. In fact, you may not even understand it with multiple readings. And when you finally think you understand it, you're probably just deluding yourself...
Is there a great need for Japanese-language translators for literature? I read a variety of English language periodicals on topics from anime and manga fandom to haiku anthologies, and it seems to me that a few companies or publications are looking for a seasoned translator.
Translating literature is generally a very thankless task, and it therefore has to be a labor of love. With the remarkable exception of Haruki Murakami's novels, there isn't much of a market for translated literature in the States.
That stated, now is probably as good a time as ever to get into the business, but it doesn't take many translators to fill up all the market demand. One has to be prepared to live frugally, and it might be a good idea at this point to pick up some Korean and Chinese, too. Translating is an inherently fragile business.
