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I.Importance of Research on Proper Names
i.Japanese names translated into English (JP-EN)
ii.Japanese names in English translated into Japanese (EN-JP)
iii.Non-Japanese names in English translated into Japanese (EN-JP)
II.Use accurate and contextual word choices
III.Additional resources
I.Importance of Research on Proper Names
“Proper names are never translated” seems to be a rule deeply rooted in many minds. Translators follow different approaches when dealing with proper names, including non-translation, an approach that leads to a different pronunciation in the target language, transcription, transliteration, morphological adaptation to the target language, cultural adaptation, and substitution.
Proper names are to be treated as labels, which are attached to persons or objects and the task of the Translation team is to carry them over, or transfer them, from the source language text to the target language text. We understand the difficulties that accompany this task. Therefore, we have given tips on what to do in case of ambiguities.
i.Japanese names translated into English (JP-EN)
When translating proper names from East Asian languages to English, the reading of the names can be diverse and have multiple renderings in English, e.g., 清華 can be Qinghua” or “Tsinghua . The translation team should strive to research and translate proper names to its best and closest matching English version. However, because of the possible different spellings of proper names in English, we encourage translators and translation checkers to research names online and provide a list of alternative spellings that the client can choose from if necessary. Please convey the same using Remarks.
ii. Japanese names in English translated into Japanese (EN-JP)
When translating proper names from English to Japanese, the names can be written using diverse characters from the Japanese writing system. For instance, Keisuke can be written as [佳介] or [佳祐] in Kanji [佳佑]in Hiragana and [ケイスケ] in Katakana. Similarly, names pronounced differently can be composed of the same Kanji characters, e.g., Nihon and Nippon (Japan) are written as 日本 although they are pronounced differently. Since there are numerous ways in which the names can be written in Japanese, we encourage translators and translation checkers to research names online and provide a list of alternative spellings that the client can choose from if necessary. Please convey the same using Remarks.
iii. Non-Japanese names in English translated into Japanese (EN-JP)
The Japanese language has a simple sound inventory and many foreign sounds are rendered using the closest possible Japanese sounds in the Katakana script. Names in foreign languages often undergo sound changes due to these constraints. For example, Elizabeth can be written as エリザベス(erizabesu), エリザベ-ス(erizabeesu), or エリザベート(erizabeeto). Also, the foreign name may be pronounced differently depending on personal preference which also influences the way it is rendered into Japanese. Eliza can be written エリザ (eriza) or エライザ(eraiza). We encourage translators and checkers to research names online and provide a list of alternative spellings that the client can choose from if necessary. Please convey the same using Remarks.
Additional resources:
.jpg) http://www.translationdirectory.com/articles/article2146.php for issues on translation of proper nouns
http://www.erudit.org/revue/meta/2003/v48/n1-2/006966ar.pdf for a comprehensive examination of the translation process of proper nouns
II.Use accurate and contextual word choices
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