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Hitotsubashi University Japanese Studies in English Lecture Series 2016
Japanese Translation of non-Japanese Speech: Inter-lingual Construction of Gender

2016/11/07

Hitotsubashi University Japanese Studies in English Lecture Series 2016

Japanese Translation of non-Japanese Speech: Inter-lingual Construction of
Gender
Speaker: Momoko Nakamura, Kanto Gakuin University

This talk will discuss how Japanese translation of the speech of
non-Japanese people constructs Japanese gender. While Japanese femininity
and masculinity are often defined by their differences from non-Japanese
counterparts, the talk will demonstrate that translation plays a crucial
role in constructing and maintaining ideal Japanese gender by creating a
particular relationship with non-Japanese gender.

Japanese translators use different linguistic styles to translate the
speech of non-Japanese speakers. Focusing on female and male speech styles,
this talk shows how these gendered styles have been used to translate the
speech of non-Japanese speakers. The translated speech of heroines from
Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind to Hermione Granger in Harry Potter
and the Sorcerer’s Stone has been rendered into the stereotypical female
style. In contrast, the translated speech of laidback men like Brandon and
Dylan in the popular TV drama, Beverly Hills, 90210, has been translated
not into male style but into a peculiar style rarely used by Japanese men.

The talk concludes with the discussion of how the distinctive use of
gendered styles serves to define Japanese gender in its relationship with
non-Japanese gender.

Speaker:
Momoko Nakamura, Ph.D. is Professor of English at Kanto Gakuin University.
Her recent publications include *Gender, Language and Ideology*
(2014), *Onnakotoba
to Nihongo* [Women’s Language and Japanese] (2012), *Onnakotoba wa
tsukurareru* [Constructing Women’s Language] (2007), and *Sei to Nihongo*
[Sex and Japanese] (2007). She has contributed chapters to *The Handbook of
Language, Gender, and Sexuality* (2014), T*he Political Economy of Affect
and Emotion in East Asia* (2014)*, Femininity, Feminism and Gendered
Discourse* (2010), *The Language and Sexuality Reader (2006), and Japanese
Language, Gender, and Ideology* (2004).

Date: November 15 2016 Tuesday)
Time: 16:00 - 17:30
Venue: Faculty building 3, level 3, East campus, Hitotsubashi University
(東キャンパス 第3研究館 3階)

Language: English (no translation)

Attendance is free, and all are welcome to attend. No registration
necessary.

For venue map, see
http://www.hit-u.ac.jp/eng/about/direction/guide/campus/e-campus/

For more information, contact Sonja Dale ()

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