Translator and interpreter Beth Cary discusses her experience in the field including how to tackle the frustrations that arise in the translation process. 

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The challenge of translation often is finding the right word, the right phrase, the right tone in the target language. Depending on the original text, requirements may vary from exact word-for-word equivalence to an inspired rendering of meaning and nuance. As a translator and interpreter of wide-ranging experience, Beth Cary will ground her presentation in real-life examples from the field and will tackle the one frustration that every translator from Japanese faces:  What do I do with those pernicious “vague-ifiers” that seem to plague every Japanese sentence?

Bio 
Based in Northern California, Beth Cary is engaged in interpreting and translating, as well as editing. Her interpreting in the business, government, academic, and arts fields has taken her around Silicon Valley, San Francisco, and even farther afield to film festivals and the Academy Awards. As a counter-balance to the demands of interpreting, she spends her "days off" translating, including several award-winning mystery stories for Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. She has also edited some dozen books related to Japan, most recently the massive ‘Anime Encyclopedia 3.’

Her published translations include:

‘Starting Point: 1979-1996’ (‘Shuppatsuten 1979-1996’), and

‘Turning Point: 1997-2008’ (‘Orikaeshiten 1997-2008’) by Miyazaki Hayao (co-translation with Frederik L. Schodt); 

‘In Iris Fields: Remembrances and Poetry’ (‘Ayamegusa Nikki’), by Kasanoin Jikun (prose); 

‘An Ecological View of History: Japanese Civilization in the World Context’  (‘Bunmei no Seitaishikan’) by Umesao Tadao; 

‘Senso: The Japanese Remember the Pacific War: Letters to the Editor of Asahi Shimbun’ (‘Senso: Chito namida de tsuzutta shogen’) edited by Frank Gibney; 

 ‘A Spring Like Any Other’ (‘Itsumo to onaji haru’) by Tsujii Takashi

 ‘Inspector Imanishi Investigates’(‘Suna no utsuwa’) by Matsumoto Seicho.

Contact:

2138214365

cjrc@dornsife.usc.edu