‘A picture of hell on earth’: Translating imagery in Hiroshima memoirs

Abstract

ABSTRACT The trauma experienced by survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima manifests itself in various ways when they commit their stories to paper. Through practice-based research into translating the atomic narratives in Personal Accounts of the Atomic Bomb, this article explores how the translator can analyse the source language articulation of trauma to transmit the unfamiliar and unfathomable experience of the A-bomb. Drawing upon Deane-Cox’s concept of the translator as the secondary witness, this paper emphasises the centrality of metaphorical images invoked by trauma survivors and draws the translator’s focus to the cultural references embedded within. It also highlights the survivors’ use of sensory perceptions as a means of giving shape to their experiences, creating an illocutionary intensity that must be retained in translation. Exploring the translation of trauma narratives not only expands the breadth of research into trauma translation but also makes more widely available first-person accounts of the physical and emotional impact of the A-bomb in Hiroshima.