The Transitional Period in Japanese Translation: Children’s Literature

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article focuses on a study of the transitional period in Japanese translation that was initiated by Yuri Furuno in 2002. This transitional period refers to a time when Japanese-speaking translators shifted their approach from adequacy to acceptability in translation. Specifically, my study examines the situation with children’s literary fiction translation during the transitional period identified by Furuno. It conducts an analysis of the translator’s afterthoughts and a comparative analysis of the translated texts to gain a better understanding of whether or not Furuno’s transitional period is applicable to children’s literature translation in Japan. The analysis conducted in this research reveals that while both translators, whose works are investigated, claimed they opted for acceptability in their afterthoughts, only one of them managed to achieve that goal in their actual writing. In this article, I conclude that my findings align with Furuno’s, and the transitional period could be applied to other genres of literature in Japan, including children’s literature. In light of these findings, this study creates a basis for further research on transitional periods in Japanese book history.