The Linguist

FEATURES @Linguist_CIOL JUNE/JULY The Linguist 19 While that was an extreme example, other projects have often been a mixed bag of conditions and expectations. About a decade ago, a major Japanese publisher commissioned translations of a large number of its books for release as ebooks. They chose the Sony Kobo format, which was never widely available and has since been discontinued. Most of us have never seen our translations published. Even worse, the majority of them disappeared when the project ended. Part of the problem is the way contracts are traditionally approached. I've done translations with pre-work contracts, post- work contracts and no contract. I'm sure that part of this mishmash is cultural transition into the modern age. I was taught that, in Japan, if an amount of money is agreed on, it is good manners to take the person or entity at their word. I'm being trusted to do the job as agreed, and I trust them to pay. Unfortunately, there are variants of this practice that involve no mention of payment or deadline until well after an agreement to do a job has been reached. On my side, I have an expectation that my craft will be respected and compensated. I have accepted many an exciting project, worked flat out to meet the looming deadline and only then wondered how much I would be paid. By the time I signed a contract, the book was published and the time to negotiate was long over, but the publisher needed my signature before they could pay me. Obviously, this can create uncertainty and risk for the translator. These days, I do my best to bring up such uncomfortable topics as payment in advance, so I can work with peace of mind. When a Japanese publisher or author has little experience with English translation, they sometimes jump into a project only to be overwhelmed with the complexity and expense of looking for overseas publishers and negotiating translation rights through agents. Finding a good translator and having them 'take care of everything' can seem like the best course of action. In my experience, the role of the translator in these cases is not well understood. First of all, even if people know me in Japan as a translator of Japanese bestsellers, this means nothing in English-speaking countries where the author and I are complete unknowns. Second, even though I am published, I have no leverage with English-language publishers. Third, a good translator cannot turn a book into a good translation free of editing assistance. I did convince the project team once that I couldn't do without this, and they hired the editor of my choice. The resulting book, 19452015: Reflections on stolen youth, was beautifully polished, well designed and released in both print and ebook by the original Japanese publisher. #NameTheTranslator When a Japanese book is distributed in an English-speaking country one issue remains: crediting the translator. This should be standard practice according to model contracts from PEN America and the US Authors Guild, as well as the Translators Association of the UK Society of Authors. However, literature in translation is not well received in English-speaking countries and one way publishers deal with this is by not naming the translator. When I pick up a translated work, I play a game I call Find the Translator. Not on the cover? How about the title page? If not, it is usually on the copyright page – but not always. This creates an Easily Assimilated Product, 1 but without the names of translators on books, how are readers going to be conscious of – and jump at chances to read – books that are known and loved in other countries and cultures? How are we translators going to be noticed and get more work opportunities? The story, however, is not entirely grim. As Western society becomes more conscious of the need for diversity, children's literature in translation is getting more attention, and more publishers are proactively adding translations to their lists. The criteria for the Batchelder Award have just been changed to require that publishers credit the translator. The SCBWI Japan Translation Group blog showcases kidlit translated from Japanese to English. Another mine of information is Project World Kid Lit, which I have recently become involved in. JBBY, the Japan branch of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), prints an annual English- language catalogue to recommend Japanese works to world publishers. These forums are an active family. Translators are in constant conversation, books are available for review, successes are celebrated and issues are tackled. We translators are used to staying in the background, but #NameTheTranslator is growing into a global movement. Growing demand for diverse books The pandemic has actually been a boon for children's literature. With children stuck at home and inside for so long, parents from a wide array of cultures are buying more books. As the demand for diverse kidlit grows, it gets more attention, which in turn opens the way for more books from around the world. As for translators, we tend to work in isolation anyway. If anything, we have become more connected now that we can all use virtual platforms, meeting online with authors, illustrators and others in the kidlit world for discussions, lectures and events. SCBWI Japan events are regularly attended by people from all over the world. I sit at my desk, click the icon and step out into the world. We translators are devoted to our craft. We remain hopeful that the world will continue to open to Japanese kidlit – a world that we are ready and willing to provide, at a fair rate and with the proper credit. Notes 1 Nel, P (2017) Was the Cat in the Hat Black? The hidden racism of children's literature, and the need for diverse books, OUP ON THE COVER Temple Alley Summer translated by Avery Fischer Udagawa (left); and (below) 19452015 and Rudolf and Ippai Attena translated by Deborah Iwabuchi

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