Paradox in Cultural Studies

I was reading the introduction to the Tale of Genji yesterday.
The tiny English text drove me dizzy in no time. I don't know why English text has this effect on me. Wish I had the original.....well maybe not the original, cos that would be in classical Japanese I won't be able to understand.
Anyhow the English version is all I have from college days.
I was thinking that it may be time to purchase a few classical novels from Amazon....ouch, it's going to be expensive.

Back to the Tale of Genji; the author, Edward G. Seidensticker, stated that in translating to English, many side notes were left out, and some details simplified so the western readers can more easily understand the story. He said if all the explanation to connotations were included, the notes would probably be thicker than the book itself.
So how much details might a person miss by reading the English version of a classical literature.

Then it dawned on me, how can we study a culture without first learning the language?
Isn't that the most fundamental thing?
Why does the Center for Japanese Studies not use Japanese books but instead English translations?
In order to fully appreciate the literature, one must read the original.
How can it not be a prerequisite to first learn the language before studying the culture?

From my personal experience this is especially true.
During college I took various Japanese literature and history classes. But not until recently, after watching Japanese historical dramas, and doing research on wikipedia had I come to some understanding of what their history was really like.
Without seeing things from the Japanese perspective, reading history on paper was just like words with no meaning. They were just a bunch of names and dates.

One good example, without knowing Japanese, one cannot appreciate the different names people had throughout their lives, and their meanings.
As Seidensticker said, he kept the name Aoi consistent throughout because western audience can only accept the idea of one unbreakable name.

To further my studies of Japanese history, I hope to learn classical Japanese someday.

大河劇

以篤姫為契機
最近一連K了好多部大河劇
以前從沒看過大河劇的我，看完第一部的篤姫以為相當好看
之後多看了幾部才瞭解篤姫其實還好而已
劇情的起伏不大
歷史上來說篤姫的影響也甚小

目前正在看的是1991年的太平記
相當好看，是我第一次會迫不期待想一集一集看下去的大河劇

[不負責任]最好看的大河劇排行榜：
1. 太平記
2. 風林火山
3. 功名十字路
4. 篤姫
5. 新選組!
6. 義経

8/3/2009 我的忌日

一切都沒意義了
我每次都這樣嘛
總是要到後來才後悔說為什麼沒有專心聽你說話
老是忘東忘西
你說的對
如果對我來說很重要的事我怎麼會這樣
現在可好了
是時候讓自己成熟點了
成為一個成熟的女人
可以支持你的
改變自己無所事事的過日子方法
不要太一廂情願，自以為事情是這樣就是這樣

不敢去想因為太痛苦

一定要記下來的事情

以防忘記先記下來
新年時候去他家的時候
他說寶貝有時候脾氣不好
這時候要用柔性攻勢
多順著他一點
硬碰硬是沒用的

腦袋瓜２

總是不停地在絕望與期望中徘徊
雖然大部分時間會比較接近絕望那一邊

腦袋瓜

生活就像是一種毒品
只有不斷地找事做
才能逃避自己恐怖的思想
像這樣靜下來的時刻
能依靠的也就只有遠方的你
唉

張順義老先生，一路好走

堂姊夫的父親今天早上過世了
享年82歲 (民國16年生)
我只見過他一兩次
雖然生病，一腿還鋸掉了
卻仍然是一位非常健談而且博學的老先生
話夾子一開連飯都可以不吃了
最可惜的是他的知識沒有傳下來
光他的所知道的故事應該可以寫好幾本書吧

可惜最後竟然患了老人憂鬱症
孩子們又這付德性...唉

翻譯電視節目

看到節目播出來的翻譯真的有照我寫的一模一樣
是真的有點小成就感
而且看以前的可以發現現在真的翻得越來越好

只可惜好多地方都被剪接.......翻到的部份被剪接掉有點心痛...
而且口白部份也不是我翻的，所以也不能說整集都是我的

「電解次亜水」

My latest project has a term "電解次亜水".
This is mainly used in Japan, so there's not really a corresponding English term.

"電解水" is "electrolysed water".

"電解次亜水" is made the same way: by the electrolysis of ordinary tap water containing dissolved sodium chloride.

So the next question is what is the difference between "電解水" and "電解次亜水".
According to this entry, "電解次亜水" is a type of "電解水", with pH level >7.5

So I believe the best English translation for "電解次亜水" is
SLIGHTLY ALKALINE ELECTROLYSED WATER


Isn't that brilliant?!
Sometimes I think the clients should cry happy tears for getting me as their translator.
I mean who else can do this kind of excellent work!!
HAHAHAHAHAHA~~~~~ (ignore me)

老歌推薦 (1991)

2 Unlimited - Get Ready For This

應該沒有人沒聽過這首歌吧？
這其實是我第一次看到它的音樂錄影帶，說真的很土... orz