Carole Geithner's Blog - Posts Tagged "translation"

I am nearing the end of my trip to Japan where I got to meet with my wonderful translator, Yoriko, the editor, and the publisher for the forthcoming Japanese edition of If Only. Hayakawa Publishing has an incredible list of authors, including Agatha Christie, Edward Albee, Arthur Miller, Cormac McCarthy, and Markus Zusak, and I am deeply honored to be included on their list. I learned that many Japanese publishing companies are still family-owned and run, in contrast to the current U.S. publishing business. We talked about what might work for cover art and a title, and we had a chance to talk through some of the fascinating and sometimes funny translation challenges. Many of them revolved around cultural differences in humor and foods. The scenes from my book that take place in Japan were inspired by the two years I lived in Tokyo more than twenty years ago. This visit rekindled so many memories of the adventures I had on a daily basis, including the sometimes hilarious, sometimes stressful word charades as I attempted to communicate. Fortunately, a little bit of the basic vocabulary I labored to learn back then came bubbling back from the deep recesses of my brain. Tokyo has many new buildings that have changed the landscape, so it's been exciting when I could actually find some of the old ones. For example, the famous meeting place in Roppongi, The Almond Coffee Shop, is still there, but the gigantic pink sign on the sidewalk that guided so many people (including Corinna and her dad), is gone. Instead, you have to look up to see the much smaller bright pink awnings and signs. I'm already looking forward to my next trip!

Today, If Only was published in Japanese!!! The title is Sayonara Mama. For those of you who don't know any Japanese, that means "Goodbye Mama." Although I lived in Tokyo for two years, I only knew "survival" Japanese, such as "Where is the bathroom," and "May I please have a glass of water." It's an odd feeling not to be able to read the book or to know how certain things translated. Fortunately, I have a lot of faith in the wonderful translator, Yoriko, who consulted with me when she needed clarification on cultural references and phrases to help it make sense to Japanese readers. What do you think of the cover on this Japanese edition?

View new Japanese cover image on imgur.com