Questions About The Great Passage

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Answered Questions (1)

Did anyone else disagree with the style of the translation? I understand it's almost impossible to translate passages that deal with subtleties of Japanese words. As a once-translator, i empathize. However, on the other hand, if i could understand the Japanese words, i wouldn't be reading the book in translation, so leaving so many of them there is a distraction that doesn't add to the enjoyment of the book.

Powersamurai As a translator myself, this is a tough conundrum I face daily. But this is a book about compiling a _Japanese_ dictionary. How can you leave the orig…moreAs a translator myself, this is a tough conundrum I face daily. But this is a book about compiling a _Japanese_ dictionary. How can you leave the original Japanese words out!? It wouldn't work unless you changed the premise to that of an English language dictionary and changed the setting. (less)

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Unanswered Questions (2)

Does anyone know whether the details regarding making dictionaries are accurate?

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There is a lot of intertextuality in this book. It references a lot of real dictionaries, poems, and novels. Does anyone remember all the novels mentioned in this book? I only remember Kokoro and Botchan, both by Natsume Soseki.

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