Language,Culture,Cats,and Dogs
Mary Jo Pichette
Recently, I've become acutely aware of how much language is influenced by culture. I'm now in the process of helping a friend translate a book on the first Japanese-Americans. The book was originally written in Japanese, and has been subsequently translated into English. My job is to make sure the English translation sounds natural. It is actually quite a difficult task. So many words that are considered to be polite and deferential in Japanese sound quite strange when directly translated into English. I have to spend a lot of time talking with my friend in order to understand the subtleties intended by the writer, and then finding the right English words that will convey the same meanings.
Knowing that there are differences between Japanese and American culture and language, I was pleasantly surprised to find that many of us share the same feelings about cats, and that both our languages contain special words and idioms to express those feelings. I think many animal lovers are divided into two camps: You're either a cat person or a dog person. Dog people value a dog's loyalty and playfulness. Cat people appreciate the spirit of independence and gracefulness that cats possess. Many dog lovers consider cats too aloof and selfish. I found it interesting that some of the Japanese idioms using the word for cat also had similar meanings in English - even when directly translated. For example: dorobo neko can be translated into "cat burglar", an especially stealthy and skillful thief. Another word, nekokkaburi conveys the meaning: "You only pretend to be nice..." It reminds me of the way cats will try to wrap themselves around your legs at dinner time, (usually while you're trying to cook) only to run the other way after their stomachs are full. Some people would call this selfish, but I don't mind.
Of course, some things just don't translate from Japanese to English. This same problem applies to other languages as well. There is one passage of Etchan no Shiroi Kuro that I'm particularly fond of:
kuro wa komatta neko desu.
ike kara
kingyo o nekobaba.
daidokoro
kara shishamo o nekobaba.
okotta
mama wa onibaba.
nekokaburi
no dorobo neko!
demo, kuro
wa yakizakana wa tabemasen.
kuro wa
nekojita desu.
Translated into English it reads like this:
Kuro is a troublesome cat.
He steals
small fish from the kitchen.
Mama is as
angry as a wildcat.
"You
pretend to be a nice cat, but you're really just a cat
burglar!"
But Kuro
can't eat freshly grilled fish, because he has a "cat
tongue."
While I can easily convey the meaning in English, I feel some of the playfulness of the original Japanese is lost in the translation. I can easily translate the meaning, but not the rhythm. But perhaps it really doesn't matter so much. To paraphrase the story: Whether in English or Japanese, Etchan no Shiroi Kuro is still a delightful story.
Thank you for reading.