An Analysis of English to Japanese Translation in the novel Pachinko

The research in this analysis focuses on the translation choices to both convey and introduce subtext surrounding the cultural and linguistic identity of the zainichi Koreans to the 2017 Japanese translation of Pachinko by Korean American author Min Jin Lee. It follows the story of a multi- generational zainichi Korean family, who moved to Japan a decade or so before the beginning of World War 2 and ends in 1989, many years later. The story covers many decades of Japanese history, focusing on its treatment of and evolving cultural identity of zainichi Koreans. This is explored and conveyed in both original and translation, but it is the translations distinct differences attributed to a variety of factors that alters the novels subtexts surrounding this unique cultural identity. The of research will examine some of the more specific and broader choices made by the translator, Makiko Ikeda, throughout the duration of her translation in relation to this subject. This was accomplished by a close reading of certain passages within the text, and then comparing them to their English equivalent, accounting for cultural and historical implications of the translator’s word choice. This analysis will be broken into two main focuses: that of the foreignization of the text and the domesticating aspects. Ultimately, it is their effects on the implied and overt subtexts that they either reinforce or create in comparison to the original that are the primary conclusions of this analysis.