Play-on-translation: on the Japanese translations of The Witcher

Abstract

Aim. A new and revised edition of the 2010 The Witcher translation appeared on the Japanese market in 2017. The aim of this paper is to assess the validity of changes in Japanese translation of the saga written by Andrzej Sapkowski, and to place the new versions in the context of market changes prompted by the video game which refers to the Polish novel.

Methodology. The analysis was conducted basing on the set of titles which come from the original translation as well as from the revised version and the following ones. The described equivalents were characterized according to their graphemic features (katakana forms and ideographic representations) and only after that depicted and classified according to the definition of ‘neologism’ and a chosen set of translation techniques (Hejwowski 2004, Newmark 1988, Salich 2015).

Results. The brief research has proven that the observed changes in the written representation of the neologism coined by A. Sapkowski were based on allusions to the video game that still grows in popularity. The final version of the title, however, is a solution which cannot be clearly defined by the translation strategies presented by the mentioned theoreticians, and requires characterisation in the field of Japanese Studies. In order to do this what has to be taken into consideration is the distinguishing way of designing the imaginary worlds in the literary works which are the part of culture whose vital part is the ideographic script.

Conclusions. The analysis was based on a very limited excerpt. Yet, at the same time, it constitutes the crucial element of the saga – the title. The observations has provided an affirmative answer to the research question which was based on the validity of changes in the chosen equivalent. However, first and foremost, it constitutes a point of reference to any future analyses of the translation of different aspects depicted in the literary Witcher world.