抄録
In modern Japan, especially in the Meiji period (1868—1912), translations from Western
literature occupied a central position in the Japanese literary polysystem. This paper
postulates that, since the Meiji period, there have been ‘competing translational norms’ in
the Japanese literary polysystem, i. e. the parallel existence of ‘literal’ (adequate) and ‘free’
(acceptable) translations vying each other for superior status, which intersected with
another competing norms of ‘literary’ vs. ‘colloquial’ languages. The paper traces the
literalist tradition in modern Japan by using textual and extratextual sources. Though
much criticism has been raised against ‘literal’ translation, the styles and expressions
created by literal translation have made a significant contribution to the development of
the modern Japanese language and literature.
https://ror.org/00x194q47 
