Translator’s Commentary

The Children of the White Lions

Abstract

This commentary was written as a part of the translation thesis which was submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Translation at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. This paper focuses on the choice of overall strategy and procedures adopted in translations of fantasy literature. It analyzes in particular translation procedures used for culture-specific items in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series by translators of various languages in order to examine options available for such items and their potential effects on target audiences. In addition, this paper highlights the characteristics of translation strategies employed by Japanese translators through comparison with translators of other languages including French and Chinese. Following this general discussion, the specific strategies and procedures are applied to the translation of the source text of the thesis.