Process Talk: A Conversation with Translator Keiko Nagatomo, Part 2

Japanese translator Keiko Nagatomo and I traded emails and followed up with a Zoom call. Here are a couple of snippets from that video, along with Keiko reading chapter 1 of the Japanese edition of Book Uncle and Me.

“What a translator needs is imagination as well as creativity. The ability of reading between the lines may be imagination.” Keiko Nagatomo

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“What a translator needs is imagination as well as creativity. The ability of reading between the lines may be imagination.” Keiko Nagatomo 〰️

Keiko Nagatomo, Japanese translator of Book Uncle and Me—and also Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland!

More notes from Keiko on the charm of Book Uncle and Me:

We reconfirm the power/influence of a book which leads a small girl to start social activities to protect what she cherishes, by attracting a large number of people (not only children but also adults) around her.

 I like what Book Uncle does every day – he provides knowledge (books), saying ‘Books. Free. Give one. Take one. Read-Read-Read.’ Not only providing books, he helps other people around him without expecting any return.

I’ll send with something else Keiko said to me: “What a translator needs is imagination as well as creativity. The ability of reading between the lines may be imagination.” Talking to Keiko, I realized that translators are writers; the work they do draws on both intellect and intuition.