On Translating Disorders - An analysis of Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time alongside its Japanese Translation

Abstract

The present thesis has investigated the translation of mental disorders from an originally English work of fiction to its Japanese counterpart. The goal has been to ascertain if the aim of the source text is faithfully portrayed between language barriers and if a Japanese public, which is on average more sceptical towards individuals with behavioural problems, has been given an honest translation. In addition to a literary analysis of example sentences which serves as the basis for this research, a qualitative interview with a native speaker of Japanese was conducted to strengthen understanding and the credibility of any conclusive claims. As far as the scrutinized novel is concerned, three major conclusions can be drawn. Firstly, direct translation is utilized to portray the original feeling of mental disorder, sometimes at the expense of user friendliness. Secondly, grammatical structures and grammar exclusive to that of Japanese are employed, at times in combination with direct translations, mainly to substitute for the lack of proper translation in any other areas. Thirdly, when deemed overly complicated to translate, any nods to the protagonist’s disorder have been neglected and lost in translation. The study shows that ideas conceptualized with literary techniques can be conveyed also in the target language, even if the physical conceptualization of the written word must morph into a new form. The study also shows the potential methods translators grapple with when translating mental disorders between cultures of differing linguistic and psychiatric backgrounds.