Voices of the Invisible Presence
Diplomatic interpreters in post-World War II Japan
Voices of the Invisible Presence: Diplomatic interpreters in post-World War II Japan examines the role and the making of interpreters, in the social, political and economic context of postwar Japan, using oral history as a method. The primary questions addressed are what kind of people became interpreters in post-WWII Japan, how they perceived their role as interpreters, and what kind of role they actually played in foreign relations. In search of answers to these questions, the living memories of five prominent interpreters were collected, in the form of life-story interviews, which were then categorized based on Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of ‘habitus’, ‘field’ and ‘practice’. The experiences of pioneering simultaneous interpreters are analyzed as case studies drawing on Erving Goffman’s ‘participation framework’ and the notion of kurogo in Kabuki theatre, leading to the discussion of (in)visibility of interpreters and their perception of language, culture and communication.
[Benjamins Translation Library, 83] 2009. x, 197 pp.
Publishing status: Available
Published online on 19 December 2008
Published online on 19 December 2008
© John Benjamins Publishing Company
Table of Contents
-
Acknowledgements | pp. ix–x
-
Chapter 1. Introduction | pp. 1–26
-
Chapter 2. A brief history of interpreting/translation in Japan | pp. 27–48
-
Chapter 3. Habitus | pp. 49–84
-
Chapter 4. Into the field of interpreting | pp. 85–110
-
Chapter 5. Interpreting as a practice | pp. 111–151
-
Chapter 6. Insights | pp. 153–174
-
Chapter 7. Perspectives | pp. 175–181
-
-
Index | pp. 195–197
“The book is well worth reading as an informative and very interesting account.”
Daniel Gile, Université Paris 3 Sorbonne-Nouvelle, in Target 23:1 (2011)
“[...] the book offers much that is of interest to researchers, professionals interpreters and students of interpreting. It contains a wealth of new, detailed information concerning the history of interpreting in particulair. The bibliography is extensive and reflects the breadth of the author's investigation of the subject. Voices of the Invisible Presence is a valuable contributions to research in this field.”
Dörte Andres, in Interpreting Vol. 12:2 (2010)
“Adopting oral history as a historiographic method in interpreting studies, this vivid account of the life stories of five post-war pioneers of the profession greatly enriches our understanding of interpreters and of their role in a unique historical and socio-cultural context.”
Franz Pöchhacker, University of Vienna
“In an outstanding work, Torikai offers the reader a unique look at the living memories of five pioneer interpreters of post World War II Japan and sheds light on the fascinating role they played. Through careful analysis of oral history and the examination of the Interpreter Interpersonal Role Inventory Torikai compares and contrasts interpreters’ perceptions of their role to their own narratives as she uncovers the kind of people that became interpreters, their perceptions of their own roles, and the materialization of that role in Japanese diplomacy. Written in a clear and accessible language this book will engage interpreter educators and students, as well as practicing interpreters, linguists, historians and experts in Cross-cultural Communication.”
Claudia V. Angelelli, San Diego State University
“This is a study of remarkable originality. It provides precious insights into the professional lives of an extraordinary group of Japanese diplomatic interpreters. Combining careful scholarship with the sensitivity of a practitioner, Kumiko Torikai casts new light on the chiaroscuro world of the professional interpreter.”
Professor Michael Kelly, University of Southampton
Cited by (41)
Cited by 41 other publications
Ballardini, Elio
2024. Eléments pour une histoire de l’interprétation. In History of Linguistics 2021 [Studies in the History of the Language Sciences, 133], ► pp. 88 ff. 
Klimova, O. V.
2024. The interpreters of Ainu language in the lands of Ezo in the 17<sup>th</sup> – 18<sup>th</sup> centuries (based on Japanese archive materials). Japanese Studies in Russia :4 ► pp. 53 ff.
Wu, Yan
2024. Neutrality Affected: Negotiating the Promise of Empathy in Interpreters’ Memoirs. Life Writing 21:1 ► pp. 67 ff.
Xu, Qingxin & Xiaoyan Xiao
2024. Deaf translator’s visibility in political discourse: a dialogic positioning perspective. Perspectives 32:2 ► pp. 242 ff.
Yi, Ran
2024. Mira Kadrić, Mira; Rennert, Sylvi; y Schäffner, Christina (Eds.), Diplomatic & Political Interpreting Explained. Oxford /New York: Routledge 2022. 204 pp.. Estudios de Traducción 14 ► pp. 159 ff.
Maadla, Jekaterina
2023. Dialogue interpreting: The point of contact between Translation Studies, Foreign Language Teaching, and Translation for Other Learning Contexts. STRIDON: Studies in Translation and Interpreting 3:1 ► pp. 71 ff.
MADEN KALKAN, Çile
2023. İKİNCİ ÇİN-JAPON SAVAŞI’NDA (1937-1945) ÇİNLİ SAVAŞ TERCÜMANLARI. Beykoz Akademi Dergisi 11:2 ► pp. 52 ff.
Pérez-González, Luis
2023. Context in Translation and Interpreting Studies. In The Cambridge Handbook of Language in Context, ► pp. 371 ff.
Wolf, Michaela
2023. The interpreter as “anti-hero”. In Towards an Atlas of the History of Interpreting [Benjamins Translation Library, 159], ► pp. 238 ff.
Gürçağlar, Şehnaz Tahir
2022. Translation Historiography. Slovo.ru: Baltic accent 13:1 ► pp. 14 ff.
Falbo, Caterina
2021. Interprètes, contextes, situations : l’interprétation comme acte politique. TTR : traduction, terminologie, rédaction 34:2 ► pp. 149 ff.
Giustini, Deborah
2021. ‘I thought I could get away from gender discrimination’: linguistic instrumentalism and self-actualisation of female interpreters in temporary employment in Japan. Japan Forum 33:4 ► pp. 522 ff.
Giustini, Deborah
2022. Haken conference interpreters in Japan: Exploring status through the sociology of work and of professions. Interpreting and Society 2:1 ► pp. 3 ff.
Gómez-Amich, María
2021. Local Interpreters Versus Military Personnel: Perceptions and Expectations Regarding the Local Interpreter’s Role and Agency Within the Afghan Conflict. In Interpreting Conflict, ► pp. 85 ff.
Kaindl, Klaus
2021. (Literary) Translator Studies. In Literary Translator Studies [Benjamins Translation Library, 156], ► pp. 1 ff.
Kim, Hyongrae
2021. Interpreters in the United States Army Military Government in Korea: “A Government of, for, and by Interpreters”?. TTR : traduction, terminologie, rédaction 34:2 ► pp. 123 ff.
Naimushin, Boris
2021. Hiroshima, Mokusatsu and Alleged Mistranslations. English Studies at NBU 7:1 ► pp. 87 ff.
Takahashi, Tomoko
2021. Wronged translators in U.S.-Japan politics. Asia Pacific Translation and Intercultural Studies 8:2 ► pp. 99 ff.
Ordóñez-López, Pilar
2020. Dealing with the Past: Definitions and Descriptions of the History of Translation. Íkala 25:3 ► pp. 797 ff.
Ruiz Mezcua, Aurora & María del Carmen Valverde Ferrera
2020. Interpreting to Bridge the Gaps in War Conflicts. In International Approaches to Bridging the Language Gap [Advances in Linguistics and Communication Studies, ], ► pp. 251 ff.
Ruiz Mezcua, Aurora & María del Carmen Valverde Ferrera
2021. Interpreting to Bridge the Gaps in War Conflicts. In Research Anthology on Military and Defense Applications, Utilization, Education, and Ethics, ► pp. 407 ff.
Gallai, Fabrizio
2019. Interpreters at War: Testing Boundaries of Neutrality. In The Palgrave Handbook of Languages and Conflict, ► pp. 205 ff.
Gallai, Fabrizio
2019. Interpreting Ethics in Fragile Environments. Journal of War & Culture Studies 12:3 ► pp. 220 ff.
Gambier, Yves & Haina Jin
Pelea, Alina
2019. Donner à voir : explorer et exploiter les images en histoire de ľinterprétation. Translationes 11:1 ► pp. 92 ff.
Gile, Daniel
2018. Yasumasa Someya (Ed.). Consecutive notetaking and interpreter training
. Interpreting. International Journal of Research and Practice in Interpreting 20:1 ► pp. 151 ff.
Pöchhacker, Franz
2018. Media interpreting. In Reception Studies and Audiovisual Translation [Benjamins Translation Library, 141], ► pp. 253 ff.
Souza, Izabel Emilia Telles de Vasconcelos
2018. The Interpreter as a Cultural Agent. In Redefining Translation and Interpretation in Cultural Evolution [Advances in Religious and Cultural Studies, ], ► pp. 220 ff.
Mandiberg, Stephen
2017. Fallacies of game localization. The Journal of Internationalization and Localization 4:2 ► pp. 162 ff.
Chevalier, Lucille & Daniel Gile
2015. Interpreting Quality. FORUM. Revue internationale d’interprétation et de traduction / International Journal of Interpretation and Translation 13:1 ► pp. 1 ff.
Guo, Ting
2015. Interpreting for the enemy: Chinese interpreters in the Second Sino-Japanese War (1931–1945). Translation Studies 8:1 ► pp. 1 ff.
Tyulenev, Sergey
Vorderobermeier, Gisella M.
2014. Sela-Sheffy, Rakefet & Miriam Shlesinger, eds. 2011. Identity and Status in the Translational Professions. Target. International Journal of Translation Studies 26:2 ► pp. 322 ff.
Alvstad, Cecilia
2013. Voices in Translation. In Handbook of Translation Studies [Handbook of Translation Studies, 4], ► pp. 207 ff.
Andres, Dörte
2012. History of Interpreting. In The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics,
Gambier, Yves
2012. Une traductologie pour quelles pratiques traductionnelles?. Target. International Journal of Translation Studies 24:1 ► pp. 61 ff.
Grbić, Nadja & Michaela Wolf
2012. Common grounds in Translation and Interpreting (Studies). In Handbook of Translation Studies [Handbook of Translation Studies, 3], ► pp. 7 ff.
Dean, Robyn K. & Robert Q Pollard
2011. Context-based Ethical Reasoning in Interpreting. The Interpreter and Translator Trainer 5:1 ► pp. 155 ff.
Hertog, Erik
2010. Community interpreting. In Handbook of Translation Studies [Handbook of Translation Studies, 1], ► pp. 49 ff.
[no author supplied]
[no author supplied]
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 11 january 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.
Subjects
Communication Studies
Translation & Interpreting Studies
Main BIC Subject
CFP: Translation & interpretation
Main BISAC Subject
LAN023000: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Translating & Interpreting