Karen Tei Yamashita’s Circle
K Cycles reads to me as a comment on language and the
(mis)understanding/(mis)translations between persons who live and operate in
the same space while being culturally dissimilar. I think the topic of language
differentiation is articulated best in specific moments in the text: the black
pages (55-80), the “June: Circle K Recipes” (81-86), and pages 99-114 which
discuss “Rules.”
While we as readers can assume that many of the stories in
this graphic memoir are told from the perspecitive of persons not native to the
English language (due to their identities as Japanese or Brazilian persons), we
actually read the memoir through the English language, and that makes me
question what is lost in translation for us.
Specifically in regards to the black pages: Although there
are some foreign words previous to this portion of the text, this is the first
time that we encounter full a full and true misunderstanding of what the text
is saying, at least until we flip to page 69. I truly was wondering (until the
flip) if I would have to sit and translate the entire passage myself to fully
understand what I was reading, which made me somewhat relate my experience to
that of the foreign individual. While the Portuguese text is twelve pages in length,
the English text is eleven: yes, this is only one page off base, but what did
we loose in that one page through translation?
In regards to the “Rules”: Again, readers encounter
confusion in a language barrier, much like the black pages. The visual aspect
of the written word is completely different from that of one that uses our
alphabet. (Prepared) this time, we flip seven pages past to a written language
we are used to: “July: Circle K Rules.” Each set or grouping of rules relates
to a separate cultural facet in the Circle K world, but one must question why
Yamashita chose to initially depict all the rules in Japanese characters. The
English section reads at seven pages long as well, which makes me wonder if we
lost any language in the translation or not.
To the “June: Circle K Recipes”: Language and translation,
in this case, can be related to the ritualistic and linguistic qualities of
food culture. We are given recipes and their origins, as well as the meaning
behind each specific food. Rice to the Japanese is linguistically different
than rice to the Brazilians (81, 83) and the differences between a fried wonton
in each culture (85). Both groups celebrate food, but through a different
language. I wonder how our food rituals distinguish themselves as a part of our
cultural language, and if this can be related or understood to other food
languages.
Lucille,
ReplyDeletenice.you did an excellent commentary here, particularly on language. i am completely convinced that translation sometimes isn't the point. The barrier of not understanding is portrayed by these heavy pages. But of course we did get the translation--interesting. yes?
e
Yeah, interestingly, the book is not in Portuguese but English... Reminding us that this story was written by an American. The use of three languages enriched the text so much. Great dig on the word, 'saudade'... I often think about what you can say in one language but not in another and how the shape of the language itself drives a group of people to experience something differently because of the way the words confine our ability to narrate experience.
ReplyDelete"While we as readers can assume that many of the stories in this graphic memoir are told from the perspecitive of persons not native to the English language (due to their identities as Japanese or Brazilian persons), we actually read the memoir through the English language, and that makes me question what is lost in translation for us."
ReplyDeleteSuch a good point. There's a moment in the book during which the author herself wonders whether she's writing in katakana or not. I'm curious as to the specific distinctions between katakana, which I take to mean phonetic Japanese and hiragana. Moreover, ss the English that we're reading a translation of the original Japanese? Since there is no translator named, Yamashita would have produced the translation herself.
this isn't a direct response to your commentary, but spurred some thoughts on how i met the book.
ReplyDeletesomething that was funny for me while reading this book is that every time i came across portuguese, i tried to make as much sense of it using my knowledge of spanish, and, at times, was able to get the general gist of each passage. so i was understanding a language via the use of another language! it feels like this happens a lot in circle k cycles, too, as you kinda pointed to with your discussion of the varying cultural languages (meaning not just the language itself, but the cultural markers that come to act as communication) between brazilians, japanese, japanese brazilians, brazilian japanese people... and also this is kinda what's happening with the phonetics system of japanese that is phonetically english but typographically japanese... interesting.