Futari

I am working to translate the dance portions of IN SEARCH OF SOMATIC THERAPY (Savant 2017) into a separate, combined English/Japanese book (I'm from Japan and my first book generated a lot of interest in Japan about the dance portions especially). When I wrote about them the first time, I didn't realize it would be so challenging to translate English (my second language) back to Japanese. Now I am editing the English portion a second time, and discovering that language is heavily based in culture. For example, I am Japanese, and in Japan, modesty is a virtue. Even though recently Japan has a new generation, still Japan is mostly one culture where hesitation is beautiful.On the other hand, English and Western culture are very different. I am finding correctly re-interpreting dance for Japanese particularly challenging. 

A country originally has one language, like Japan, and because of this, one culture. Or, it may be that a country originally has one culture, like Japan, and because of this one language. Or, maybe the two are so entwined, it isn't possible to say which came first, like a chicken and an egg. USA is similar, but may have had multiple languages and cultures right from the beginning. People immigrated to USA from other countries. Maybe USA is more of an immigrant culture than the product of Native American Indian language or cultures. So translating something from a "looser" or more diverse-meaning language or culture into Japanese should be expected to be challenging. American English and Japanese have different ideas based on their own languages and cultures. 

America is considered to have come from Western languages and cultures, especially ancient Greece. Greek language and culture are even more "loose" or diverse than America. So, translating the origins of Western dance into Japanese is even more difficult! That's why I say, "Language is culture, not just words."