投稿者: YYuko

Tomoki Hotta Vice Chancellor Babel University Professional School of Translation In this article, we’ll consider what we can learn from Fukuzawa Yukichi’s viewpoints, referring to Itsuo Kohama’s recent book Fukuzawa Yukichi and Japan’s Graceful Spirit. Fukuzawa announced bluntly that, “The language of Japanese is deemed inconvenient, and is not sufficient for writing compositions or public speaking. Therefore, we should use English and write in English – at least this is the foolish nonsense that some people propose.” At around the same time, Fukuzawa published An Encouragement of Learning, Japan’s first Minister of Education Mori Arinori called for switching to English as the country’s official language. The above quote is Fukuzawa Yukichi’s words of scathing reproach in response to Mori’s proposal. It would be one thing if only private corporations were making the switch to English, but unfortunately, that’s not the case. National and local governments are glibly proposing strategic “English only” districts, or areas where public services are offered only in English. Then there’s the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT), that insists on creating “super global” universities and casually switching higher education in Japa to English. What’s more, MEXT is pushing forward policies to introduce English in elementary schools for earlier grades, even though the success of such policies is doubtful. In light of this recent activity, Fukuzawa’s words sound as a warning for the Japanese. What’s more, while Singapore and other Asian countries adopted English as the language used in their higher education, Japan has remained adamant about using Japanese in its higher education. What’s interesting is that Japan has won several Nobel Prizes in the sciences, putting it right behind the U.S. at the top of the list for Nobel Prize for sciences. However, compared to the year 2000, a comparison of shifts in the science and technology budgets for major countries shows that America, Germany, and England have allotted 1.5 times more funds for science and technology, and Korea 4.7 times. China has set aside a surprising 11 times more funds for science and technology. Japan – whose allotted 1.06 times more funds in these fields – has shown almost no change. The government of Japan’s blatant downplay of its role as a technology-intensive nation is shocking. The Japanese people and government must adopt an attitude for learning similar to that which Fukuzawa Yukichi taught. Fukuzawa advocated standing between the East and the West – always thinking of Japan’s role and not simply following the West, but also learning from the East, Japan itself, and the West as well. Considering recent policies enacted by the Japanese government, it’s time to be concerned again about Japan’s current condition and examine just what kind of country Japan should be. Fukuzawa Yukichi contemplated such questions after the Meiji Restoration, which was a great turning point for Japan. The Japanese need to be aware of the fact that now is also at a turning point – a period where Japan must make a shift. Many are already aware of the following data, also cited by Kohama in his book (data provided by Kyoto University Graduate School professor Satoshi Fujii) from OECD’s report on shifts in nominal GDP for major countries. Setting the year 1990 as the base year (100), Germany, France, and Italy are currently at 200 and above for nominal GDP, while the U.S., England, and Canada are at 300 and above. However, Japan has exhibited almost no growth. What’s more, during the 20-year period from 1995 to 2015, Japan’s nominal GPD rate of growth has been the lowest of all 80 major countries. Japan’s deplorable situation doesn’t stop there – nominal wages have continued to decline as well during that same 20-year period. Is Japan’s current situation intentional? What’s incredible is that not only the government but the media as well makes no mention of these issues. If Fukuzawa Yukichi were alive today, he probably would have had the following thoughts… If one were to venture to list the three dangers threatening modern Japan, they would be the lack of citizens’ awareness of danger and a lack of concern for the country. The Japanese today resemble the fable of a frog being slowly boiled alive. Neighboring China continues to cast sidelong glances at Japan as it struggles with economic decline (due to the misgovernment of government officials), looking for ways to encroach upon Japan’s borders (buying whatever they can lay their hands on), and make Japan a Chinese protectorate. It is in the midst of such conditions that the Japanese must wake up to what’s going on. Kohama also has a sense of impending danger and asserts that there are two other dangers in particular threatening Japan. The first is Japan’s Ministry of Finances’ reduced budget policies, which are the foolish plans of finance bureaucrats who renounce growth. These policies have resulted in delays in infrastructure maintenance, which was the primary reason for recent water damage in various areas. Such policies have also resulted in budget cuts in science and technology, which has threatened Japan’s status as a technology-oriented nation, and military budget cuts, that have led to Japan’s decreasing ability to protect itself as a nation. These budget cuts have also created an overwhelming disparity between Japan and neighboring China. Japan’s foolish policies are deplorable, to say the least. Behind such policies are rumors of economic collapse, with Japan’s debt supposedly at 1,000 trillion JPY, or approximately eight million JPY of debt per person. The government, however, issues bonds calculated in JPY as if there’s no possibility of bankruptcy, and spreads propaganda insinuating that its citizens are the ones burdened with debt (while in actuality Japanese citizens are creditors). The second danger is minimal opposition in Japan to globalism and neoliberalism. How many people are aware that increased immigration policies, shifts in education to English, the liberalization of electricity, privatization of waterworks, and other policies are leading to Japan falling prey to global corporations? How many are aware that such problems are the result of the reckless actions of Japan’s unique private members of the Diet? These “members,” who aren’t members of the Diet but rather prominent players in the financial world, are allowed to nominally participate in Japan’s Future Council, the Economic and Finance Advisory Council, etc. What these “members” are really doing is looking out for the interests of their own corporations (it would be one thing if they were simply engaged in honest lobbying). Japan is thus creating a structure that allows enterprises to greedily pursue personal gain. My intent in this article is not to get mired down by political issues, but I do believe Japan’s people need to be concerned about the current health of Japan. Fukuzawa Yukichi did not merely side with the West as many often believe, but earnestly cared about Japan and adhered to a policy of fully understanding things Western, using what’s called a “translational approach” – adopting Western ideas into the context of Japanese society. What Japan desperately needs now is another Fukuzawa Yukichi.

Tomoki Hotta Vice Chancellor Babel University Professional School of Translation From An Encouragement of Learning Fukuzawa Yukichi’s wrote this famous work An Encouragement of Learning over a period of five years (1872-76) following the Meiji Restoration. Japan’s population at the time was around 35 million, so at over 3.4 million copies sold An Encouragement of Learning was a phenomenal bestseller. Put these figures in today’s terms with Japan’s population at around 120 million; 12 million copies of this book would have been sold! Japan at the time was in the midst of significant change following the Meiji Restoration, a period where Japan was forced to end its closed country policy and dive headlong into a full-scale global society. Indeed, this was a highly turbulent period, where revolutions in society and the State were imminent. An Encouragement of Learning served as a guidebook for forging through this new era, and scores of Japanese people hungrily read its pages as they looked for answers in uncertain times. An Encouragement of Learning didn’t simply extol the supremacy of ability for the individual, but rather explained an individual’s function and role in society, teaching that when the individual became independent, it was possible for the State to prosper. Fukuzawa used the term dokuritsujison (independence and self-respect) to describe these ideas. Looking at the issues Japan faces today, many point out that the difficult problems Japan faced during and following the Meiji Restoration interestingly coincide with Japan’s problems today. • The wave of globalization is surging in, with Japan frantically scrambling about with a lack of clear autonomy. • Neighboring countries are hinting at unwarranted intentions of aggression. • Japan is on the verge of bankruptcy because of its long-term deficit. • Japan favors corporations at the expense of its people. • The social system is collapsing, with delayed structural reforms continuing along at a snail’s pace. In light of these conditions, it’s clear that now is the time for Japan to have a definite vision for the next age, just like Fukuzawa pointed out in his time. That vision is one where people do not rely on the State but are rather aware of what they can do individually. Fukuzawa called for “an encouragement of learning” during a time of great change in Japan. It’s here that I’d like to propose a new point of view – one that shifts our awareness of the times to focus on the useful and practical study of translation. One could call this point of view “an encouragement of translation.” Or, perhaps its better phrased as “an encouragement for broadcasting Japan,” a phrase which hints at Japan’s new role in the world. As the world becomes increasingly borderless, “translation” becomes an essential methodology for utilizing various languages, sharing information, and harmoniously bringing about mutual development. Japan has long been known as a translation-intensive nation, but despite Japan’s history of translation use, there’s no denying that current national policies place far too little value on translation. By taking advantage of the refined communication style that characterizes Japan, Japan can use translation to translate from and into various languages, and once again become a “translation-intensive nation.” This will enable Japan to become a bridge between the East and West, North and South. Translation will also help Japan to eradicate disparities in information between Japan and the world and contribute globally. These ideas are not far-fetched dreams, but realistic and attainable goals. BUPST was founded in 2000 to accomplish those goals. Since its founding, BUPST hasn’t been content simply to define how higher education in translation should be but also strives to construct “translation nationalism” as national level policy. Since the Meiji Restoration, Fukuzawa Yukichi and other members of the Enlightenment Movement in Japan – such as Nishi Amane and Nakae Chomin – quickly brought in Western culture and ideas Western into Japan with a so-called “Japanese spirit applied to Western learning” to modernize Japan. In other words, Japan used translation to import into Japan ideas from advanced Western cultures and civilizations at the time. That’s why Japan is commonly called a “translation-intensive nation.” During the six and seventh centuries when Japan brought in Chinese culture, it matched classical Japanese (Yamato language) with traditional Chinese to create its own unique translated words. Since the Meiji Restoration Japan has created translated words for Western humanities and social sciences to express abstract concepts previously nonexistent in Japanese society. Words such as society, justice, truth, reason, conscience, subjectivity, structure, dialectic, alienation, existence, and crisis are some examples. Almost anyone would agree that such translated words are now freely used by the Japanese. While translation once held a prominent place in Japanese society, it’s almost appalling to how little value translation is given in Japanese society today. Of course, the general public reads books translated into Japanese, and the government/corporations set aside large sums for translation. In addition, the Japanese can freely enjoy world classics such as works from Dostoevsky and Thomas Mann. Looking at the future, even though national borders will become increasingly unimportant, there will still be a large volume of translation. Some say that the amount of money corporations will spend on outsourcing translation will total around 200 billion Japanese Yen (JPY). Add to this translation for anime, comics, and other related industries, and the total spent on translation could reach one trillion JPY. If that’s the case, the role of translation for Japan’s business trading and cultural development – not just in the past but now and into the future – is mind-boggling. Recognizing just how large a role translation plays, it’s time to reconsider translation’s role in Japan today, switching from translation focused on receiving information to translation that transmits information. Such translation creates opportunities for fostering harmony between the West and East. So, what if the great translator Fukuzawa Yukichi was alive today? He probably would have been frank in stating the following: If an individual becomes independent, a household achieves independence as well, as does a nation. Let each one of us view the world with this in mind, considering the role Japan should play in the world. No one can deny the fact that the Japanese possess both profound and refined communication skills, which can foster global harmony. Therefore, let us be ambitious and take action! One cannot question the success or failure of that never tried! In addition, when asked about how translators should be today, Fukuzawa Yukichi would have likely stated the following: You translators who are active in the field! Use your eyes and senses to discover all that is lovely and incorporate what you find into your culture. Also, search your own culture for ideas you should share with the world! Then stand between the East and West and devote yourself to achieving harmony among Eastern and Western cultures and civilizations! In the next article, we’ll look at ideas from Itsuo Kohama’s book Fukuzawa Yukichi and Japan’s Graceful Spirit, published in May of this year, to consider what we should learn from Fukuzawa Yukichi, and what his true – yet often misunderstood – nature was. In doing so, we’ll discover that Fukuzawa Yukichi’s ideas are not outdated but relevant for us today.

Tomoki Hotta Vice Chancellor Babel University Professional School of Translation In May of last year, Malaysia’s underwent a change of administration in which the opposition alliance, headed by former Prime Minister Mahathir Bin Mohamed, defied majority predictions in winning the election. A sympathizer of Japan, 92-year-old Mahathir promoted a “Look East” policy (a policy that encourages learning from Japan’s economic growth) during his time as prime minister. Mahathir won Malaysia’s election on May 9th, returning to power as Malaysia’s prime minister. Consider the fact that China is attempting to create a military base by piling up mounds of earth in the South China Sea, or that the former Malaysian prime minister was being manipulated by China. It’s no surprise then that having Mahathir – who’s critical towards China – returning to power is a welcome turn of events. Although China seems to be aiming to become a sea as well as land power and thus achieve dominance on a global level, what’s interesting is how few people in Japan feel a sense of danger regarding China’s actions. If China occupies the South China Sea, Japan will be forced to find an alternate route for transporting oil and other resources from the Middle East, since its current route via the South China Sea will no longer be available. The resulting cost to the Japanese will be astronomical. Prime Minister Mahathir is the author of the book Rise up Japan. In this book, Prime Minister describes an account in 2002 when he addressed Japanese foreign exchange students, telling them, “You have the industrious blood characteristic of the Japanese, for which you should be proud of.” Some of the students were moved to tears after hearing Mahathir’s comment. Mahathir also wrote, “Militarism is not a good thing, but being patriotic isn’t bad. Patriotism is helpful when a country is attempting to overcome adversity. Protecting one’s own country is not synonymous with aggressive militarism.” “Frankly speaking, what the Japanese people lack is confidence and patriotism. I fully understand why Japan is hypersensitive to the word “patriotic.” Certainly, the Japanese must be prepared and willing to admit their numerous past mistakes. Does that mean though that the Japanese have to be fettered by their actions from over a half century ago, and harbor a permanent sense of guilt?” Indeed, the Japanese must pause for some sober reflection, since they continue to be plagued with a masochistic view of history. While there is some unease at having a leader in his 90’s take on the difficult job of running a nation, reading the news I’m convinced Mahathir’s passion will continue to shine forth brightly even after he turns 100. It’s not just Japan but worldwide that being active into one’s 100’s has become a reality. In order to continue to have things we want to pursue even as we age and have a tenacious mental power and physical strength that enables us to focus our passion, I believe what we ultimately need is to have a sense of mission – a resolute sense of mission. Mahathir teaches us that by having a sense of mission – or deciding what we are going to use our lives for – we can live lives full of vigor well into our 90’s and 100’s. Since I’m only 66 years old, this is excellent news indeed!

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

Tomoki Hotta Vice Chancellor Babel University Professional School of Translation Pennsylvania University psychology professor Angela Lee Duckworth’s book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance became a bestseller in 2016, and over nine million people have watched her video presentation on TED Talks on the content of her book. http://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_grit_the_power_of_passion_and_perseverance When Duckworth was 27 years old, she left her consulting job to become a teacher and taught math to seventh graders in a New York public school. She later left the teaching field to study psychology and become a psychologist. Her research as a psychologist focused on studying adults and children in various environments facing difficult problems. When asked what the most significant predictor of success is, many people would say ability. However, according to Duckworth’s research with West Point Military Academy and the Army Green Berets, it became clear that ability and success were not always tied together. Whether it was the “beast barracks”, the seven-week strenuous training at West Point Military Academy, or the rigorous selection process for the Green Berets, those who made it through with flying colors were not those considered talented or promising, or even those with physical ability or aptitude, but those who showed grit even when they failed. This idea holds true outside the military as well. According to Duckworth’s survey of several thousand high school juniors in the Chicago public schools, grittier students were significantly more likely to graduate. Take each letter of the word grit, and you can break it down into the following four characteristics. The first letter stands for guts; not shrinking from hardships or adversity. The next letter stands for resilience, which is bouncing back from setbacks. The third letter stands for initiative or taking the lead. Finally, “T” stands for tenacity or perseverance. Duckworth also cites the idea of a “growth mindset” as the best way to raise children who are gritty. This idea was developed by Dr. Carol Dweck and is the belief that the ability to learn is not fixed but can change with your effort. Dr. Dweck has shown that when kids read and learn about the brain and intelligence, and how intelligence is not inherent but can continue to grow in response to challenge, they’re much more likely to not fear failure when faced with difficult problems and proactively tackle those problems. That’s because they understand that failure is not permanent, which is why growth mindset is effective for explaining how to develop grit. Duckworth says that what entrepreneurs, business persons, athletes, artists, and other “successful people” who’ve produced tremendous results have in common is grit. Baseball player Suzuki Ichiro is one example of a professional whose continued passion and tenacity were more significant contributors to success than ability or aptitude. So, remember the saying “practice makes perfect” as you embrace the challenges of life.

Japan’s Role and Contribution to Asia is through Translation

Tomoki Hotta Vice Chancellor Babel University Professional School of Translation Along with its current History of Translation in the World course, BUPST is going to be offering a new course on the history of translation in Japan. Prior to launching this new course, BUPST will run a series in The Professional Translator looking at the history of translation in Japan. The author of this series, Sumio Kawamura, earned a Ph.D. from Indiana University and specializes in Eastern European history. This remarkable professor is proficient not only in Japanese, English, but in German, French, Russian, Czech, Polish, Yiddish, Chinese, and Korean. We Japanese are well aware of the fact that many other Asian countries have given up on using their native language in higher education and have chosen to use English instead. As a result, these countries have been content with emulating the West and experiencing mediocre development. On the other hand, Japan has used translation in its modernization to create new Japanese terms for Western products of culture and ideas. Long before Japan started translating those things from the West, it adopted ideas from Chinese culture by rewriting those ideas using the Japanese language – thus using a form of ‘translation’ to import Chinese culture. The Japanese have a remarkable history of assimilating culture from other countries that differ from their own, as well as foreign concepts that can be used in Japan. When there are no Japanese words to describe such culture and concepts, the Japanese have created a new Japanese language environment which accommodates that information. Whether those in the Japanese government know about Japan’s history of translation or not is unclear. What is clear however is that these politicians are slighting the wisdom of their predecessors when they boisterously proclaim that English should become the official language in corporations and municipalities, and in higher education, such as super global universities where instruction is in English. It is during this transitional period however that we should reflect on the history of translation in Japan, thoroughly organizing and consolidating the history and methodology of ‘translation’ that has been created. Multicultural harmony is a key phrase today. When considering what Japan can contribute to other Asian countries to foster that harmony, what first comes to mind is Japan’s methodology of ‘translation’, or how Japan developed as a translation nation. Japan should share this knowledge, particularly with other Asian countries. Babel has been involved in the field of translation for 45 years, which is almost half a century! It’s still just as important when working with multiple languages to develop translation and language expression techniques that ensure continued high translation quality. What’s more important however is rethinking translation as Japan’s national policy, rebuilding Japan using translation, and sharing with other Asian countries – and indeed the world – translation as a methodology. From The Professional Translator No.192

Guided by a Higher Power

Tomoki Hotta Vice Chancellor Babel University Professional School of Translation In this article, I’d like to introduce the recently published book All is Guided -Five Resolutions for Overcoming Adversity and Finding Purpose in Life (Shogakukan Publishing) written by Hiroshi Tasaka, who has been one of the greatest influences on my life apart from those in my workplace. I’ve known Dr. Tasaka for about 20 years now (I’ve been reading his books for almost 30 years). Our first encounter came about because of a careless mistake on my part. As the managing director for Babel in the 1990’s, Babel was – like almost all other corporations at the time – looking for ways to enter into in the global market. The keywords at that time for enterprises were global and the Internet. It was then that I realized that, every time I entered a bookstore, I was searching for Dr. Tasaka’s recently published books. One day as I was reading about the think tank that Mr. Tasaka is president of (as a graduate of Sofia University, I feel a connection to this think tank, called Sofia Bank), I came across information about an informational program Sofia Bank offered online. “Perfect!” I thought, and proceeded to send an email to staff (or so I thought) at Sofia Bank expressing my interest in learning about the program. However, I accidentally ended up sending my email to Dr. Tasaka himself! The funny thing is, it was almost as if Mr. Tasaka had been waiting for my email. He replied with an email saying he would love to talk to me. From that point on, I’ve had the pleasure of working with Tasaka sensei as Babel has translated his books into English (from here on out I would like to refer to Dr. Tasaka as Tasaka sensei since I am his student, having enrolled in his juku, or private school). My role has been to translate into English Tasaka sensei’s books, in order to share these books with the world (at some point in the future I’d like to introduce one of his books, titled Invisible Capitalism). One of Tasaka sensei’s books Babel is currently working on translating and publishing is Zen Winds: 50 Stories of Zen Wisdom. This book is scheduled to be released in April of 2018 when Tasaka sensei speaks on invisible capitalism at the Japan Society in New York. http://urx.red/HmdS As I mentioned above, in this article I’d like to introduce the recently published book All is Guided -Five Resolutions for Overcoming Adversity and Finding Purpose in Life (Japanese title is Subete wa Michibikareteiru: Gyakkyo wo Koe, Jinsei wo Hiraku Itsutsu no Kakugo). Don’t get me wrong; this isn’t some advertising pitch for Tasaki sensei’s book. I simply want to introduce this book because the ideas found on its pages helped me re-center my life and gave me great encouragement. Indeed, I’d love it if everyone I’ve come to know over the years was able to read this book. Tasaki sensei writes the following: 34 years ago, I became ill to the point of death; as I stood on the brink of despair I discovered a single strand of light. It was only then that I found the resolve to confront my adversity. Once I decided to harden my resolve, I experienced an amazing vitality which welled up within me, and it was then that I was able to overcome my illness. This new resolve for some reason sharpened my intuition and insight, and I found my life soon filled with fortune. In addition, I began to sense constellation (in other words, a sense of correlation), and that which is called synchronicity began to occur in my life. In this book, I’ve shared for the first time with the public those several mysterious experiences that occurred in my life. What did I resolve 34 years ago? I made five resolutions, all which are centered around the conviction that everything in life is guided. The following are Tasaki sensei’s five resolutions (the comments following each resolution are comments I’ve added). 1st Resolution: Your life is guided by a higher power. Encounters with others are important; these are referred to as destined encounters. 2nd Resolution: All things that happen in life have a profound meaning. How we interpret what happens in our lives is important; each experience is an opportunity for growth. 3rd Resolution: All problems in our lives originate with ourselves. It’s important to accept all things and realize your strength of spirit. 4th Resolution: Some higher power is helping us to grow. You can always overcome adversity and grow. It’s important to have a sense of mission. 5th Resolution: You are given all the wisdom you need to overcome adversity. The wisdom you are given is: • Intuition: When you trust all things to a higher power and pray with a mindset of trusting all to that higher power, you’ll find a tranquility and freedom from distracting thoughts. • Premonition: Memory of the future. • Constellation: The term constellation is both a psychological term and a term that refers to groups of stars; it’s having a sense of relationship or the realization that there’s a connected story among that which is seemingly unrelated. • Synchronicity: the phenomenon of meaningful coincidences and telepathy. • Fortune: The power to find significance or the voice guiding you in situations that seem to be mere coincidences. Tasaka sensei writes the following:

Wisdom doesn’t appear when you have negative thoughts. To keep from negative thoughts, you must resolve to accept that all is guided. This is because, in doing so, you affirm all things.

When – no matter the adversity – you resolve to accept that all things are guided, from that moment you’ll experience a mysterious power and wisdom welling up from deep within your heart. It’s then that mysterious things begin to occur in your life.

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