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Japanese Studies Primary Sources in Western Languages: Translations

Literary Work

Japanese Literature 1868 to the Present
 

Compiled by Michael Watson. "This bibliography covers texts written in Japan before the year 1600. The focus is on literary prose and poetry, but the bibliography also attempts to cover writings of importance for the study of Japanese religion, history, or culture generally."

Japanese Literature in Translation Search
This database offers bibliographic information on works of Japanese literature that have been translated into various languages. One can search by original title, translated title, author, translator, translated language, publisher, and date of publication. Although they vary, searched entries occasionally provide pagination, place of publication, and the original source of the translated material.


Modern Japanese Literature in Translation: a Bibliography 
Call# Z3308 L5 K66 1979, East Asia Library Reference

Japanese Literature in Foreign Languages, 1945-1995
Japan P.E.N. Club, c1997.
Call# Z3308 L5 J353X 1997, East Asia Library Reference

Modern Japanese Literature in Translation: a Bibliography.
Compiled by the International House of Japan Library.
Kōdansha International, 1979.
Call# Z3305 L5 K66 1979, East Asia Library Reference

Literature Prior to 1868

For premodern Japanese literature, consult this list of translations from classical Japanese up to 1600 compiled by Michael Watson.


Translations Published in Monumenta Nipponica

Monumenta Nipponica, one of the oldest English-language journals of Japan studies, publishes numerous translations of a variety of historical, literary and other sources. This index lists them alphabetically by author. All issues of MN are accessible online, either through the MN website or on JStor. Hard copies are located in the SML Stacks with the most recent issues in the East Asia Library.


An episodic festschrift for Howard Hibbett

Compiled by John Solt, this anthology celebrates the career of Howard Hibbett, a former Harvard professor who was a prominent Japanologist, author, and translator. The anthology contains a set of 25 separate booklets, translations from the Edo period of literature from the works of Asai Ryoi, Shokusanjin, and Hiraga Gennai to Santo Kyoden, Kyokutei Bakin, and Shikitei Sanba. An interview with Howard Hibbett is also included.

Locating English Translations of Japanese Works

 The best way to find translation is to search in Orbis or WorldCat by the title or author of the work you are looking for to see whether a translation is available. If you do not find what you are looking for, consider looking in the following print guides. In addition, there are a number of ways to find some translations in academic journal articles. Please contact a reference librarian for assistance.


Compiled by Michael Watson. "This bibliography covers texts written in Japan before the year 1600. The focus is on literary prose and poetry, but the bibliography also attempts to cover writings of importance for the study of Japanese religion, history, or culture generally."


Translations Published in Monumenta Nipponica
Monumenta Nipponica, one of the oldest English-language journals of Japan studies, publishes numerous translations of a variety of historical, literary and other sources. This index lists them alphabetically by author. All issues of MN are accessible online, either through the MN website or on JStor. Hard copies are located in the SML Stacks with the most recent issues in the East Asia Library.


Index Translationum: International Bibliography of Translations
Indexes translations of books from 1979 to the present published in UNESCO member countries. Covers all disciplines. Does not include periodicals, articles, patents and brochures. Search by author, title, original language, target language, country published in, publisher, translator, subject, and date. Includes resources for translators.


Translations of Japanese Noh plays
 “List of noh plays in alphabetical order of the Japanese titles. All 253 plays in the repertoire of the five schools have been included, together with some plays that are no longer performed(bangai yôkyoku), some newer compositions, and other plays of interest.”  The site is built by Michael Watson at Meiji Gakuin.


LTCB international library selection
Formerly, The LTCB International Library and currently The International House publish English translations of Japanese nonfiction titles.  Many are academically oriented and subjects include not only literature, but also history, religion and social science.


Japanese and Chinese Classic Films: Translation and Subtitling Project
This project translated and subtitled five Japanese and two Chinese classic films.


Eléments de Bibliographie. Ouvrages Traduits du Japonais d'Études en Langues Occidentales sur le Japon.
Herail, Francine.
First chapter
Call# Z3308 L5 H47 1986 (LC), East Asia Library Reference


Bibliography of translations from the Japanese into Western languages from the 16th century to 1912
by Inada, Hide Ikehara.
Call# Z3308 T7 I52 (LC), East Asia Library Reference

Useful databases

 

The Historiographical Institute at the University of Tokyo offers a wealth of online resources: most of their databases are in Japanese, but the On-line Glossary of Japanese Historical Terms (located under 'Tools') allows you to search for terms in English, French, German and Japanese (romaji, hiragana, and/or kanji). The database returns works (in all these languages) that contain the relevant term, and also serves as a useful tool for translation. To search using a non-Japanese term, enter the term (or terms) and click the 全文検索 button; to search using a romanized term, click the 語彙検索 button.