[JIF2019] Culture, Trivia and Subculture Knowledge That Can be Used in Interpreting

Akira Takahashi

Business interpreter who loves more than anything SFX from before the era of CG, hats and dictionaries.

Translation school instructor. After doubling as a cram school teacher and assorted translator, and then working as an in-house translator for a localized translating company, went freelance in 2007. Currently specializes in IT, marketing and other translation work. Recently researching into dictionary environments used by translators and “reading dictionaries,” and disseminating information from translators’ groups such as translators’ forums, etc.

Culture, Trivia and Subculture Knowledge That Can be Used in Interpreting

Whether it be text or voice, knowledge of the culture of the English-speaking world is indispensable when coming into contact with English. It is well known that you will often meet with quotes from and parodies of the Bible, Shakespeare, and so on. At the same time, we often meet with expressions derived from the so-called “contemporary classics” of famous movies and dramas, music, and literature.

Up to now I have organized two seminars on this topic for translators. Using this information in interpreting is not the same as using it in translating, but there is a common basis for having this kind of knowledge. In this session I will communicate in a fun way the basic knowledge that can be used in interpreting from the classics to Star Trek.

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