Already in the first chapters they are there, the
names, the main character Tsukuru's friends: Akamatsu, Ōmi, Shirane and Kurono.
The four colourful friends. Red pine. Blue sea. White root. Black field. But
nicknamed just Aka, Ao, Shiro and Kuro – Red, Blue, White and Black. The names,
and colours, play an important role in the book, all the covers designed so far, have used the colours as their theme, and the colorful characters are introduced
already in the first chapter:
また多崎つくる一人を別にして、他の四人はささやかな愚然の共通点を持っていた。名前に色が含まれていたことだ。二人の男子の姓名は赤松と青海で、二人の女子の姓は白根と黒埜。多崎だけが色をは無縁だ。
What to do with them in translation? In Polish and Dutch it
seems they have been translated into local names. In German, the names are
retained, but explained.
Allerdings hatten die anderen
vier eine weitere zufällige Gemeinsamkeit, die Tsukuru Tazaki als Einziger nicht
teilte. In jedem ihrer Nachnahmen kam eine Farbe vor. Die beiden Jungen hiessen
Akamatsu – Rotkiefer – under Oumi – blaues Meer. Die beiden Mädchen
Shirane – weisse Wurzel – und Kurono – schwarzes Feld. Nur der
Name Tazaki beinhaltete keine Farbe …
Ursula Gräfe, the German translator, goes on to keep the
nicknames of the four as they are: Aka, Ao, Shiro and Kuro, the standard
Japanese words for the four colours in question. In Norway we are two people
collaborating on the translation, and we are debating what to do.
I am inclined to use Norwegian colour words, but I am far
from sure. My co-translator Magne Tørring is strongly against it. Using
Norwegian names will pull the book in the direction of a fantasy novel or a childrens'
story. It just seems puerile, and as such, does not suit the style of the book,
nor its content. Morover, having characters with Norwegian names living in the
middle of Tokyo is simply not believable. He maintains.
But then, on the other hand, the Norwegian – or Polish
or English – reader will not associate any colours with the words "Aka",
"Ao", "Shiro" and "Kuro", no matter how many
times their meaning is explained to them. They will not see the colours for their inner eye they way they will when reading
the words "Red", "Blue", "White" and "Black".
And the colours are significant – colours – or lack thereof – give
the book its title, colours define the main character's sense of self – or
lack thereof. Why cancel this out, keep it away from the reader? Just for fear
of sounding childish?
While the names of the four friends are written with kanji,
the nicknames are written in katakana, the phonetic syllabary used for
emphasis, foreign loan words, and zoological and botanical expressions. The
names stand out, they are singled out typographically with the Japanese version
of inverted commas, and on the page look quite different from the name Tsukuru.
Still not convinced, I remember that the Swedish translation
is supposed to be out about now. I find it, download it and check it out. Good
old Yukiko Duke has come up with a compromise: "De båda killernas namn var
Akamatsu – Rödtall – och Oumi – Blåhav, de bådatjejernas var
Shirane – Vitrot – och Kurono – Svartäng." she writes, following
Ursula German in first transcribing the names and then adding a translation or
explanation. But henceforth when referring to them by their nicknames, she
translates the nicknames into Swedish colours: Röd, Blå, Vit, Svart. It works.
Two pages in, I am convinced. This is no childs' play.
I need to have another discussion with my
co-translator.
Ika Kaminka
Norway
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage