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Yoko Tawada's Portrait of a Tongue: An Experimental Translation by Chantal Wright
Yoko Tawada's Portrait of a Tongue: An Experimental Translation by Chantal Wright is a hybrid text, innovatively combining literary criticism, experimental translation, and scholarly commentary. This work centres on a German-language prose text by Yoko Tawada entitled ‘ Portrait of a Tongue ’ [‘ Porträt einer Zunge ’, 2002]. Yoko Tawada is a native speaker of Japanese who learned German as an adult. Portrait of a Tongue is a portrait of a German woman―referred to only as P―who has lived in the United States for many years and whose German has become inflected by English. The text is the first-person narrator’s declaration of love for P and for her language, a ‘thinking-out-loud’ about language(s), and a self-reflexive commentary. Chantal Wright offers a critical response and a new approach to the translation process by interweaving Tawada’s text and the translator’s dialogue, creating a side-by-side reading experience that encourages the reader to move seamlessly between the two parts. Chantal Wright’s technique models what happens when translators read and responds to calls within Translation Studies for translators to claim visibility, to practice “thick translation”, and to develop their own creative voices. This experimental translation addresses a readership within the academic disciplines of Translation Studies, Germanic Studies, and related fields.
- GenresLanguageJapanLiterature
160 pages, Paperback
First published September 26, 2013
11 people are currently reading
226 people want to read
About the author
Yōko Tawada
125 books1,035 followersYōko Tawada (多和田葉子 Tawada Yōko, born March 23, 1960) is a Japanese writer currently living in Berlin, Germany. She writes in both Japanese and German.
Tawada was born in Tokyo, received her undergraduate education at Waseda University in 1982 with a major in Russian literature, then studied at Hamburg University where she received a master's degree in contemporary German literature. She received her doctorate in German literature at the University of Zurich. In 1987 she published Nur da wo du bist da ist nichts—Anata no iru tokoro dake nani mo nai (A Void Only Where You Are), a collection of poems in a German and Japanese bilingual edition.
Tawada's Missing Heels received the Gunzo Prize for New Writers in 1991, and The Bridegroom Was a Dog received the Akutagawa Prize in 1993. In 1999 she became writer-in-residence at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for four months. Her Suspect on the Night Train won the Tanizaki Prize and Ito Sei Literary Prize in 2003.
Tawada received the Adelbert von Chamisso Prize in 1996, a German award to foreign writers in recognition of their contribution to German culture, and the Goethe Medal in 2005.
(from Wikipedia)
Tawada was born in Tokyo, received her undergraduate education at Waseda University in 1982 with a major in Russian literature, then studied at Hamburg University where she received a master's degree in contemporary German literature. She received her doctorate in German literature at the University of Zurich. In 1987 she published Nur da wo du bist da ist nichts—Anata no iru tokoro dake nani mo nai (A Void Only Where You Are), a collection of poems in a German and Japanese bilingual edition.
Tawada's Missing Heels received the Gunzo Prize for New Writers in 1991, and The Bridegroom Was a Dog received the Akutagawa Prize in 1993. In 1999 she became writer-in-residence at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for four months. Her Suspect on the Night Train won the Tanizaki Prize and Ito Sei Literary Prize in 2003.
Tawada received the Adelbert von Chamisso Prize in 1996, a German award to foreign writers in recognition of their contribution to German culture, and the Goethe Medal in 2005.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 3, 2013
So much more fun than Franzen's annotated translation! My friend Chantal Wright annotates her English version of a sort-of-portrait of a German woman living in America, narrated by a woman who we assume is neither German nor American. And because it's all about the way languages interact and interlock, Chantal has so much to say! Anecdotes and explanations and cross-references and general fascination and puzzlement and admiration. This is what it feels like to translate, sometimes, if we were to put it into words.
February 21, 2024
Really cool idea, in theory
I think that the translator put too much of their opinion into the translation? Like assuming the narrator was Japanese bc Tawada is. Plus shawty also just put in too many random, irrelevant thoughts. She did have some good insights though.
I think that the translator put too much of their opinion into the translation? Like assuming the narrator was Japanese bc Tawada is. Plus shawty also just put in too many random, irrelevant thoughts. She did have some good insights though.
May 16, 2025
An interesting experiment. The two short introductions to exophonic writers and to this experimental translation format were engaging and exciting. But the translation itself didn’t quite hit.
I wanted Wright to commit more to the dialogue she was in, more personal, more back-and-forth, let her own experience in translation influence the translation itself. But it felt instead like we had the ‘proper’ translation, and then a new way of formatting footnotes… with a few personal interjections. That being said, I would love to see more experiments of this kind!
I wanted Wright to commit more to the dialogue she was in, more personal, more back-and-forth, let her own experience in translation influence the translation itself. But it felt instead like we had the ‘proper’ translation, and then a new way of formatting footnotes… with a few personal interjections. That being said, I would love to see more experiments of this kind!
October 7, 2014
Deliciously satisfying.
I dove into the prose bypassing Introductions 1 and 2, wanting the visceral experience first.
Yoko Tawada's prose is sparse yet hauntingly compelling. A unfinished conversation left dangling or perhaps a overheard snippet in a elevator.
She creates a tenuous hold on the reader, not quite comfortable yet enticing and somehow wistful.
Ms. Wright's translation is deft and clear. Sometimes purposely mirrors Tawada's style so that the voices of the prose and translation blend. The divide between author and translator disappears. A unexpected sense of playfulness that seems intentional and disarming which bring the reader in to the dialogue. Sharing with the reader personal asides of yearning for the mother tongue by baking for example.
Truly a linguistic love story.
First book in many years that I've read with a pencil and dictionary in hand and once I finally read both introductions, couldn't wait to read it again!
I dove into the prose bypassing Introductions 1 and 2, wanting the visceral experience first.
Yoko Tawada's prose is sparse yet hauntingly compelling. A unfinished conversation left dangling or perhaps a overheard snippet in a elevator.
She creates a tenuous hold on the reader, not quite comfortable yet enticing and somehow wistful.
Ms. Wright's translation is deft and clear. Sometimes purposely mirrors Tawada's style so that the voices of the prose and translation blend. The divide between author and translator disappears. A unexpected sense of playfulness that seems intentional and disarming which bring the reader in to the dialogue. Sharing with the reader personal asides of yearning for the mother tongue by baking for example.
Truly a linguistic love story.
First book in many years that I've read with a pencil and dictionary in hand and once I finally read both introductions, couldn't wait to read it again!
August 20, 2020
To understand this book, I feel it is quite necessary to understand Tawada's own take on language. I found some of her responses from an interview (https://lithub.com/yoko-tawada-langua... ) and I'll share them over here:
1. "German is for me like music. Not like a beautiful melody but something like a structure that is the base for the music...In German you can put yourself in your own space and make your philosophy, your thinking world."
2. "If you want to learn a foreign language, you cannot buy it. You cannot take one word after another and eat it, or something. [Laughs] Or you cannot really touch it. But there are so many words and possibilities to make sentences. You must, you know, go into the language and see what the language does. You cannot really control the languages which have their own programs. You have your emotions, your thinking and what you want to say. You cannot use the language to express something but you can work with them together because they are also animals, maybe."
3. "It’s not about acquiring language, but language itself is this living thing and you’re accompanying it."
The topic of language has been taken up in her other works so I'm not going to expand upon it. But yes, you'd find the book more enjoyable if you can see language itself through Tawada's perspective. The intro by Chantal Wright is pretty good and so are her notes. They definitely simplify the entire text quite a bit. Although to be frank, I only read half of the introduction because I was too lazy to go through the entire thing.
3 stars because I rushed through this text and I'm entirely to blame. It is not something that you should finish in one sitting. I might return to it someday, and I hope I understand it even better then.
1. "German is for me like music. Not like a beautiful melody but something like a structure that is the base for the music...In German you can put yourself in your own space and make your philosophy, your thinking world."
2. "If you want to learn a foreign language, you cannot buy it. You cannot take one word after another and eat it, or something. [Laughs] Or you cannot really touch it. But there are so many words and possibilities to make sentences. You must, you know, go into the language and see what the language does. You cannot really control the languages which have their own programs. You have your emotions, your thinking and what you want to say. You cannot use the language to express something but you can work with them together because they are also animals, maybe."
3. "It’s not about acquiring language, but language itself is this living thing and you’re accompanying it."
The topic of language has been taken up in her other works so I'm not going to expand upon it. But yes, you'd find the book more enjoyable if you can see language itself through Tawada's perspective. The intro by Chantal Wright is pretty good and so are her notes. They definitely simplify the entire text quite a bit. Although to be frank, I only read half of the introduction because I was too lazy to go through the entire thing.
3 stars because I rushed through this text and I'm entirely to blame. It is not something that you should finish in one sitting. I might return to it someday, and I hope I understand it even better then.
February 24, 2021
It would be more accurate to say that this is two books in one. Chantal Wright's commentary essentially is its own narrative paralleled against Tawada's throughout, giving us insight into not only her translation choices, but her own life story, feelings, and reactions to Tawada's text. I personally did not enjoy this "experimental translation" that much, but maybe that's because Wright showed too much of herself and how translation works that I felt uncomfortable. See here all the moments when she tries to figure out if a phrase Tawada uses is definitively Japanese or not. And to be honest, I also got annoyed by the references to general European disdain for American culture.
Tawada's text in and of itself is a (meta)reflection on language and communication. Especially German. I didn't find it as revelatory as it is presented, and it almost felt old hat to me, though I'm not sure why that is. I kept thinking of this YA fantasy book I read long ago about children with different powers, and one girl's ability was to freeze time and she used it to learn every single human language -- ultimately transforming into this more-than-human divine being. I think the dissection of language can be fun, but the overall structure of this read as short, witty observations from a daily journal that are a tad self-evident to anyone who speaks/has studied more than one language.
Tawada's text in and of itself is a (meta)reflection on language and communication. Especially German. I didn't find it as revelatory as it is presented, and it almost felt old hat to me, though I'm not sure why that is. I kept thinking of this YA fantasy book I read long ago about children with different powers, and one girl's ability was to freeze time and she used it to learn every single human language -- ultimately transforming into this more-than-human divine being. I think the dissection of language can be fun, but the overall structure of this read as short, witty observations from a daily journal that are a tad self-evident to anyone who speaks/has studied more than one language.
February 21, 2021
"Is the treachery of language multiplied or lessened when a person has more than one mother tongue."
An interesting 'experimental' translation of a brilliant story by Yoko Tawada. Essentially, Wright has split each page into two columns, one for her translation of Tawada, and another providing commentary. The commentary is intriguing but uneven, sometimes providing very enlightening context for thorny German-English decisions, sometimes providing factual citations or intertextual clarification; there are also anecdotes, third-party conversations, Wright's own exegesis, a couple of jokes and puns, her anxieties and doubts about the translation process, as well as a few unfortunate and bizarre insistences on the Japanese-ness of Tawada's, much more, ambiguous text. Ultimately, I think the experimental intention was good but the more I sit with the commentary the more I feel its presence as heavy and dominating; and the fact that so little of this review is actually about Tawada's really fascinating story is, I think, a clear indicator as to some of this book's issues.
An interesting 'experimental' translation of a brilliant story by Yoko Tawada. Essentially, Wright has split each page into two columns, one for her translation of Tawada, and another providing commentary. The commentary is intriguing but uneven, sometimes providing very enlightening context for thorny German-English decisions, sometimes providing factual citations or intertextual clarification; there are also anecdotes, third-party conversations, Wright's own exegesis, a couple of jokes and puns, her anxieties and doubts about the translation process, as well as a few unfortunate and bizarre insistences on the Japanese-ness of Tawada's, much more, ambiguous text. Ultimately, I think the experimental intention was good but the more I sit with the commentary the more I feel its presence as heavy and dominating; and the fact that so little of this review is actually about Tawada's really fascinating story is, I think, a clear indicator as to some of this book's issues.
June 30, 2021
It's an interesting academic exercise. And probably a good test, little midrashim to paper along the narrative to capture Tawada's little world and its impact. But I think Wright got a little carried away and made a pretty big tactical misfire. Which is a shame, cause it's a good story.
I'd almost be half tempted to say skip all the introductions and commentary, and I think that's a pretty big indicator that the commentary pushes the envelope a little too much. While I'm sure she had good earnest intentions, it's chutzpah to end your translation, that happens to include the word for 'artichoke heart,' with your own jokey comment "Artichokes are the one food to which I am allergic." Bleh.
(The ebook version is also a disastrous way to read this. Do not do it that way)
There is a happy middle ground where Wright's experiment could've worked, and enhanced the translation to something special. But I'm afraid she whiffed it this time around.
I'd almost be half tempted to say skip all the introductions and commentary, and I think that's a pretty big indicator that the commentary pushes the envelope a little too much. While I'm sure she had good earnest intentions, it's chutzpah to end your translation, that happens to include the word for 'artichoke heart,' with your own jokey comment "Artichokes are the one food to which I am allergic." Bleh.
(The ebook version is also a disastrous way to read this. Do not do it that way)
There is a happy middle ground where Wright's experiment could've worked, and enhanced the translation to something special. But I'm afraid she whiffed it this time around.
April 11, 2021
A appreciate the richness of this translation. Bu having more translator's notes and marginalia, Wright disrupts the flow of the original text, in order to get the reader to consider not just what Tawada has written, but also what they may be missing in other texts in translation.
I was particularly drawn to Wright's stream of consciousness entries--where she questions a particular passage or makes a very short commentary. Other reviewers have noted that Wright's inconsistent style of annotation is something they disliked, but I think it adds a new dimension to the text. The reader is invited into the process of analysing the text, rather than simply taking the translation as it stands.
I was particularly drawn to Wright's stream of consciousness entries--where she questions a particular passage or makes a very short commentary. Other reviewers have noted that Wright's inconsistent style of annotation is something they disliked, but I think it adds a new dimension to the text. The reader is invited into the process of analysing the text, rather than simply taking the translation as it stands.
May 21, 2023
This was very interesting, and made me think a lot about translation, which is a fascinating art. I appreciated thinking about the pros and cons of making translation visible, particularly for English readers who are used to being able to seamlessly swallow the world's culture in a way that has its roots in imperialism, and so the book was really valuable for that. Unfortunately the actual translation, to work, needed Wright's musings to be as interesting as Tawada's writing, and they weren't. I particularly noticed that Wright's source for Japanese norms and idioms seemed to be one person, who was potentially not Japanese (unclear but I think not) which felt like a lack.
October 20, 2024
"Can you elongate a feeling simply because grammar demands it?"
I think I would have liked this book much more if my reading hadn't been constantly interrupted by footnotes that I either enjoyed a lot or thought didn't add anything to the text. Is it really necessary to know that the translator is allergic to artichokes? Does that add depth to the text?
I thought Tawada made some interesting points, but it left me wishing it had dwelt even more on language and what it means to be foreign to a language and a place.
I was kind of disappointed, but I want to believe I'll enjoy her other works more.
I think I would have liked this book much more if my reading hadn't been constantly interrupted by footnotes that I either enjoyed a lot or thought didn't add anything to the text. Is it really necessary to know that the translator is allergic to artichokes? Does that add depth to the text?
I thought Tawada made some interesting points, but it left me wishing it had dwelt even more on language and what it means to be foreign to a language and a place.
I was kind of disappointed, but I want to believe I'll enjoy her other works more.
August 19, 2023
Found a copy at my local used bookstore. I enjoyed the introduction as much as the text and translation. It scratched a part of my brain I haven't used much since my undergrad degree and was a perfect short read for a rainy Saturday morning.
November 6, 2025
I think the way yoko tawada’s writing is so beautiful and nonchalant. I love how she considered “the most important things often occur in isolation” which is closely related to what a portrait of a tongue could be like. Chantal Wright (the translator)‘a annotation is also very fun to read.
December 4, 2018
The notes from the translator vary so greatly in quality.
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November 29, 2024From the title alone, one wouldn’t necessarily expect something quite so hopeful and sentimental. As usual, I skipped the synopsis before reading, which led me to think it might be a thriller. I was pleasantly surprised to discover it wasn’t. The format is quite different from other books I’ve read. The descriptions of events aren’t overly expansive or detailed but are enough to create a hazy image in the corners of our minds.
The book introduces a narrator whose background remains somewhat unclear. They recount the story of a friend, P, a German woman who has lived in the United States for many years, and whose German has developed an English influence. The story is filled with linguistic reflections, sentiments about language and one’s homeland, and the outsider’s view on these matters, as seen through the narrator.
The book is quite short, and the scattered bits of German grammar make things confusing, as I keep needing to flip to the explanation pages (I can’t recall the exact name). It’s a bit like the disoriented feeling you get after a quick nap on Saturday.
The book introduces a narrator whose background remains somewhat unclear. They recount the story of a friend, P, a German woman who has lived in the United States for many years, and whose German has developed an English influence. The story is filled with linguistic reflections, sentiments about language and one’s homeland, and the outsider’s view on these matters, as seen through the narrator.
The book is quite short, and the scattered bits of German grammar make things confusing, as I keep needing to flip to the explanation pages (I can’t recall the exact name). It’s a bit like the disoriented feeling you get after a quick nap on Saturday.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews