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Überseezungen
Hard to Find book
152 pages, Paperback
First published January 31, 2002
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About the author
Yōko Tawada
126 books1,044 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 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 14, 2016
This was my first encounter with Yōko Tawada, a writer born in Japan who is writing in German and Japanese. This is a small collection of literary essays in which languages play the central role.
Her poetic, dreamlike and sometimes surreal style is appealing and delightful to read, her observations on languages in general, and German in particular, are thoughtful and to the point. Sometimes it’s hard to see where the dreams end and reality begins. But that doesn’t matter at all. It was interesting to see the view on German from someone with a totally different mother tongue.
Speaking of tongues: The title, Überseezungen, is some sort of phonetic pun. The literal translation of this word (which you won't find in any dictionary) would be something like overseas-tongues (that is languages from overseas), while the word Übersetzungen, which is pronounced only a little differently, means translations. If you pronounce the title a little sloppy you could find seven more meanings:
über Seezungen = about soles [the fish]
über See: Zungen = above sea: tongues
überseh’ Zungen! = overlook tongues!
übersetz’ Zungen!= translate tongues!
üb’ Ersetzungen! = practice replacements!
über Setzungen= about positings
„Üb“-Ersetzungen = replacements of „Üb“
PS: Guess I’m reading too much by Arno Schmidt and about Etyms and stuff, and it’s starting to rub off.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
June 24, 2021
Die Autorin beschreibt, wie sie ihre Umwelt über die Sprache - vor allem die Aussprache und die Wortwahl - wahrnimmt. Es hat mich unglaublich beeindruckt, dass eine japanische Autorin elegante Prosa zu Papier bringt, die ein wahres Gedanken-Feuerwerk auslösen.
Eine grosse Empfehlung für jeden, der sich für das Lernen von Fremdsprachen interessiert. Was machen fremde Laute mit unseren Zungen und wie beeinflusst Sprache unsere Wahrnehmung?
Genauere Informationen zum Inhalt und der Sprache, gibt's hier:
https://youtu.be/aUPAHUSzvRA
Eine grosse Empfehlung für jeden, der sich für das Lernen von Fremdsprachen interessiert. Was machen fremde Laute mit unseren Zungen und wie beeinflusst Sprache unsere Wahrnehmung?
Genauere Informationen zum Inhalt und der Sprache, gibt's hier:
https://youtu.be/aUPAHUSzvRA
October 2, 2016
Yoko Tawada (geboren 1960 in Tokyo) lebt seit 1979 in Deutschland und schreibt sowohl auf Japanisch wie auch auf Deutsch. ÜBERSEEZUNGEN versammelt 14 kürzere Texte, die sich mit dem Thema Sprache und Sprechen beschäftigen, und auch mit kulturellen Unterschieden, die ein Übersetzen vom Japanischen ins Deutsche erschweren.
Feiner Humor und Sinnlichkeit zeichnen ihre Betrachtungen aus, die sich zwischen Prosa und Lyrik bewegen und von konkreten Anlässen und Überlegungen ausgehend ins Traumhafte, Surreale oszillieren.
Wer Freude an Texten hat, deren Protagonist die Sprache selbst ist, sollte sich an den ÜBERSEEZUNGEN versuchen.
"Kann eine Sprache einen Ozean überfliegen? Ich bekam manchmal E-Mails mit Leerstellen. Eine Freundin aus Hamburg schrieb mir, daß die deutschen Umlaute auf dem Weg nach Amerika oft in den Atlantik fallen und darin verschwinden. Japanische Schriftzeichen hingegen fallen in den Pazifik und kommen auch nicht an. Die Ozeane sind wahrscheinlich schon mit Umlauten und Ideogrammen überfüllt. Was wohl die "ocean engineers" von MIT mit den ganzen Buchstaben machen würden? Ob Walfische Umlaute fressen?"
Feiner Humor und Sinnlichkeit zeichnen ihre Betrachtungen aus, die sich zwischen Prosa und Lyrik bewegen und von konkreten Anlässen und Überlegungen ausgehend ins Traumhafte, Surreale oszillieren.
Wer Freude an Texten hat, deren Protagonist die Sprache selbst ist, sollte sich an den ÜBERSEEZUNGEN versuchen.
"Kann eine Sprache einen Ozean überfliegen? Ich bekam manchmal E-Mails mit Leerstellen. Eine Freundin aus Hamburg schrieb mir, daß die deutschen Umlaute auf dem Weg nach Amerika oft in den Atlantik fallen und darin verschwinden. Japanische Schriftzeichen hingegen fallen in den Pazifik und kommen auch nicht an. Die Ozeane sind wahrscheinlich schon mit Umlauten und Ideogrammen überfüllt. Was wohl die "ocean engineers" von MIT mit den ganzen Buchstaben machen würden? Ob Walfische Umlaute fressen?"
January 4, 2022
Ein Buch durch die Augen einer sprachinteressierten sprachlichen Außenseiterin. Eine philosophisch-poetische Entdeckungsreise zum Sein der Sprache und ihrer Rolle im Verständnis von Mensch und Welt in Gesellschaften an verschiedenen Orten, ohne jemals didaktisch oder unauthentisch zu wirken. Elementar, raffiniert, simpel und punktgenau. Written for ME for me.
October 13, 2017
Ein erfrischend anderes Buch, das die persönlichen Eindrücke der Autorin zu vielen (vor allem deutschen) Wörtern beschreibt. Mich beeindruckten vor allem die unglaublich bildliche Sprache und originellen Einfälle.
Ich ziehe einen Stern ab für ein paar Traumsequenzen, mit denen ich so gar nichts anfangen konnte und wegen dem eher unzusammenhängenden Ganzen.
Es ist vor allem für linguistisch interessierte eine absolute Empfehlung. Auch empfinde ich das Buch als eine Ode an die deutsche Sprache, was mir persönlich gut tat, da man sonst doch eher negatives Feedback zum Klang des Deutschen mitbekommt. :-)
Ich ziehe einen Stern ab für ein paar Traumsequenzen, mit denen ich so gar nichts anfangen konnte und wegen dem eher unzusammenhängenden Ganzen.
Es ist vor allem für linguistisch interessierte eine absolute Empfehlung. Auch empfinde ich das Buch als eine Ode an die deutsche Sprache, was mir persönlich gut tat, da man sonst doch eher negatives Feedback zum Klang des Deutschen mitbekommt. :-)
July 18, 2021
Un libro perfetto per stranieri in Germania. Yōko Tawada è giapponese, ma scrive (anche) in tedesco, e i saggi di questo libro (il cui titolo è un gioco di parole tra “traduzioni” e “lingue d’oltre mare”) sono tutti incentrati sull’essere mentalmente e fisicamente divisi tra una o più lingue. Ciò che rende così interessanti queste prose è che il linguaggio vi perde quasi ogni funzione denotativa per riflettere su sé stesso, con una giocosità che gli autori tedeschi di oggi si sognano. C’è qualcosa di estremamente fisico e corporeo nel modo in cui Towada scrive di lapsus, intraducibilità e sinestesia causati dal plurilinguismo, con un’attenzione alla sensorialità e alla “superficie” che di crucco ha davvero poco. Le parole e i suoni corrispondono a stati fisici ancor prima che mentali, e pensare / tradurre (anche male) da una lingua all’altra causa sovvertimenti nel modo di pensare e percepire la realtà. Le persone, i libri, le scritte in una città straniera, persino i numeri sulla porta di un ufficio diventano ricettacoli di suoni e di slittamenti di significato che hanno quasi un che di sensuale o, all’opposto, di spigoloso e acidulo – ma l’autrice è sempre guidata da una sorta di appetito per questi incontri che sa descrivere in maniera altrettanto deliziosa e coinvolgente.
I tedeschi amano la loro lingua, questo è vero, ma si tratta di un amore che ha quasi un che di burocratico e pignolo – la adorano più o meno come adorano la loro burocrazia o le regole un po’ assurde che tengono assieme la loro realtà. Autori o autrici come Tawada ci aiutano a riscoprire la bellezza e le possibilità creative di questa lingua, o di ogni altra lingua, se è per questo. Ed è anche un possibile cenno di quello che potrebbe darci una letteratura veramente apolide al di là della banalità di un uso “politicante” (=/= politico) di questo termine – scritta da persone che, in seguito a migrazioni o spostamenti di vario genere, non sono vincolate a una lingua madre o a un realismo tedioso e abitudinario.
I tedeschi amano la loro lingua, questo è vero, ma si tratta di un amore che ha quasi un che di burocratico e pignolo – la adorano più o meno come adorano la loro burocrazia o le regole un po’ assurde che tengono assieme la loro realtà. Autori o autrici come Tawada ci aiutano a riscoprire la bellezza e le possibilità creative di questa lingua, o di ogni altra lingua, se è per questo. Ed è anche un possibile cenno di quello che potrebbe darci una letteratura veramente apolide al di là della banalità di un uso “politicante” (=/= politico) di questo termine – scritta da persone che, in seguito a migrazioni o spostamenti di vario genere, non sono vincolate a una lingua madre o a un realismo tedioso e abitudinario.
January 2, 2024
Reads like a collection of drunken linguistic reveries.
November 25, 2021
I love. I'm sad that I can't share this with anybody, because it has no translation, and it might be one of the more untranslatable works I've ever encountered.
Tawada has such a deep reverence for language, but she depicts that with a distinct sense of whimsy. She has an idiosyncratic curiosity that allows her to bring dreams, thoughts, experiences, and references into a grand, fragmentary coalescence that I don't think I have ever encountered.
I think Tawada might by the ultimate author to confront and analyze (with a distinctly gentle touch) the realities of globalization on a linguistic scale.
Tawada has such a deep reverence for language, but she depicts that with a distinct sense of whimsy. She has an idiosyncratic curiosity that allows her to bring dreams, thoughts, experiences, and references into a grand, fragmentary coalescence that I don't think I have ever encountered.
I think Tawada might by the ultimate author to confront and analyze (with a distinctly gentle touch) the realities of globalization on a linguistic scale.
October 7, 2021
I loved every part of it!
July 9, 2024
Literarische Essays über Sprache, wie man Sprache fühlt und wie Sprache das Sein bestimmt!!
Tawada ist ein Genie.
Tawada ist ein Genie.
September 28, 2025
Ich habe nicht alles lesen, aber wir haben ein Paar Aufsätze Analysen. Ich liebe ihre Schriftstil und ich finde es total interessant wie sie benutzt die „Zwischenraum“ zwischen Sprachen wie einen Weg, zu unterschiedliche Kulturen und auch universelle menschliche Wahrheiten demonstrieren. Sprachen sind spiegeln!
A few notes in English— such clever wordplay & insight into the cultural subtleties revealed only through the intimate process of discovery of a new language! So fascinating to read as a lover of language-learning !! Tawada’s work is brilliant in a lyrical, personal way. The “Zwischenraum” or “in-between space” of language, where translation is indirect, inadequate, etc., is such a fascinating theoretical space that puts words to something I’ve experienced when learning new languages.
I wrote a paper on this work and want to highlight a few things for my future reference. The paper was on the ways in which the formal qualities of language reveal cultural priorities and attitudes. I brought up a few things:
- sometimes when we don’t use the direct translation of a word in the same context, it reveals the (sub)conscious priorities and cultural underpinnings guiding countries associated with the development of the languages being compared. Example— “haben” (to have) vs. “hegen” (to cherish). In Japanese, where we would say “I have this thing,” the exact translation would actually be “I cherish this thing.” There’s an argument to be made about capitalism and value placed on possession in one culture vs. a focus on a relationship between person and object in the other… and I make that argument. Or… maybe a life-imitates-art art-imitates-life kind of interplay between culture and language that fluctuates over time as both language and culture evolve. Of course, all of this doesn’t even touch upon the dissemination of language and oversimplifies the link between language and culture… but there are other papers for that and a whole other degree I am not getting.
- homonyms! “teilen” means both “to share” and “to divide.” For Tawada, who was only familiar with the negative connotations of the word, it was jarring to learn of its dual (and opposing) meanings— and even that there were multiple meanings! I argue that it reveals something very subtle culturally that one language makes the distinction and the other does not. I don’t claim to know what that is, but it must mean something that throughout the development of the German language, there was never any linguistic need for a formal distinction between the word suggesting such different things. Or not! It could have been entirely due to the logistics of the development of German words. Perhaps a mathematical focus!
(tangent) Of course, in its current use, “teilen” is context-based, but Tawada’s confusion really emphasizes the potential strange impression that such a homonym could have. I hadn’t noticed it myself! I find it so cool how only because of her “fresh eyes” as a German learner was she able to make this observation about the language that might not have been noticed or really reflected upon by Muttersprachlern. There’s so so so much value in the fresh perspectives of learners!
The other thing I really loved about Uberseezungen is something Tawada brings up a few times— the idea of German as a “childlike fantasy language” for her. It brings up an idea I discussed with Prof. Schweiger when I was a freshman. She said it was clear I was having fun and engaging in play, and that it was the difference between learning to speak German and immersing in it and having a relationship with it. Tawada describes a younger sister making false compound words in German like “Waschine,” which not only mirrors a child’s first attempts at language mimicry but also emphasizes German’s tendency to make compound words to the point where that false word seems plausible. It’s that kind of play, mimicry, and guess & check approach echoed throughout Tawada’s stories that defines early language learning for me. It’s an experience characterized by trial and error in a joyful, immersive way. And through the kind of attention to detail + immersion it requires to really learn the music of a new language beyond direct translation, one reaches that “Zwischenraum” and is able to experience the duality of a new language and a new culture— a new way of being opens up !!
Ugh. I loved this book. And I’m totally up for discussion if anyone has any thoughts on this— I’m not entirely convinced by all of my arguments and I think this book opened up a lot of cans of worms for me that we didn’t have the time (or the fluency) to really get into.
A few notes in English— such clever wordplay & insight into the cultural subtleties revealed only through the intimate process of discovery of a new language! So fascinating to read as a lover of language-learning !! Tawada’s work is brilliant in a lyrical, personal way. The “Zwischenraum” or “in-between space” of language, where translation is indirect, inadequate, etc., is such a fascinating theoretical space that puts words to something I’ve experienced when learning new languages.
I wrote a paper on this work and want to highlight a few things for my future reference. The paper was on the ways in which the formal qualities of language reveal cultural priorities and attitudes. I brought up a few things:
- sometimes when we don’t use the direct translation of a word in the same context, it reveals the (sub)conscious priorities and cultural underpinnings guiding countries associated with the development of the languages being compared. Example— “haben” (to have) vs. “hegen” (to cherish). In Japanese, where we would say “I have this thing,” the exact translation would actually be “I cherish this thing.” There’s an argument to be made about capitalism and value placed on possession in one culture vs. a focus on a relationship between person and object in the other… and I make that argument. Or… maybe a life-imitates-art art-imitates-life kind of interplay between culture and language that fluctuates over time as both language and culture evolve. Of course, all of this doesn’t even touch upon the dissemination of language and oversimplifies the link between language and culture… but there are other papers for that and a whole other degree I am not getting.
- homonyms! “teilen” means both “to share” and “to divide.” For Tawada, who was only familiar with the negative connotations of the word, it was jarring to learn of its dual (and opposing) meanings— and even that there were multiple meanings! I argue that it reveals something very subtle culturally that one language makes the distinction and the other does not. I don’t claim to know what that is, but it must mean something that throughout the development of the German language, there was never any linguistic need for a formal distinction between the word suggesting such different things. Or not! It could have been entirely due to the logistics of the development of German words. Perhaps a mathematical focus!
(tangent) Of course, in its current use, “teilen” is context-based, but Tawada’s confusion really emphasizes the potential strange impression that such a homonym could have. I hadn’t noticed it myself! I find it so cool how only because of her “fresh eyes” as a German learner was she able to make this observation about the language that might not have been noticed or really reflected upon by Muttersprachlern. There’s so so so much value in the fresh perspectives of learners!
The other thing I really loved about Uberseezungen is something Tawada brings up a few times— the idea of German as a “childlike fantasy language” for her. It brings up an idea I discussed with Prof. Schweiger when I was a freshman. She said it was clear I was having fun and engaging in play, and that it was the difference between learning to speak German and immersing in it and having a relationship with it. Tawada describes a younger sister making false compound words in German like “Waschine,” which not only mirrors a child’s first attempts at language mimicry but also emphasizes German’s tendency to make compound words to the point where that false word seems plausible. It’s that kind of play, mimicry, and guess & check approach echoed throughout Tawada’s stories that defines early language learning for me. It’s an experience characterized by trial and error in a joyful, immersive way. And through the kind of attention to detail + immersion it requires to really learn the music of a new language beyond direct translation, one reaches that “Zwischenraum” and is able to experience the duality of a new language and a new culture— a new way of being opens up !!
Ugh. I loved this book. And I’m totally up for discussion if anyone has any thoughts on this— I’m not entirely convinced by all of my arguments and I think this book opened up a lot of cans of worms for me that we didn’t have the time (or the fluency) to really get into.
March 10, 2020
Ich habe dieses Buch zum ersten Mal getroffen als wir in einem Seminar von interkulturellen deutschen Literatur verschiedene Autoren 'nichtdeutscher Herkunft' gelesen haben. Ehrlich gesagt habe ich das erste Mal das Buch nicht gelesen. Aber ich habe es in einem Buchladen zufällig gefunden und gekauft, und ich freue mich darauf.
In dieser Band spielt Sprache die wichtigste Rolle. Das Buch ist in drei Teilen gegliedert: euro-asiatische, süd-afrikanische, und nord-amerikanische Zungen, die jeweils die Begegnungen der in Japan geborenen Autorin mit Deutsch, Afrikaans und Englisch thematisieren (aber z.T. auch Japanisch, Chinesisch, und andere Sprachen auch). Sie beschreibt ihre Beobachtungen in verschiedenen Ländern, wo Sprache die Quelle für interessante Überlegungen ist, und anhand von Übersetzungsspielen und Metaphern erzählt sie Situationen, die einem Traum ähneln. Sie reflektiert auch über die Rolle der Deutschen für Ihr Leben:
«Es gibt auch Menschen, die behaupten, in einer Fremdsprache ist die Kindheit abwesend. Aber ich fand nirgendwo so viel Kindheit wie in der deutschen Sprache. Schmatzen, schnaufen, schluchzen, schlürfen: Viele deutsche Wörter klingen wie Onomatopoesie. Für die Neugeborenen klingt vielleicht jede Sprache so wie Deutsch für mich.»
Ich finde, das Buch ist besonders interessant für Sprachbegeisterte, die sich mit diesem Buch nicht entäuschen werden. Die Überlegungen über Wortbedeutungen in verschiedenen Sprachen und die unterschiedliche Konnotation der Wörter macht es sehr lustig, sich in die Prosa von Yoko Tawada einzulassen und die sprachliche Reise genießen.
In dieser Band spielt Sprache die wichtigste Rolle. Das Buch ist in drei Teilen gegliedert: euro-asiatische, süd-afrikanische, und nord-amerikanische Zungen, die jeweils die Begegnungen der in Japan geborenen Autorin mit Deutsch, Afrikaans und Englisch thematisieren (aber z.T. auch Japanisch, Chinesisch, und andere Sprachen auch). Sie beschreibt ihre Beobachtungen in verschiedenen Ländern, wo Sprache die Quelle für interessante Überlegungen ist, und anhand von Übersetzungsspielen und Metaphern erzählt sie Situationen, die einem Traum ähneln. Sie reflektiert auch über die Rolle der Deutschen für Ihr Leben:
«Es gibt auch Menschen, die behaupten, in einer Fremdsprache ist die Kindheit abwesend. Aber ich fand nirgendwo so viel Kindheit wie in der deutschen Sprache. Schmatzen, schnaufen, schluchzen, schlürfen: Viele deutsche Wörter klingen wie Onomatopoesie. Für die Neugeborenen klingt vielleicht jede Sprache so wie Deutsch für mich.»
Ich finde, das Buch ist besonders interessant für Sprachbegeisterte, die sich mit diesem Buch nicht entäuschen werden. Die Überlegungen über Wortbedeutungen in verschiedenen Sprachen und die unterschiedliche Konnotation der Wörter macht es sehr lustig, sich in die Prosa von Yoko Tawada einzulassen und die sprachliche Reise genießen.
April 18, 2022
I adore Tawada and the way she uses words and the logic behind it.
Die zusammenhänge verschiedener Wörter mit Gerüchen, Gefühlen und Farben macht so viel Sinn und ich bin so froh eine gleichgesinnte Gefunden zuhaben.
Die zusammenhänge verschiedener Wörter mit Gerüchen, Gefühlen und Farben macht so viel Sinn und ich bin so froh eine gleichgesinnte Gefunden zuhaben.
February 11, 2018
Sehr schöne Lektüre. Wenn die deutsche Sprache mit anderen Sprachen spielt und dabei kleine Absurditäten der Menschheit belächelt.
August 30, 2021
Besonders gefallen haben mir diese Essays:
Wörter, die in der Asche schlafen
Die Zweischalige
Eine Leere Flasche
Porträt einer Zunge
Wörter, die in der Asche schlafen
Die Zweischalige
Eine Leere Flasche
Porträt einer Zunge
January 28, 2023
so real
July 28, 2024
ich hoffe yoko versteht was sie da schreibt. ich tu’s nämlich nicht
July 30, 2024
Mausig und cute
February 21, 2025
She gets it
November 13, 2024
Tawada ist ein Sprachgenie und ihre Überseezungen das allerbeste, das ich je um Sprache und ihre Beziehung zur Seins gelesen hat.
(Ich bereue nur, dass ich kein Japanisch kann, und das Ende der Erzählung "die Botin” mir verborgen und undurchsehbar bleibt.)
(Ich bereue nur, dass ich kein Japanisch kann, und das Ende der Erzählung "die Botin” mir verborgen und undurchsehbar bleibt.)
February 12, 2010
Classic Tawada.
August 2, 2014
Well. As I wrote about "Talisman", I am absolutely in love with Tawada's work. I think this is all that needs to be said on the matter.
March 12, 2016
quit at half
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews