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Essay

Partisan and proud

By Linda Hoaglund

I've subtitled around 170 films, gradually mastering techniques to concisely convey the nuances of a film. Last year, I wrote, produced and subtitled "Wings of Defeat," a documentary about the human experience of the kamikaze. We interviewed former kamikaze, now in their 80s and utterly candid. As we shaped the film, I had a chance to apply my translation skills to express our creative vision.

As we structured the film, we were struck by two things: First, how different the kamikaze were from their stereotypical image in the U.S. Mostly they were poorly trained teenagers, ordered to take off on supposedly heroic suicidal missions only to be shot down by waiting American guns

We also noticed parallels between how Japan acted during World War II and how the U.S. is behaving in Iraq today

Although we avoided direct comparisons, leaving the audience to draw their own conclusions, I did allude to them in the subtitles. When translating "country" or "nation" from Japanese military propaganda, I chose "homeland," a popular term in the U.S. after 9/11. When a historian described the announcement of the first kamikaze mission — "In his instructions to the men he put a glorified spin on it" — I used the word "spin" to resonate with militarists justifying inhuman sacrifice today.

By contrast, when translating the survivors' recollections, I emphasized the individuality of each man's personality and vocabulary to subvert preconceptions of kamikaze as indistinguishable fanatics.

Mr. Nakajima was a rookie gunner, whose blunt resentment is as rare as it is humorous. Asked how he felt finding his name on the kamikaze list, he sighed, "Ajapaa!" I struggled with this outdated, nonsensical expression of despair before settling on, "Oh, I'm screwed." To my relief, both Japanese and Western viewers laugh out loud, appreciating his predicament.

My involvement with "Wings of Defeat" evolved naturally out of my childhood, being raised in a nation that my country had defeated. Educated in Japanese schools, I grew up with insights into World War II at odds with popular American memory. Working on the film, I was able to depict a nuanced history of and outlook on the war, which had cast such a long and troublesome shadow on my childhood.

As I continue to produce and subtitle, my intention is to serve as an articulate advocate for Japanese experience and perspective. Although translation and interpretation are supposedly neutral, I'm openly partisan. In a world increasingly dominated by American culture and the English language, I'm fighting back, trying to persuade the world that the Japanese and their language are just as complex and compelling as their Western counterparts.


Shukan ST: Oct. 26, 2007

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