Alienation and the Travelling Soul: Yoko Tawada's "The Shadow Man"

This project explores the space between Tawada's original Japanese text kageotoko and Margaret Mitsutani's translation. By providing a close reading of the texts, the paper reveals part of the "hidden face" of translation. Using Venuti's ideas of translation, this research reveals the interjection of the translator. The scrutiny of the Japanese and English texts in tandem reveals the choices and awareness required to write and read a translation. This focus examines Mitsutani's translation and changes to the text from many perspectives, and the value and symbolism of the shadow in translation.