Reproduction of Haruki Murakami's Writing Style Based on the English Translation of 1Q84

Abstract

Haruki Murakami is a well-known Japanese writer living in the United States, deeply influenced by Western writers and works; and even many of his English novels have been translated back into Japanese. Taking Jay Rubin's English version of 1Q84 as an example, this paper discusses the difficulties and strategies of translating Haruki Murakami's near-English-styled Japanese works into English. This study applies the famous British translation theorist Tytler's three principles of translation, specifically analyzes the typical sentences in the English translation, mainly from the perspective of linguistic expression, then examines the translator's translation strategy from the cultural level, comprehensively examines the translation's communication effect. The study finds that Jay Rubin's translation faithfully reproduces the original ideas and style and has its own unique way of dealing with Murakami's special genre. There are few studies on the English translation of 1Q84, most of which focus on the literary exploration of 1Q84 and the development of the meaning of the work, so this study can be said to be a cutting-edge study in the analysis of the translation of the work at present. It not only verifies whether Murakami's work leaves more room for the translator when translated back into English but also gives some insight into translation study and practice.