Meeting Shuhei
- At June 17, 2018
- By admin
- In Annes Letters
0
Dear Family and Friends,
As you know, during the tragic 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, I wrote daily letters to family and friends. You were among them. Those postings were made into a book, Letters from the Ground to the Heart: Beauty within Destruction. Since that time, I have continued writing about events that have occurred here in Sendai and the Tohoku area. You have all received those letters.
Since 2011 was so significant for Japan, a friend suggested that the book be translated into Japanese. I agreed. And since she, Kumiko, is a professional translator, she offered to do the job. Again, I happily agreed.
The Japanese version, however, will be more than my letters. Unbeknownst to me, before I came to Japan, two of my relatives also had come to Sendai. One was an uncle who was sent here on a military mission just after World War II. The other was a great-great uncle who came almost 200 years ago. Lucky for me, I have a letter by my Uncle Had about his time in Japan, and a diary of my great-great uncle, written about his experiences here. Both are gems, so Kumiko and I decided they should be part of the Japanese book.
Besides her translation work, Kumiko has a very demanding regular job. So, we are aiming for the tenth anniversary of the quake for this version to appear. Likewise, Kumiko is an unusual translator. She does not work with words only, but also with feelings and surrounding circumstances. It is as if she enters the heart of the writer and tries to recreate the soul of a situation. This takes tremendous talent and, of course, a lot of time.
Kumiko has a young friend, Shuhei, who has muscular dystrophy. He is brilliant, but physically challenged. He has been frustrated by not being able to work, but Kumiko came up with the idea of having Shuhei translate Uncle Had’s 14-page letter. And since then, the three of us have formed a team: The Trio and The Letters. We are also known as ASK: from Anne, Shuhei, and Kumiko. That is a perfect acronym since we three constantly ask each other questions to learn more about Uncle Had and the era when he was here.
As you know, during the tragic 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, I wrote daily letters to family and friends. You were among them. Those postings were made into a book, Letters from the Ground to the Heart: Beauty within Destruction. Since that time, I have continued writing about events that have occurred here in Sendai and the Tohoku area. You have all received those letters.
Since 2011 was so significant for Japan, a friend suggested that the book be translated into Japanese. I agreed. And since she, Kumiko, is a professional translator, she offered to do the job. Again, I happily agreed.
The Japanese version, however, will be more than my letters. Unbeknownst to me, before I came to Japan, two of my relatives also had come to Sendai. One was an uncle who was sent here on a military mission just after World War II. The other was a great-great uncle who came almost 200 years ago. Lucky for me, I have a letter by my Uncle Had about his time in Japan, and a diary of my great-great uncle, written about his experiences here. Both are gems, so Kumiko and I decided they should be part of the Japanese book.
Besides her translation work, Kumiko has a very demanding regular job. So, we are aiming for the tenth anniversary of the quake for this version to appear. Likewise, Kumiko is an unusual translator. She does not work with words only, but also with feelings and surrounding circumstances. It is as if she enters the heart of the writer and tries to recreate the soul of a situation. This takes tremendous talent and, of course, a lot of time.
Kumiko has a young friend, Shuhei, who has muscular dystrophy. He is brilliant, but physically challenged. He has been frustrated by not being able to work, but Kumiko came up with the idea of having Shuhei translate Uncle Had’s 14-page letter. And since then, the three of us have formed a team: The Trio and The Letters. We are also known as ASK: from Anne, Shuhei, and Kumiko. That is a perfect acronym since we three constantly ask each other questions to learn more about Uncle Had and the era when he was here.
Shuhei is very lucky to have Kumiko as his mentor. He translates a page at a time, and Kumiko asks him questions, gives advice, suggests another way of looking and researching. He is being stretched. But not only as a translator. In university Shuhei majored in German, but does not know English. So, as he works on Uncle Had’s letter, he is also studying a new language. He is being challenged in ways that utilize his intelligence and sensitivity. It is wonderful watching his inner courage develop into greater self-confidence and pride.
Ever since this three-way project began, Shuhei and I have been writing almost daily. Even so, we had never met. Until today, that is. This afternoon the ASK Team got together and spent a wonderful time simply as friends. Now our work will surely be much more complete because it covers many dimensions, all rising directly from the heart.
Love,
Anne
Ever since this three-way project began, Shuhei and I have been writing almost daily. Even so, we had never met. Until today, that is. This afternoon the ASK Team got together and spent a wonderful time simply as friends. Now our work will surely be much more complete because it covers many dimensions, all rising directly from the heart.
Love,
Anne
