Eugene kept himself updated

on changes to Tokyo South.

After his mission ended, Eugene majored in TESL at Brigham Young University. He continued to improve his understanding of Japanese--he was never without vocabulary cards, the 3-1/2" by 1-3/4" types. 

A decade later, in the late 1980s, he returned to Japan to teach English. 

He didn't stay. However, on his return, he continued to watch Japanese television and anime, read novels and manga, and stay abreast of current events. As the next tribute post will discuss, he never stopped producing translations. 

Eugene's remarkable facility with translation was due, in large part, to his belief that translation is not a matter for Google Translate (as the image from Bones humorously illustrates). Rather, translation involves a grasp of culture and nuance. A translator hopes to capture the allusions, conscious and unconscious references/assumptions, within a text. 

Eugene was a perfectionist (one reason he preferred to translate for free); he was never entirely sure he had captured the full meaning of a passage or phrase or even word. 

Language has layers. As an aficionado of everything Japanese, Eugene strove to capture those layers. Interview with the Translator captures Eugene's continual effort to deepen and expand his knowledge of Japanese history, culture, language, and--especially--popular works.

A tribute post to Eugene's writing, including his translations, will follow in May. 

Labels: memories, Tribute