This project is run by students in the Advanced Japanese course taught by Associate Professor Justin Jesty in the Department of Asian Languages & Literature at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA, U.S.A. Once a year, students take part in a class on Japanese-English translation, where they contribute to translation projects that work on records collected by the center.

Through Japanese-English translation, the students aim to learn advanced Japanese grammar, vocabulary, and expressions. Students work on text written in modern Japanese for a Japanese audience, which serves as their “textbook.” recorder311 provides students with records, and we believe that students can simultaneously learn and gain new perspectives by interpreting and translating these works. In addition to providing an opportunity for students to learn about post-3/11 social issues from firsthand accounts, the project gives students a chance to realize the importance of choosing the appropriate words and being mindful in their translations. Through this project, we aim to advance the center’s work by translating a portion of the accounts it collects into English. In doing so, we also hope to contribute to students’ learning by enabling them to go beyond the classroom and interact with the real world.

Translated Articles

■ This Floored Me More Than When I Felt the Earthquake at My House
自宅で地震にあった時よりへたり込みました

 

■ Realizing Nothing Would Get Moving If I Didn’t Bring Back the Right Information, I Went Out With My Camera
正しい情報を持ちかえらないと何も始まらないと思い、カメラを持って出かけた

 

■ I Started Taking Photos Again Because I Realized That the People Who Have Feelings for a Town and the People Who Lived There Need to be Doing the Documentation
街に想いを持っている人、住んでいた人が記録しなきゃいけないと思い、また撮影を始めました

 

■ I Knew I Should Take Pictures But I Don’t Recall Taking Any
撮らなきゃと思ったけど、私写真を撮った記憶がないです

 

■ The Demise of Homesteads
家屋敷（かやしき）の終焉 01

 

■ Ogatsu Journey, Part 2: “Beyond the Mountain Pass, a Slow Recovery”
雄勝の道ゆき2「峠の向こう、遅れる復興」

 

■ Ogatsu Journey, Part 3: “Beyond the Mountain Pass, Life Continues”
雄勝の道ゆき3「峠の向こう、つづく営み」

 

■ Being Unable to Get Food Gave Me an Opportunity to Think About My Life Up Until Then
食材が手に入らず、今までの生活を考えるきっかけに

 

■ There Was a Period of Time When I Had Quit. But Sometimes Now and Then I Still Take Pictures in the Same Places
一時期、やめた時期もあります。でも今も同じ場所からたまに撮ってます