Japanese to English literary translation: a qualitative approach using the systems model of creativity

This research project has applied the systems model of creativity (Csikszentmihalyi 1988, 1997, 1999, 2014c) to Japanese to English literary translation in an investigation of the individual, social, and cultural factors that impact how a translation is undertaken. Translation has traditionally been viewed as uncreative as it is not seen to be involved in the generation of new ideas. However, Translation Studies underwent a shift in research during the 1980s-90s that began viewing the process and product as creative (Robinson 2016). While there does exist research on the interplay between creativity and translation, much of the literature is not aligned with creativity research, resulting in evident gaps that this research project has filled. Significantly, this research is the first to apply the systems model of creativity to Japanese to English literary translation, with the systems model one of the more broadly accepted conceptions of the creative process (Hennessey & Amabile 2010; Hennessey 2017) in which creativity occurs at the conjunction of three forces: the individual, the field, and the domain (Csikszentmihalyi 1988). Creativity is no longer viewed as stemming solely from the individual, as per early psychological research, nor is it conceived of as originating in the social and cultural elements, in accordance with sociological research. The production of novel variations occur at the confluence of all elements, with neither privileged over the other. Using a case study methodology with semi-structured interviews, observation, and artefact analysis as data collection methods, this research presents evidence to confirm that translation can indeed be creative, in accordance with the systems model of creativity. As part of a complex, iterative system, the translator, as the individual, acquires relevant knowledge in the domains of Japanese to English literary translation, interacts with the field which, as evidence reveals, is comprised of editors, publishers, audience members, and other translators and uses their knowledge to introduce novel variations that are valued by the field in their role as gatekeepers and cultural intermediaries. These variations are apparent in changes to the source text where the message and audience reaction are equivalent, but the words are not. For a variation to be creative, it must be accepted by the field and, once deemed of value, transmitted back into the store of knowledge for future translators to acquire. This research project is significant as it is the first to gather empirical evidence using the systems model of creativity to demonstrate creativity in translation. Furthermore, it may succeed in elevating the status of the translator from an ancillary role to a primary one with its findings that both source author and translator can be creative.