By Andrew Wong, Tokyo, Japan
Self-publication is not normally considered a viable option for translators because acquiring the rights to a copyrighted text requires resources and legal expertise. But if you were the author, you could self-publish your work and get it translated as well. With a chance to dip into these rarely touched topics at SCBWI, I jumped in to join a crowd of about twenty, from as far as Chicago and Thailand, all curious to know what we could learn.
In an hour-long conversation, Japan RTC Susan Jones teased out the story behind why and how parent and teacher Kinota Braithwaite became a public speaker on racism and bullying. Most recently, he was on NHK’s Ohayo Nippon program in November (write-up in Japanese) and then again on NHK World-Japan shortly after the SCBWI event. Kinota wrote Mio The Beautiful, the first of three picture books, in response to his daughter’s experience of bullying at a Japanese public school. Although it was initially written as a means to heal the wounds in his daughter’s heart, Kinota soon realized he wanted more Japanese children to have access to it. He found a friend to translate it and scoured Instagram for an illustrator (who both declined to be named on the cover) to create the picture book in bilingual format, a decision made so that the story and its message would also be conveyed through the original text.
To the translator in me, a bilingual book first comes across as a lost opportunity (to translate), but looking at the bigger picture, being able to see the translation together with the story in the original language means they can be read by their intended (two) audiences, both at once. Bilingual books also give readers the chance to read the original text and understand how it is conveyed in translation, which also reveals the many decisions taken in creating the translation. This is a bonus and an invaluable resource.
Kinota then talked about how he ran crowdfunding campaigns to fund Kei The True Friend and Mio’s Wish after self-funding Mio The Beautiful. While I know of traditional publishing houses turning to Kickstarters for their publications, it was refreshing to hear Kinota speak candidly about how he made sure his campaigns were more likely to succeed.
Another takeaway from the session presented itself from a slightly different entry point. Having used Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) for self-publishing both in print and digitally for his picture books, Kinota mentioned how the on-demand service not only frees him from worrying about book sales and inventory, but also allows him to concentrate on creating an author platform to market his books and convey his voice and message. Translators are also creators, and it struck me then that I could do more to shape my own platform in a similar way.
Besides touching on things he learned through the course of self-publishing his books, such as hiring a professional designer to make sure the layout is appropriate for submission to the digital platform, Kinota also mentioned the need to keep writing and publishing books (a fourth book is in the works), not unlike creating your own portfolio as an illustrator, even before your work earns recognition. Despite it being an online event, I certainly felt the passion and energy behind Kinota’s efforts to fight racism and bullying, and his perseverance and sense of mission perhaps lay a lesson for translators and creators alike—keep creating and make sure our work remains visible!
SCBWI Japan Translation Group 