Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03) presents WIT Life, a periodic series about aspects of Japanese culture such as art, film, food and language. Stacy starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she offers some interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.
明けましておめでとうございます! Here’s hoping everyone is having a good start to 巳年 (hebidoshi or Year of the Snake), which is associated with wisdom, intuition, and transformation (i.e. shedding of one’s old skin). Not sure how many of you made 抱負 (houfu or resolutions), but if you have I wish you good luck in achieving them and 2025 being your best year yet.
The Golden Globes kicked off the new year’s award ceremonies, and the television show Shogun dominated much like it did at last year’s Emmy’s. There the series swept all major categories to snag a record 18 awards out of 25 nominations, including wins for lead actors Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai and in the best tv drama category. This time Tadanobu Asano was not only nominated for Best Supporting Actor, but clinched the award as well.
Asano seemed genuinely surprised to have been chosen in his Golden Globes debut, repeatedly bowing to those around him as he made his way up to the stage. There was an interpreter on hand holding her pen and pad beside him, but he delivered his concise, heartfelt acceptance speech entirely in English. Perhaps feeling the need to introduce himself to the crowd, he began with, “Wow, maybe you don’t know me. I’m an actor from Japan and my name is Tadanobu Asano,” which was received with thunderous applause. He shared that he had to fly back to Tokyo that night for a shoot the next morning, and peppered his speech with multiple expressions of “Thank you so much.” In closing he raised his fists in triumph after saying, “This is a very big present for me! I’m very happy.” I’ve been a fan of Asano’s for many years after seeing him in various cinematic roles, and was thrilled to see him deservedly recognized for his work as Yabushige.
Although Asano’s interpreter remained on stand-by, the French interpreter for director Jacques Audiard got to flex her muscles when his Spanish language, genre-shifting trans musical Emilia Perez won Best Motion Picture (for non-English, as well as again later for musical or comedy). Audiard was kind enough to speak in bite-sized chunks and she gave a composed rendition without taking any notes, which was impressive. During award shows I’m always focused on how my interpreting colleagues fare in the spotlight, and am continuously amazed at how they keep their cool with the whole world watching.
leave a reply