Book Review
Kumiko Torikai. Voices of the Invisible Presence: Diplomatic Interpreters in post-WorldWar II Japan. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2009,
197 pp. ISBN 978-90-272-2427-9.

Reviewed by Kayoko Takeda

This book explores the “making” of interpreters and the issues concerning the role ofinterpreters by drawing on the author’s interviews of five pioneer interpreters who mainly
worked in the diplomatic arena in post-World War II Japan: Nishiyama Sen, Sohma Yukika,
Muramatsu Masumi, Kunihiro Masao and Komatsu Tatsuya. The fascinating life stories of these
venerable interpreters cover a variety of topics including their backgrounds (focusing on how
they acquired or learned English and Japanese), the circumstances under which they became
interpreters, the perceptions they had of their role as interpreters, especially in the diplomatic
context, and their views on what constitutes good interpreting and on the classic argument of
whether interpreters are made or born.
Chapter 1 introduces the aim of the book as making the invisible presence of interpretersvisible by presenting the living memories of five prominent interpreters who led the way in
diplomatic interpreting in post-war Japan. The rational for using oral history as a method ispresented in clear language, describing the interview method used for the research in detail. The
author’s position as the interviewer is explained in context, and the profile of the interpreters arebriefly introduced.
Chapter 2 offers an overview of the history of interpreting/translation in Japan, from thetime of Nagasaki tsuji onward. This account is perhaps much fuller than any other English texts
on the subject and should certainly become a reliable reference for the research into the history
of interpreters in Japan. The inclusion of a series of important and intriguing historical incidents
involving issues of interpreting and translation makes the chapter a page-turner and an inspiringsource for further discussions.
The actual content of the interviews is presented from Chapters 3 to 5, applying Bourdieu’sconcepts of habitus, field and practice, respectively. The best efforts are made to preserve the291

『通訳翻訳研究』No.9 (2009)style and tone, in their English translation, of the engaging stories told by these highly
intelligent and eloquent people. Culturally-bound expressions such as “tanka o kiru”, “keren”
and “kakeai manzai” are dealt with admirably, and the text reads very well throughout thechapters. These stories can also be presented for a study of the social, political and economic
developments of postwar Japan. Those who are interested in Japan’s postwar foreign relations
and economic expansion may be appreciative of the fascinating behind-the-scene stories theyoffer. It reveals various activities of the U.S. occupation forces, the recovery and growth of theJapanese economy, Japan’s foreign policy, especially with the United States, and thepersonalities of some renowned Japanese statesmen from refreshing viewpoints of people whowere actually there. The detailed examination of former Prime Minister Nakasone’s “unsinkableaircraft carrier” episode may be of special interest. The description of wartime English
education in Japan is also enlightening and dispels the common belief that English was nottaught in Japan during the war.
Chapter 6 attempts to analyze the findings from the interviews, especially the role ofinterpreters by applying the Interpreter Interpersonal Role Inventory proposed by Angelelli(2004). It also draws on models and concepts developed in the field of interculturalcommunication in order to address issues of language and culture. Angelelli’s Inventory wasdevised mainly for comparing conference, court and medical interpreters in North America, and
it is not a proven model in terms of its applicability to other types of analyses. This book’s effort
to employ this model in the analysis of a limited number of samples with such diverse
characteristics seems to show some of the model’s limits. Also, issues of language and culture
are so grand and far-reaching that they may well be presented in another study more extensively.
In the final chapter, perspectives for future studies are offered based on the discussions in
the previous chapters. The three questions it poses concern the pursuit of the “standard” role ofinterpreters, interpreters’ internalization of norms, and the issues of interpreters’ identity. The
author proposes the metaphoric use of kurogo (stagehands in Japanese traditional theater) inaddressing these questions. Some features of kurogo can certainly be linked with the role ofinterpreters – an invisible, yet visible being, appreciating the primary player’s task, and helping
him to achieve the task. However, it may differ in the sense that kurogo generally does notfacilitate interactions between two players.
There are two strong virtues in this book: one concerns the research methodology, and theother concerns the new information on the “making” and the role of interpreters. Firstly, this292

Voices of the Invisible Presencebook explains the methodology of using oral history for interpreting research in detail. The
author is keenly aware of potential problems with this approach and is careful in presenting andanalyzing the stories of her protagonists. Such carefulness is observed in the extensive
references to outside sources to corroborate the interviewees’ remarks. Anyone who uses
interview in their research should be encouraged to read thoroughly the whole section of theresearch method in this book.
Secondly, this book provides a great deal of information on the development ofinterpreting as a profession in Japan and on the social, political, economic and cultural factorsthat influenced this development. As one of the few English texts on the history of interpretingand translation in Japan, this book is expected to play a vital role in communicating the research
conducted on and in Japan in the field of Translation and Interpreting Studies. In the midst ofcalling for the “de-Westernization” of the field, this is a timely and welcome addition to theincreasing body of works originating in non-Western regions. The detailed account of how thesepioneers became professional interpreters should provide useful insights especially for those
who are studying “natural” interpreters, and the aptitude and training of interpreters.
One of the goals for researchers is to uncover the hidden and the unknown, and provide
new data, contributing to the sum of knowledge in their field. It is especially important toencourage researchers to give voices to people who are invisible, forgotten or deprived of aforum in which to speak. This book succeeds in these regards, and the author’s endeavor toshine the spotlight on interpreters who are generally discouraged from speaking about theirwork should be commended highly.

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About the author:
Kayoko Takeda is associate professor in the Graduate School of Translation, Interpretation, andLanguage Education at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. She is the author ofInterpreting the Tokyo War Crimes Trial.

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