A Partial Translation of Two Novels: Durarara!! by Rhohgo Narita and Parade by Yoshida Shuichi

Abstract

This project is a translation of the first two chapters of Durarara!!, by Ryohgo Narita, and chapter 2 of Parade, by Yoshida Shuichi. I wanted to do a translation because I love reading and I want to be a translator. I became interested in the Durarara!! novel after seeing the anime. Since this was right when I was planning my senior thesis, I thought it might be fun to do a translation of the novel. There are official English translations of the Durarara!! anime and manga, but not the original novel. After discussing the project with my thesis advisor, Dr. Gabriel, we decided that I should translate part of Durarara!! for the first semester and part of Parade, a book with which Dr. Gabriel was already familiar, for the second semester. Dr. Gabriel has already translated Parade, but the translation has not yet been published. Throughout the translation, I made notes on any issues I had. I also noted the page numbers in the original text. The most challenging and fun aspect was trying to find a balance between keeping the author’s style and making the story sound good in English. I think I gained valuable experience from this project.