The Japanese publisher Hakusuisha and the translator Nami Kaneko awarded with the II Etxepare-Laboral Kutxa Translation Prize

This Translation Prize, created last year by the Etxepare Basque Institute and Laboral Kutxa, has been presented in its second edition on the International Translation Day. The award recognizes the translation of a literary work written and published originally in Basque, and as announced on 30th September, the winners this year are the Japanese publisher Hakusuisha and the translator Nami Kaneko, for the Japanese translation of the novel Mussche by Kirmen Uribe.

The jury was composed by Inaxio Garro, Director of Euskera at Laboral-Kutxa, Mari Jose Olaziregi, director for the Promotion and Dissemination of the Basque Institute and professor at the UPV/EHU, Elizabete Manterola, professor at the UPV/EHU and member of EIZIE, Lourdes Auzmendi, professor at the UPV/EHU, translator and interpreter.

Inaxio Garro revealed that the award this year are the Japanese publisher Hakusuisha and the translator Nami Kaneko, and explained the reasons on which the jury based its decision, which was granted unanimously. Regarding translation, they took into account the quality of the translation, the complexity of translating the work directly from Basque into Japanese, and the extensive professional experience of the translator. As for the publisher, they considered the long history of over 100 years of Hakusuisha, and the magnificent promotion work that the publisher has done in Japan. He also stressed that the translation of this work has won in 2016 the Grand Prix Translation of Japan (Nihon Hon'yaku Taishō).

At the end of the event, Kirmen Uribe and Nami Kaneko read an excerpt from Mussche, in Basque and Japanese. An excellent way to celebrate the International Translation Day.

(Read more at Etxepare Basque Institute)