Translator’s Corner

Thank you for reading the English release of Holmes of Kyoto! As you may have noticed, this series is steeped in historical and location-based references, and a lot of research was needed to make sure the translation was factually sound. I’ve been given this space to share some of the challenges and considerations made in localizing this series.

Speech: Kyoto is in the Kansai region, where a notably different dialect of Japanese is spoken. To be specific, Kansai dialect is actually a group of dialects, each with their own nuances—and this series often has multiple in the same conversation. For example, Mieko speaks Kyoto dialect, which has an elegant, feminine nuance, while Ueno speaks Osaka dialect which has a casual, playful feel. So, it was necessary to incorporate these implied tones into the dialogue.

Obscure Information: Most of the more obscure knowledge was explained in the original text, but since it was written for a Japanese audience, there were some things that were assumed to be common knowledge: religious traditions, famous poems that would be taught in school, etc. The benefit of the novel format (as opposed to manga or anything else with limited space) is that it’s easy to weave in as many extra explanations as we want, and we were generous with those so that English readers (hopefully) wouldn’t be too confused.

Mapping: This series is based in the real city of Kyoto and references existing locations and street names. Whenever Aoi was visiting a new location, I would often bring up a map of the area to better visualize the streets, shrine layouts, etc. The only made-up location in Volume 1 is Kura, but for those who are curious, it was modeled after a similar antique shop + cafe combo in Teramachi-Sanjo called “Wright Shokai.” Also, when deciding how much to localize location names, we generally went for names that would allow readers to find them if they wanted to learn more. For example, “Tadasu no Mori” was kept in Japanese because Shimogamo Shrine’s English website doesn’t translate it either.

Antiques: Similar to above, since the series references real artists and types of pottery, a lot of research was done to make sure the correct terminology was being used. Some things were rather specific to Japanese traditional art and didn’t have a whole lot of English coverage, so it was necessary to say, look up what a piece of pottery might’ve looked like and describe it accordingly.