This study examines the practice of indirect Japanese translation of Jules Verne’s works, focusing on translations by Morita Shiken (1861–1897), a prominent translator and literary figure of the Meiji period. During this era of drastic change, as Japan sought to absorb Western culture, Western literature, often indirectly translated, became a vital medium for cultural assimilation. Although Jules Verne (1828–1905) was a popular writer of the time, many of his works were first translated into English from the original French, and Japanese translations were based on these English versions. This practice stemmed not only from limited access to the original texts, but also from the concept of translation and shifting notion of literature in Japan. Scholars have noted that the English versions of Jules Verne’s novels often contained shifts from French originals but assuredly served as mediators and fostered the comprehension and curiosity of foreign cultures. Japanese readers were particularly attracted to the diverse knowledge of technology and natural history presented through Verne’s storytelling.

Shiken is known for his translations of French and English literature, particularly those of Jules Verne, Victor Hugo, and Edgar Allan Poe. Based on his profound knowledge of English and literature, he introduced several major works of these authors to Japanese readers in a distinctive literary style. Moreover, as a prestigious translator of the time, he was instrumental in reorganizing the concept of translation. In his first essay on the subject, he criticized the practice of inserting Japanese idiomatic phrases into translated texts and advocated faithfully recreating the expressions of the source text in Japanese. This essay is regarded as a significant contribution to the concept of literal translation, which influenced the foreignization of the Japanese writing style.

This study compares Shiken’s early translation of Verne’s work, published as a serialized novel in a newspaper, with its English source text and French original with reference to his essay. Additionally, it examines the role of serialized novels in newspapers, highlighting their function in conveying information about international politics. His interpretation of the novel and interest in geographical descriptions are discussed by closely analyzing the translated text. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that Shiken’s translation was a creative experiment integrating foreign expressions into Japanese in an attempt to reform its conventional writing practices.

Translations and adaptations of French novels played a significant role in the literary landscapes of Meiji Japan. While much progress has been made in tracing the original sources of translated works, many remain unidentified or misattributed. With the advancement of digital humanities, global databases of books and newspapers have made previously inaccessible materials searchable, offering new possibilities for reconstructing translation trajectories.

This study focuses on Le Crime d'Orcival (1867), a representative work by Émile Gaboriau (1832-1873), widely regarded as a pioneer of detective fiction. It begins by collecting various English versions of the novel and then compares them to a Japanese translation to investigate the text’s indirect translation and reception in Meiji Japan. Key resources used include the Internet Archive and the National Diet Library Digital Collections (NDL), which allow for a detailed textual comparison and identification of translation sources.

While Ruiko Kuroiwa is often credited for introducing Gaboriau’s works and modern detective fiction to Japan, another important figure, Sojin Gantei (1864-1913), deserves renewed attention. Sojin not only continued Kuroiwa’s serialized translation of Bijin no Goku (1889), but also translated over twenty detective novels. Among these, Satsugai Jiken (1890) is an indirect translation of Le Crime d’Orcival.

Through a comparative analysis of the French original and its English translations, this study demonstrates that the Japanese version draws from both the London and New York editions, forming what may be called a “hybrid retranslation”. This case illustrates how detective fiction in Japan was shaped not by direct contact with French literature alone, but through a layered and mediated process of textual transformation.

The continuous influx of ideas from the West and Japan profoundly shaped China's transformation in the modern era. Amid the clash between foreign and traditional Chinese gender norms, modern female translators grappled with integrating notions of political revolution and feminist social reform into their works. This paper examines the perspectives of Chinese female translators on gender and politics through indirectly translated literary works between China, Japan, and the Western world in the early twentieth century. It investigates the female translators' attitudes and contributions to intellectual emancipation, as well as their roles in shaping societal discourse in modern China, while also tracing the specific sources of the translated works. This paper focuses on Ruzimei, a Chinese translation of the British novel Lord Lisle's Daughter, which was indirectly translated via Japanese by Liu Yunqin in 1916. Liu has been studied as a politically radical novelist but has rarely been discussed as a female translator. The paper compares the different language versions of the indirect translation, paying particular attention to changes in vocabulary, form, gender representations, and ideological shifts that emerge during the translation process. This research aims to illuminate the cultural dialogue embedded within the translation by examining stylistic and content variations. In contrast to her outspoken advocacy and activism for political revolution, Liu Yunqin took a more measured and cautious approach to feminist reform. While promoting ideals such as free marriage and independent women, she concurrently cautioned against "inappropriate" male-female interactions and subtly perpetuated the devaluation of women in the translation. This study investigates how Liu Yunqin utilised her translation to articulate a moderate perspective on gender norms, employing techniques such as omission, addition, and modification. It situates her restrained approach to women's emancipation within the complex context of modern Chinese history, marked by the dual influence of traditional gender norms and new feminist ideas. The analysis underscores her struggles to reconcile different social expectations of women in the public and private spheres.

The translation of religious texts is not merely an act of linguistic substitution but a process of ideological negotiation, particularly when the source and target cultures hold fundamentally different worldviews. This presentation examines the translation of Christian ideals into Japanese during the Meiji era (1868–1912), focusing on the challenges faced by missionaries and scholars as they worked to render biblical concepts intelligible within a non-Christian concept and cultural framework. By analyzing key translation debates—such as the contested rendering of "baptism" (shinrei vs. senrei )—this study explores how the Meiji Bible translators navigated theological divides, linguistic constraints, and socio-political considerations.

Beyond baptism, other doctrinally significant terms, including Christian concepts such as "grace" (megumi ), and "faith" (shinkō ), reveal the tensions between fidelity to Christian theology and the necessity of cultural adaptation. These choices not only shaped how Christianity was understood in Japan but also influenced the broader literary and philosophical discourse of the period. By situating the Meiji Bible translation within the context of Japan’s modernization and engagement with the West, this presentation argues that translation functioned as a transformative force, reshaping religious language, social structures, and conceptions of morality.

Ultimately, this study highlights the Meiji Bible as more than a religious text—it was a site of negotiation where linguistic and theological boundaries were redrawn, creating a uniquely Japanese interpretation of Christian doctrine. Through this lens, translation emerges not as a neutral act but as an active force in cultural and ideological exchange.