Transliteração e adaptação em mangás japoneses: análise comparativa de diários de uma apotecária entre a obra original e as suas versões em português e inglês

Abstract

This study presents a comparative analysis of the translation choices found in the Portuguese and English versions of the first three volumes of the manga The Apothecary Diaries, originally published in Japanese. The research focuses on the translation of proper names and cultural terms in a context marked by the interaction between Japanese and Chinese linguistic elements, with particular attention to the use of transliteration and adaptation procedures guided by furigana, a device that indicates the phonetic reading of characters. The analysis is grounded in theoretical references from the field of translation studies, including J. C. Catford; Vinay and Darbelnet; Hans Vermeer; and Heloísa Gonçalves Barbosa. The findings show that the Brazilian edition tends to employ Chinese-based transliteration to preserve cultural references, whereas the English edition favors adaptations aimed at offering greater fluency to Western readers. However, these tendencies are not uniform, as the decisions vary according to the purpose of each translation, in line with Skopos Theory. Overall, the results indicate that translating manga involves mediating meaning across languages and cultures, a process in which the translator plays an active role in reconstructing significance