This is a list of differences in the Japanese translations of the Swallows and Amazons series relative to the original English versions.
- Note: italics for published text in English or Japanese, "quotes" for back-translation into English
omission[]
Items in English version missing from Japanese version
1. Tsubame-gō to Amazon-gō Ch12: Author's appearance in the text is omitted (see leading lights)
7. Umi e deru tsumori janakatta
- ch1: Thin, brown harbourmaster translated to "thin, suntanned"
- ch1: no reference to body parts returned to harbourmaster in a matchbox
11. Sukarabu-gō no natsuyasumi
12. Shirokuma-gō to nazo no tori
addition[]
Items in Japanese version that are additional to translated English material
All books
- coloured version of frontispiece illustration
- diagram of a (generic) centreboard sailing dinghy
- Better drowned than duffers... is translated (quite elegantly) to "Duffers (noroma:ノロマ) who would drown, if not duffers, will not drown."
7. Umi e deru tsumori janakatta
11. Sukarabu-gō no natsuyasumi
12. Shirokuma-gō to nazo no tori
different meaning or error[]
Different meaning conveyed in Japanese version (deliberately or in error)
- ch1: Thorpe Station at Norwich is a terminus translated to "Norwich's Thorpe Station was a terminus" (emphasis added; begs the question: what is it now?)
- Ch 5: At the end of Chapter 5, Mrs Barrable doodles Dick and Dorothea on the "thwarts" (suooto ni) not the "sheets" ... An understandable error of translation because the words "seat" and "sheet" sound very similar to Japanese listeners
- Ch18: "warp" translated as 引きつな "hikitsuna" = tow-rope when in context should have been "mooring rope" もやいつな "moyaitsuna"
- Ch20: Dorothea's question "Am I far enough from those posts?" (referring to navigation marks) translated as "Are we quite far from a post box?" - a forgivable mistake as she had just been discussing posting a postcard to Port and Starboard.
- Ch21: (Loch) Lomond (in the song) incorrectly written as レモンド "Lemond
- Ch22: Mr Whittle suggested a French fisherman will wear Mrs Whittle's knitted tea cosy as a haramaki (腹巻き) (a belly band, ā sort of corset) instead of as a berry (beret). Possibly the translator didn't understand Mr Whittle's accent!
- Nothing but worms... made like a cowslip ball translated to "a clump of worms" (which still made Dorothea feel sick)
- Ch23: on hearing from Port on the phone from Oulton, Mrs McGinty addresses her as "lamb" or "Miss Lamb" (子ヒツジさん), a mistranslation of "[ye young] limb"
- Ch24: Welcome described as going to sea to meet liners out of "Norwich" instead of Harwich.
- Ch25: Dorothea imagines Teasel and Titmouse swept out to sea under "Breydon" bridge instead of Yarmouth bridges. (Both are correct)
7. Umi e deru tsumori janakatta
- ch3: on the chart of approaches to Harwich, the headland Naze near Walton is translated to Meizu = "Maze" (when this was brought to the translator's attention, Jingu Teruo protested that the labyrinthine waterways of the Secret Archipelago were maze-like)
- ch3: in discussion about Roger's new penny whistle, Roger argues that Captain Flint has an accordion on his houseboat. Jim Brading's question Can you play it? (probably referring to the whistle) is translated to "Can you play the accordion?"
- ch1: Ted Walker's "Damn!" on opening the letter from the Royal Navy is translated to a word considered rather more coarse in English