MONDAY, JULY 13, 2026
6:00–7:30 PM
Moderator: Meg Taylor, managing editor of MONKEY New Writing from Japan
Host: The Japan Foundation, Toronto
Location: The Japan Foundation, Toronto, 2 Bloor St. East, 3rd Floor, Toronto, ON M4W 1A8 Canada
You may have noticed an increasing number of Japanese titles appearing on bestseller lists and displayed at your local bookstores and libraries. Behind this growing popularity and access to Japanese voices are literary translators, whose work helps to shape how Japanese literature is read, understood, and enjoyed around the world.
Three Canada-based translators of Japanese literature — Ted Goossen, Sonja Arntzen, and Chris Corker — gathered onstage to celebrate the vital yet often unrecognized work of translators who bring Japanese voices to the world, Together with Meg Taylor, an editor of Japanese literature in translation, they discussed the work of translation, sharing insights into the creative process, the opportunities and challenges facing translators today, and the evolving landscape of Japanese literature in translation. The speakers also discussed the dynamic role of the literary magazine MONKEY: New Writing from Japan in bridging languages, cultures, and literary traditions to bring Japanese literature to English readers.