At this year’s Anime NYC, we had the opportunity to, alongside other members of the press, speak with manga translator and historian Fred Schodt about his storied career, influential works, thoughts on the evolving industry, and perspective on translation as a career. Mr. Schodt is known for his translations of works including Osamu Tezuka’s Phoenix and Astro Boy (the latter of which being featured on his shirt), The Rose of Versailles, The Four Immigrants, and many more. His most well-known work (among a long list of them) is Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics, published in 1983. The industry has changed a lot since he first entered it, but at all times he’s been a pivotal figure within.

Popularizing Manga in the West

The landscape of manga consumption in the West was nowhere near what it was now just 40 years ago. At that time, most non-Japanese people had never heard of manga, so the demand for Japanese manga translated into English simply wasn’t there. Fred Schodt wrote Manga! Manga! mainly because he loved manga and Japanese comics and wanted to share them with the rest of the world. The work became a seminal text in the study of manga and was a crucial reason that Japanese manga was brought to the Western world at large. Mr. Schodt described his experiences in releasing Manga! Manga! during a time when manga itself was barely a concept in the greater North American consciousness.

Source: Anime Corner

Full article: https://animecorner.me/interview-manga-publishing-hall-of-fame-inductee-fred-schodt-on-translation-ai-and-more/