(KPL) The Japanese Literature Translation Workshop, organised by the Japan Foundation's Phnom Penh Liaison Office, opened on November 9 at Hotel Cambodiana, bringing together professionals in literary translation, film subtitling and publishing to share their experiences with Cambodian participants.

Phonepasert delivered a presentation titled “The Appeal and Challenges of Translating Japanese Literature”, drawing on his experience translating Japanese works into Lao, including Sayaka Murata's internationally acclaimed novel Convenience Store Woman.

He discussed the differences between literary and technical translation, the challenges of conveying cultural meanings and literary expressions, and the skills needed to become a professional literary translator.

The Lao edition of Convenience Store Woman, published by Dokked Publishing in March 2026, received support from the Japan Foundation through its translation and publication grant programme, helping bring contemporary Japanese literature to Lao readers.

His participation also provided Cambodian participants with practical insights into the development of Japanese–Lao literary translation, as Cambodia continues efforts to build its own capacity in Japanese–Khmer translation.

The workshop also featured Japanese–Khmer film subtitle translator Chea Dalin, who shared her experience translating Japanese films into Khmer, and So Phina, Managing Director of Kampu Mera Publishing House, who discussed opportunities and challenges in Cambodia's translated literature publishing industry.

The speakers identified several common challenges facing the literary sectors in Laos and Cambodia, including a shortage of skilled translators, difficulties in translating cultural references and specialised terminology, limited publishing resources and the need to develop wider readerships for translated works.

They stressed the importance of sharing regional experiences and strengthening professional exchanges to support the growth of literary translation and publishing.

The workshop aims to develop a new generation of Japanese–Khmer literary translators. Participants prepared translations of a Japanese children's story in advance and will take part in group discussions and translation reviews on November 15, receiving feedback to improve their skills.

Through the programme, the Japan Foundation seeks to strengthen Japanese–Khmer translation capacity while encouraging knowledge-sharing and cooperation among professionals across the region.

Phonepasert is a Lao editor and literary translator specialising in Japanese–Lao translation. He studied Comparative Education at Kyoto University in Japan and has experience in literary translation, editing, interpreting and Japanese-language education.

KPL