Kazuko Matsuoka (born 1942) is a Japanese translator and theater critic. Born in Xinjing, now Changchun, China, she graduated from Tokyo Woman’s Christian University and completed a master’s degree at the University of Tokyo. She taught English at Tokyo Medical and Dental University before leaving in 1997 to concentrate on translating Shakespeare. Her approach emphasizes dialogue that actors can speak and audiences can understand by ear, incorporating discoveries made during rehearsals into her translations. In 2021, she completed the publication of her 33-volume Shakespeare collection for Chikuma Bunko, becoming the third person in Japan to translate all 37 plays individually. This achievement earned her the 69th Kikuchi Kan Prize and the Asahi Prize for fiscal 2021, among other honors. Exploring how actors’ performances illuminate the language of the plays, “Fukayomi Shakespeare,” meaning “Reading Shakespeare Closely,” recounts discoveries arising from translating and staging works including “Hamlet” and “King Lear.” Examining the choices behind particular Japanese renderings, “Shakespeare: Watashi wa Ko Yakushite Kita—Higeki-hen,” a volume on how she translated the tragedies, compares original passages with translations and considers questions such as the distinction between soliloquies and asides. Moving between close textual study and rehearsal rooms, Matsuoka seeks Japanese dialogue that conveys the characters’ emotions, intentions and relationships in performance.
