Back in 2019, late September almost early November, I worked on transcribing and translating a few audio interviews. These interviews were in Japanese, and I translated these interviews from Japanese to English. I have provided a sample from the interviews I transcribed and translated for a research journal for PhD student Alyssa Wells at the University of Michigan.
About the Project (written by Ms. Wells):
I am working on this project as a part of my certificate though the Center for World Performance Studies. It is an exploration of how members of drum and bugle corps in Japan and the Netherlands create and foster a sense of belonging through rehearsals and activities outside of rehearsals (in Japan these things were like going to an Onsen or an Izakaya). My big conclusion is that “the rehearsals foster a sense of interdependence and family that is heightened through leisure activities. These activities are dependent upon the location of the corps.” This will hopefully be the first thing published about drum corps in an ethnomusicology journal, and these interviews come from the two weeks I spent with members of the Tokushima Indigoes, a corps that was founded in 1996 and is explicitly modeled after American drum and bugle corps.
Sample #1 [日本語Japanese]:
Audio length: 1:35 minutes. Click Here for the link to the audio.
音響：こちらリンクをクリックしてください。
イチゴ会人: あ、これ、これ？
面接者: Yeah, （笑）。 オケ。
イチゴ会人: 私の名前はながや・しずかです。
年齢は二十一歳です。
えと、テノールドラマーを演奏しています。えと、今年indigoes四年目になります。
Indigoes来る前は、と、中学校と高校と、むくが、じゅうし大学ふぞくこと学校をマーチングバンド部見ました。
Indigoesマーチングしている理由はチームの雰囲気がいいことと自分、小編成であることて、自分のせいきにかが生まれるから、より高いレベルを求めると思ったからです。
Indigoes好きなところは「アト・ホーム」(at home)ところです。
平日は大学で勉強しています。
えと、専攻は建築デザインです。
練習場所は少し遠いですが、あまり気になりません。
練習メンバーは、ん、簡単ではないです。難しいならない。
はい。難しいです。
練習以外でメンバーとご飯行ったり、バーベキューしたりします。
End.
面接者: End（笑）。
Sample #1 [英語English]:
Interviewee: Ah, this, this?
Interviewer: Yeah (laugh). Okay.
Interviewee: My name is Nagaya Yasuka. I’m 21 years old. Well, I play the tenor drum and designate the performance with it.
Well, this year will be 4 years with Indigoes. Before indigoes, I was in the marching in the marching band departments of my elementary and high school.
The reason why I do marching is because of the team atmosphere is good and in the organization you can see the slight changes occurring to one self’s as you grow because you’re trying to reach a high skill level. What I like about indigoes is that it is this ‘at home’ place.
Weekdays I study at the university. Well, my major is architecture design.
The practice place is a bit far, but I don’t really notice that. From what practice members say it’s not easy (to meet). It must be difficult. It’s difficult. Outside of practice, members go to things like dinner together and do barbeques.
End.
Interviewer: End (laugh).