Slow Reading and Slow Watching

I’ve just finished reading "Hon no Yomikata Slow Reading no Jissen (How to Read a Book: The Practice of Slow Reading)" by Keiichiro Hirano. It’s an amazing book, and I highlighted many parts (this is the most highlighted book this year so far!). It allowed me to change my impatient nature.
 
Throughout the book, he carefully explains the importance of reading books slowly. I was once attracted by the term "speed reading" because it sounds productive, so I believed I could gain so much knowledge if I did so. But the content was kind of eye-opening, and reading books slowly is the key to deepening knowledge and gives the opportunity to see things through other person’s eyes. I felt a sense of relief that I could read books slowly, and that, in fact, I had always wanted to do so.
 
As he writes in his book, I totally agree that translating from one language to another requires the ultimate slow-reading skill. I recently started subtitling from Japanese to English and realized that this theory also applies to videos. My recent work was a Japanese variety show, and I watched the same scenes repeatedly as I translated. It’s not slow reading, but it’s slow watching, so to speak.
 
I carefully watched the show from a completely different perspective than when I was enjoying it as a viewer, wondering what they were trying to say in a real sense, where their reaction would lead, and how I could convey the fun of the show beyond cultural differences. Then I realized what an amazing the ability to talk the celebrities had, or rather that, they immediately understood what kind of role they were required to play in the studio and their timing was impeccable. Moreover, the editors had edited it perfectly to create the program. I want to note that the emcee hosting the show is especially talented. I saw how skillfully he used the tone of his voice and his facial expressions to make the show run flawlessly. Usually, when I watch that kind of program, I sit in front of the TV and criticize their performances, but by the time I’d finished translating the program, I had come to love all the celebs who appeared in it because of their fascinating personalities.
 
Now I understand that there are things that can only be seen by taking the time to look slowly and carefully. Translating is a time-consuming process, but the deepening insights from every perspective are well worth the time, and that’s why I really love it.