53rd Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards
Judges’ Report
As judges of The Korea Times Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards, we have the privilege and pleasure of discovering every year what bilingual readers and writers are reading. It is always interesting to find out what our translators are choosing to translate. We enjoy the element of surprise.
Often the translations reflect trends in Korean fiction. For instance, some years we have found our files full of science fiction. However, there is usually a balance between writers who are perennial favorites and relative newcomers. The eclectic mix is itself interesting and instructive to us. Indeed, we sometimes come across unfamiliar writers and works through this translation contest. For this reason, we would like to thank all the translators who submitted their works this year and enabled us to widen our literary horizons.
Strikingly, the number of poetry entries this year was almost the same as that of the fiction entries. The judges debated the merits of three entries in particular: the translations of Shin Hae-uk, Jeong Han-ah and Kim Hyun. The three entries do not differ greatly in terms of fidelity; all three demonstrate a strong grasp of the Korean originals as well as a strong commitment to accuracy. For this reason, the judges would like to commend all three entries as highly competent translations.
We did feel, however, that the translations of Jeong’s poetry work best as English poems. The translator appears to have been attracted to not just the playful orthography (such as plus signs), onomatopoeic sounds (rendered, for instance, as “chuckle-chuckle-chuckle” and “Tootoo-toot”) but also Jeong’s use of visual poetry (for example, the circular stanza in “The Blacksmith’s Wife”). The translations allow the reader to feel and enjoy the experimental energy of Jeong’s poetry. For this reason, this year we have chosen to award the Grand Prize in Poetry to the supple and highly readable translations of Jeong’s works. We look forward to seeing a collection of these poems in print soon.
One element the translator will wish to consider in polishing the translations is Jeong’s use of line breaks and enjambment. The translator is clearly aware of the technical difficulty involved in translating Jeong’s poetic structures and has tried to replicate them as much as possible. However, the line breaks in the English poems sometimes come across as highly arbitrary.
Looking over the fiction entries this year, the judges noted that the translated authors included newcomers such as Kim Yi-sup and Park Seonu. Most of the original works were by female writers. The two fiction entries that caught the judges’ eyes were “The Forty-Four Lives of a Wedding Dress” by Chung Se-rang and “The Beginning of Winter” by Kim Ae-ran. Both are highly readable translations that deserve to be widely read.
Chung’s short story, which narrates the life stories of the 44 women who rent the same wedding dress over several years, is an especially fun read with its snapshots of gender relations in contemporary Korea. The reason we ultimately did not choose this short story is because of some lapses in accuracy. These are lapses that could be quickly corrected through collaborative cross-checking, however, and we would like to emphasize that this translation holds great promise. We have recommended this translation for the Commendation Award.
The Grand Prize in Fiction this year goes to the translation of Kim Ae-ran’s “The Beginning of Winter.” This translation, like that of Chung’s story, is not perfect. A particularly telling mistranslation is that of “양,” a word that should have been translated as “like,” as “lamb.” However, we felt that despite a few infelicitous mistakes, this translation captures well the controlled tone of this tragic tale about mourning the loss of a child. One aspect that can be easily overlooked in translation is what is not said in a story. The quiet subtlety and emotional resonance of Kim’s works often has to do with what is left unsaid. We recommend that the translator keep this in mind during the revision process.
We cannot list all the things we notice about the translations in the Judges’ Report, but we hope that it will reassure the translators that we always try to read their works carefully and generously. We are fully aware that the purpose of this translation contest is to encourage future translators who have chosen to devote many precious hours of their lives to these translations. Translating, like all writing, is an infinite task. One can go on perfecting it; there is always something that can be improved. At some point, however, the time comes when it must leave our desks and go forth into the world. That is an exciting moment. We warmly welcome our new prize-winners to the pages of The Korea Times and hope to see them prosper in the publishing world.
We are already looking forward to next year’s translations. Please spread the word!