(News Focus) Han Kang's Nobel win spotlights translators' role in global Korean literature

SEOUL, Oct. 11 (Yonhap) -- When 2024 Nobel Literature Prize winner Han Kang's "The Vegetarian" won the International Booker Prize back in 2016, Deborah Smith, the book's London-based translator, received equal, if not greater, recognition.

That moment likely marked a turning point in the Korean literary world, where writers and readers alike began to understand the importance of translating literature with the same sensitivity and lyrical depth across different languages.

At a press event in Seoul shortly after winning the prize, Smith equaled translating a work of literature to "creatively rewriting it in another language, a process that involves varying degrees of interpretation and editorial decision," a task that needs both "literary sensibility" and "linguistic competency."

Smith, who described her work as a desire to "share with a wider audience the book I have fallen in love with," was monolingual until the age of 21. It was only a few years into her learning Korean that she started translating complex and poetic works like "The Vegetarian."

"A poor translation can certainly mangle a wonderful book beyond redemption, but not even the best translation in the world makes a mediocre novel read like a world classic," she said.

Less than ten years later, a new wave of skilled, multilingual translators is working in the field, bringing Korean literature to a global audience.

Notable translators include Seoul-based Anton Hur, a finalist for the International Booker Prize for his work on Chung Bo-ra's "Cursed Bunny," as well as Sora Kim-Russell and Youngjae Josephine Bae, who translated Hwang Sok-yong's "Mater 2-10," which was shortlisted for the 2024 International Booker Prize.

Hur, a translator and writer, has been appointed as a judge for the 2025 International Booker Prize in recognition of his active translation work, including Hwang Sok-yong's "The Prisoner," Park Sang-young's "Love in the Big City" and BTS' "Beyond the Story: 10-Year Record of BTS."

Sora Kim-Russell, a writer and translator born and raised in the United States and now living in Seoul, has taught translation courses at Ewha Womans University and the Literature Translation Institute (LTI) of Korea. She also translated Hwang Sok-young's "At Dawn," which was longlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2019.

Emily Yae Won, another celebrated translator, has collaborated with Smith on "Greek Lessons" and is currently working with Paige Aniyah Morris on the English translation of Han's book, "We Do Not Part," set for publication in the U.S. and Britain next year.

Choi Kyung-ran is a prominent French translator, who, along with Pierre Bisiou, translated "We Do Not Part" into French under the title "Impossibles adieux," which won France's prestigious Prix Medicis in November. The pair also collaborated on the translation of "Love in the Big City," which has been longlisted for this year's French award.

Smith has been working at the forefront of introducing Korean literature to a wider audience through Tilted Axis Press, which she founded in 2015. The press has published works such as Han's "Human Acts" and "The Elegy of Witnesses," as well as Bae Su-ah's "A Greater Music" and "Recitation," among many others.

In South Korea, the state-run LTI and the Daesan Foundation are the two key players in the field.

Since its establishment in 1996, the LTI has played a key role in nurturing literary translators in 44 languages, while the Daesan Foundation has made significant contributions in the private sector.

Han's Nobel Literature win underscores the years of collaborative efforts from both state and private sectors to promote "high-quality translation services that have helped elevate Korean literature to the global stage," said Kwak Hyo-hwan, former chairman of LTI Korea.

"While I anticipated the country would eventually produce a Nobel Literature laureate, I was genuinely surprised it happened sooner than expected," he said, adding "Now is the time to make the necessary preparations in the coming years to shape the future of Korean literature on the global stage."

jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr
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