#Staff Column
2022.08.04
Translated, at last
Columnist | Introducing the columns written by member of Amorepacific Group
History of Translation Part 3. Translated, at last
Columnist | Hwanhee Rhee
Amorepacific Talent Development Team
Amorepacific Talent Development Team
#1. Various and delicate ways to translate the first paragraph of The Great Gatsby
A few years ago, a post caused a literary storm on the Internet. It compared each publisher’s first paragraph of The Great Gatsby , the novel I briefly mentioned in the Part 1. It comes as no wonder that The Great Gatsby was in the eye of the storm since it is one of the novels that has been translated the most, provoking great controversy in the literary translation world.
The controversy became aroused when Kim Young-ha, a noted novelist, translated The Great Gatsby for Munhakdongne Publishing Group. In the translator’s notes, he plainly criticized other translated versions of the book. Not everyone agreed with him though, and as expected, his work was also criticized. Many publishers started to promote that nothing but their version of Gatsby was the real Gatsby. This series of incidents is exactly the reason why the post went viral.
A few years ago, a post caused a literary storm on the Internet. It compared each publisher’s first paragraph of The Great Gatsby , the novel I briefly mentioned in the Part 1. It comes as no wonder that The Great Gatsby was in the eye of the storm since it is one of the novels that has been translated the most, provoking great controversy in the literary translation world.
The controversy became aroused when Kim Young-ha, a noted novelist, translated The Great Gatsby for Munhakdongne Publishing Group. In the translator’s notes, he plainly criticized other translated versions of the book. Not everyone agreed with him though, and as expected, his work was also criticized. Many publishers started to promote that nothing but their version of Gatsby was the real Gatsby. This series of incidents is exactly the reason why the post went viral.
The Great Gatsby translated by Kim Young-ha, Munhakdongne
In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since. "Whenever you feel like criticizing any one," he told me,
"just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."
"just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."
There are more than 10 versions of the first paragraph. Here are some good examples.
| No. | Translation | Publisher / Translator |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 내가 지금보다 나이도 어리고 마음도 여리던 시절 아버지가 충고를 하나 해주셨는데, 그 충고를 나는 아직도 마음속으로 되새기곤 한다. “누구를 비판하고 싶어질 땐 말이다, 세상 사람이 다 너처럼 좋은 조건을 타고난 건 아니라는 점을 명심하도록 해라.” | Yolimwon Kim Seok-hui |
| 2 | 지금보다 어리고 쉽게 상처받던 시절 아버지는 나에게 충고를 한마디 해주셨는데, 나는 아직도 그 충고를 마음속 깊이 되새기고 있다. “누구든 남을 비판하고 싶을 때면 언제나 이 점을 명심하여라.” 아버지는 이렇게 말씀하셨다. “이 세상 사람이 다 너처럼 유리한 입장에 놓여 있지는 않다는 것을 말이다.” | Minumsa Kim Uk-dong |
| 3 | 내가 아직 젊고 남의 말에 곧잘 발끈하던 시절, 아버지께서는 나에게 한 가지 충고를 해주셨는데, 그 후로 나는 그 충고를 마음속으로 되새기곤 하였다. 아버지께서는, "남의 잘잘못을 따지고 싶을 때는 언제든지 이 세상사람 어느 누구도 네가 누리고 있는 특권을 누리고 있지 못하다는 것을 잊어서는 안 된다." 하고 말씀하셨다. | Bumwoosa Song Pan-sik |
| 4 | 내가 지금보다 더 어리고 더 쉽게 상처받던 시절, 아버지는 내게 평생 마음에 간직할 조언 하나를 해주셨다. 아버지는 말씀하셨다. "누군가를 비판하고 싶을 땐 이 사실을 기억하렴. 세상 사람들이 모두 너처럼 좋은 조건을 타고난 건 아니라는 걸 말이다." | Wisdom House Seo Min-a |
| 5 | 지금보다 어리고 민감하던 시절 아버지가 충고를 한마디 했는데 아직도 그 말이 기억난다. “누군가를 비판하고 싶을 때는 이 점을 기억해두는 게 좋을 거다. 세상의 모든 사람이 다 너처럼 유리한 입장에 서 있지는 않다는 것을.” | Munhakdongne Kim Young-ha |
Largely, there are three parts (marked with bold text) where the translation differs significantly.
1. Translation of the word ‘vulnerable’ in the first sentence.
2. Translation of ‘advice that -‘ in the first sentence.
2. Translation of ‘advice that -‘ in the first sentence.
4. Using honorifics for his father.
1. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, vulnerable is defined as weak and easily hurt, physically or emotionally. The translators’ interpretation is included in version 3 (being interpreted as bristle ) and 5 (as sensitive ), while version 1 added the words age (나이 도 ) and emotion (마음 도 ) in front of young and vulnerable to make it sound rhythmical for Korean readers.
2. Here’s a similar example. ‘I have a lipstick that will make me look pretty.’ This sentence can be translated in two ways. First, translate the that clause before lipstick (나는 나를 예쁘게 보이게 해줄 립스틱을 가지고 있다). Second, leave the sentence structure intact. Those who prefer the second method argue that this is more suitable because it better reflects the source language and enhances readability (나에게는 립스틱이 있는데 이것이 나를 예쁘게 보이게 해줄 것이다).
Since this is a short and simple sentence, the first way sounds more natural. The Great Gatsby , on the other hand, has longer sentences and various contexts to consider. That is why all versions, except version 4, chose the second way. Based on this approach, they were able to end the sentence by showing how deeply his father’s advice affected him. While version 4 focuses on the very fact that his father once gave him advice.
3. In English novels or articles, the characters’ lines or quotes mostly use the following pattern, [“sentence 1,” she/he said , “sentence 2”] . As you can see, she/he said is inserted in between sentences. However, this pattern is rarely used in Korea. Here are the three ways how this sentence was translated.
Version 2 sticks to the original pattern. To those who prefer this style, it is the best way to leave the source language intact and to deliver its meaning without any interpretation.
Versions 3 and 4 combine the sentences by translating he told me first. This is the most used method when translating novels or articles in Korea. It delivers all the meaning of the original text while using the sentence structure that is familiar to Koreans.
In version 1 and 5, he told me was omitted, seemingly damaging the original text. The other versions didn’t translate it perfectly either though. Versions 2, 3, and 4 translated he into 아버지 (father) instead of 그 (he) because pronouns such as 그 (he) or 그녀 (she) are rarely used in Korea. That is why 아버지 (father) appears twice in the translation while the original text uses father just once. Therefore, it’s not fair to say that the translators of version 1 and 5 damaged the original text just because he told me was omitted.
4. Unlike the others, version 5 does not use honorifics when addressing the father. In the translator’s notes, Kim Young-ha mainly criticized that other translators had failed to capture the vivid image of the book. Maybe that is why he deliberately used short sentences or perhaps he could have interpreted the characters’ personalities differently from the other translators.
1. Translation of the word ‘vulnerable’ in the first sentence.
2. Translation of ‘advice that -‘ in the first sentence.
2. Translation of ‘advice that -‘ in the first sentence.
4. Using honorifics for his father.
1. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, vulnerable is defined as weak and easily hurt, physically or emotionally. The translators’ interpretation is included in version 3 (being interpreted as bristle ) and 5 (as sensitive ), while version 1 added the words age (나이 도 ) and emotion (마음 도 ) in front of young and vulnerable to make it sound rhythmical for Korean readers.
2. Here’s a similar example. ‘I have a lipstick that will make me look pretty.’ This sentence can be translated in two ways. First, translate the that clause before lipstick (나는 나를 예쁘게 보이게 해줄 립스틱을 가지고 있다). Second, leave the sentence structure intact. Those who prefer the second method argue that this is more suitable because it better reflects the source language and enhances readability (나에게는 립스틱이 있는데 이것이 나를 예쁘게 보이게 해줄 것이다).
Since this is a short and simple sentence, the first way sounds more natural. The Great Gatsby , on the other hand, has longer sentences and various contexts to consider. That is why all versions, except version 4, chose the second way. Based on this approach, they were able to end the sentence by showing how deeply his father’s advice affected him. While version 4 focuses on the very fact that his father once gave him advice.
3. In English novels or articles, the characters’ lines or quotes mostly use the following pattern, [“sentence 1,” she/he said , “sentence 2”] . As you can see, she/he said is inserted in between sentences. However, this pattern is rarely used in Korea. Here are the three ways how this sentence was translated.
Version 2 sticks to the original pattern. To those who prefer this style, it is the best way to leave the source language intact and to deliver its meaning without any interpretation.
Versions 3 and 4 combine the sentences by translating he told me first. This is the most used method when translating novels or articles in Korea. It delivers all the meaning of the original text while using the sentence structure that is familiar to Koreans.
In version 1 and 5, he told me was omitted, seemingly damaging the original text. The other versions didn’t translate it perfectly either though. Versions 2, 3, and 4 translated he into 아버지 (father) instead of 그 (he) because pronouns such as 그 (he) or 그녀 (she) are rarely used in Korea. That is why 아버지 (father) appears twice in the translation while the original text uses father just once. Therefore, it’s not fair to say that the translators of version 1 and 5 damaged the original text just because he told me was omitted.
4. Unlike the others, version 5 does not use honorifics when addressing the father. In the translator’s notes, Kim Young-ha mainly criticized that other translators had failed to capture the vivid image of the book. Maybe that is why he deliberately used short sentences or perhaps he could have interpreted the characters’ personalities differently from the other translators.
Book cover by Yolimwon
The translator’s name is larger than the author's, showing how publishers use translators aggressively for marketing.
It’s difficult to draw a line between a good translation and a bad one. Although, it’s interesting to see how the translators understood the nuance, such as personalities and emotions, differently in this first-person point of view novel that has more than 200 pages. Their perspectives on the work, narrator, and language are expressed subtly through vocabulary, tone, and level of simplicity.
#2. Expectations on the delicate translation of Decision to Leave
Let’s move on from classic literature to one of the latest movies. Director Park Chan-wook’s latest film, Decision to Leave came out in June 2022. The English subtitles are yet to be released in Korea but let’s talk about it with the limited information we have. Coincidentally, the movie’s main topics include the language barrier and translation app. Since it was released recently, I have done my best to leave out any spoilers.
Let’s move on from classic literature to one of the latest movies. Director Park Chan-wook’s latest film, Decision to Leave came out in June 2022. The English subtitles are yet to be released in Korea but let’s talk about it with the limited information we have. Coincidentally, the movie’s main topics include the language barrier and translation app. Since it was released recently, I have done my best to leave out any spoilers.
Decision to Leave won the Best Director award at Cannes Film Festival 2022 and received many positive reviews overall. This made the public curious about how the translator, who also had worked on Parasite, translated the script for the subtitles. The leading character, Seo Rae (Tang Wei) is a Chinese woman who’s not fluent in Korean. It’s important to show in the subtitles that her Korean is clumsy. She uses vocabulary in a way that doesn’t fit the context or in an awkwardly precise way, which is one of the important factors in this film. The audience can see that each and every word and expression in this scenario was chosen very carefully. In many ways, it puts a lot of pressure on the translator.
In Parasite, it’s interesting to see how unique Korean expressions such as 서울대 문서위조학과 (Oxford, major in document forgery) or 짜파구리 (Ramdon) were translated. While in Decision to Leave, there is more focus given to the nuance of the words. For instance, 마침내 (at last) could be translated into finally or in the end depending on the context. The main character uses a Korean word that sounds sometimes right and sometimes awkward. The translator needs to find the exact English word that covers both, and at the same time, that word needs to have a different nuance compared to other synonyms. Requiring such detail puts a lot of pressure on the translator, but that is a key point of this movie. It’s not grammatically wrong to use 단일한 (single) instead of 유일한 (only) but native Koreans find the word 단일한 (single) awkward in some contexts. How was the subtitle translated to show the audience that the Chinese woman was not fluent in Korean?
Guessing from the award received at Cannes, it seems like the delicate nuances were delivered well through the subtitles. Many positive reviews among critics from other nationalities are also a good sign. Translator Darcy Paque communicated continuously with Director Park Chan-wook while working on the subtitles, which must have been a huge help. Direct communication between the original author and translator sure makes a huge difference. If a translator were able to communicate directly with Fitzgerald, then there wouldn’t have been more than ten versions of The Great Gatsby . Director Park revealed how several expressions and word plays were translated into English, but to prevent any spoilers, I will not mention them in this column.
In Parasite, it’s interesting to see how unique Korean expressions such as 서울대 문서위조학과 (Oxford, major in document forgery) or 짜파구리 (Ramdon) were translated. While in Decision to Leave, there is more focus given to the nuance of the words. For instance, 마침내 (at last) could be translated into finally or in the end depending on the context. The main character uses a Korean word that sounds sometimes right and sometimes awkward. The translator needs to find the exact English word that covers both, and at the same time, that word needs to have a different nuance compared to other synonyms. Requiring such detail puts a lot of pressure on the translator, but that is a key point of this movie. It’s not grammatically wrong to use 단일한 (single) instead of 유일한 (only) but native Koreans find the word 단일한 (single) awkward in some contexts. How was the subtitle translated to show the audience that the Chinese woman was not fluent in Korean?
Guessing from the award received at Cannes, it seems like the delicate nuances were delivered well through the subtitles. Many positive reviews among critics from other nationalities are also a good sign. Translator Darcy Paque communicated continuously with Director Park Chan-wook while working on the subtitles, which must have been a huge help. Direct communication between the original author and translator sure makes a huge difference. If a translator were able to communicate directly with Fitzgerald, then there wouldn’t have been more than ten versions of The Great Gatsby . Director Park revealed how several expressions and word plays were translated into English, but to prevent any spoilers, I will not mention them in this column.
Another interesting factor of this movie is the translation app. Although not fluent, Seo Rae mostly uses Korean when she talks with Hae-jun (Park Hae-il). But when the subject is difficult or she has to make long sentences, she uses a voice translation app. Seeing how accurate the translation is in the movie, you might think technology would replace translators soon. (I don’t understand Chinese, but the Korean translation was so smooth.) Thankfully, and obviously though, the translation app that appears in the movie does not exist. The app, however, sometimes makes an error and sometimes an improvement even in the movie.
Above all, the movie gives the audience a lot to think about by showing the characters being emotionally connected as they communicate through technology and exchanging emotions by translating each other’s language. I would like to recommend this movie for many other reasons. If the movie is still in theaters when this column is posted, I hope that you take the opportunity to enjoy it.
Above all, the movie gives the audience a lot to think about by showing the characters being emotionally connected as they communicate through technology and exchanging emotions by translating each other’s language. I would like to recommend this movie for many other reasons. If the movie is still in theaters when this column is posted, I hope that you take the opportunity to enjoy it.
Closing – When we know it’s a translation
Korea has a unique and funny culture when it comes to compliments. When we see fine scenery, we say, ‘It looks like a painting’ and when we see a fine painting, we say, ‘It looks like fine scenery.’ Similar to that, when we have a delicious home-cooked meal, we compliment it by saying, ‘It’s like eating in a restaurant’ and when we go to a nice restaurant, we would say, ‘It’s like a home-cooked meal.’
Some say that a good translation is when you can’t tell whether it’s translated or not. There are, however, many disagreements. Original texts are based on different languages and cultures, so can we say that a translation has been done well because it doesn’t sound awkward or strange? That’s not an easy question to answer. The point is, translators should not focus too much on literal translation, otherwise it will sound awkward, but at the same time, they should also avoid excessive free translation for readability and completion.
Sometimes translators will take on projects that will cause them to suffer because there are simply too many options. There will be some sentences and expressions that are extremely tricky to translate. In this column, I introduced the first sentence of The Great Gatsby, a novel that becomes more interesting when you follow the characters’ emotions rather than the story line itself, and Decision to Leave, a film that shows how the leading character, who isn’t fluent in Korean, uses awkward expressions. I believe all the translators did their best to make the perfect sentence and deliver the delicate nuance of the original text.
Korea has a unique and funny culture when it comes to compliments. When we see fine scenery, we say, ‘It looks like a painting’ and when we see a fine painting, we say, ‘It looks like fine scenery.’ Similar to that, when we have a delicious home-cooked meal, we compliment it by saying, ‘It’s like eating in a restaurant’ and when we go to a nice restaurant, we would say, ‘It’s like a home-cooked meal.’
Some say that a good translation is when you can’t tell whether it’s translated or not. There are, however, many disagreements. Original texts are based on different languages and cultures, so can we say that a translation has been done well because it doesn’t sound awkward or strange? That’s not an easy question to answer. The point is, translators should not focus too much on literal translation, otherwise it will sound awkward, but at the same time, they should also avoid excessive free translation for readability and completion.
Sometimes translators will take on projects that will cause them to suffer because there are simply too many options. There will be some sentences and expressions that are extremely tricky to translate. In this column, I introduced the first sentence of The Great Gatsby, a novel that becomes more interesting when you follow the characters’ emotions rather than the story line itself, and Decision to Leave, a film that shows how the leading character, who isn’t fluent in Korean, uses awkward expressions. I believe all the translators did their best to make the perfect sentence and deliver the delicate nuance of the original text.
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