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Jang Ryu-jin, Sean Lin Halbert to discuss literary translation in upcoming Korea Times book talk
By Kim Se-jeong
The Korea Times is inviting writers, literary translators and book lovers to a book talk featuring writer Jang Ryu-jin, author of "To the Moon," and translator Sean Lin Halbert on Nov. 4 in Seoul.
The event, titled "To the Moon: Korean Literature Meets the World," will take place as part of the 56th Modern Korean Literature Translation Award ceremony, which will take place at the Kyobo Building in the Gwanghwamun area in downtown Seoul.
Jang’s latest book, "To the Moon," translated into English by Halbert, was published earlier this year in English-speaking countries. The novel has also been translated into Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Turkish, Spanish and German. During the talk, Jang and Halbert will discuss the book, the future of Korean literature and the importance of translation and translators. Literary critic In A-young will moderate the conversation.
As one of the longest-running literary translation awards in Korea, the Modern Korean Literature Translation Award has discovered and nurtured talented translators for more than half a century. Halbert began his career in literary translation after winning the award in 2018. His other translated works include "The Cabinet" (2021) by Kim Un-su, "Counterattacks at Thirty" (2025) by Sohn Won-pyung and "The Black Orb" (2025) by Ewhan Kim.
In a recent interview with The Korea Times, Halbert discussed the challenges of translating cultural nuances between languages while working on "To the Moon."
“There’s a scene about choosing between Starbucks and Coffee Bean. If you don’t realize that everyone goes there to get coffee, you might miss what’s really happening,” he said. “(Dahae) decides to skip brushing her teeth after lunch. Americans — at least from what I know — usually only do that in the morning and at night. So it might seem kind of pointless in the text, but in Korea, everyone does it.”
Guests at the upcoming book talk can expect to hear more about challenges and creative decisions involved in translating Korean literature into English.
The award ceremony will begin at 6 p.m., followed by the book talk at 7 p.m. Admission is free, but registration is required via the link below.
■ Date and time: Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025
Part 1. Award ceremony: 6-6:40 p.m.
Part 2. Book talk: 7-8 p.m.
■ Venue: Daesan Hall, 23F Gwanghwamun Kyobo Building, 1 Jong-ro, Jongno District, Seoul