English Major Delves Into, Translates Korean Fiction
By Sa Eun-young
Staff Reporter
Blair Lee, 36, brought his background in English Literature to translating, which garnered him the commendation award in fiction in the 2007 Korean Literature Translation Award.
Born in Seoul, Lee moved to Toronto, Canada, with his family when he was four, where he received his schooling. An English Literature major at the University of Toronto, he polished his Korean skills through participating in a language program at Yonsei University. On top of that, he took a yearlong course at the Korea Literature Translation Institute, which he also said was helpful. `` I was interested in literature because that was my background, and I was interested in understanding Korean literature better. It was like a hobby to study literature and translate for fun on my own,'' Lee said.
Lee first came in touch with Korean Literature when he took a course during his undergraduate years, where he learned about Korean short stories and poetry through English translations. It was also then that he learned from his parents that his mother's uncle was Korean poet Kim Kwang-sup, which inspired him to search for the poems in the original language, which he found ``challenging yet rewarding."
After reading several pieces, Lee came across ``Eskimo, This is the End," by Kim Jung-hyuk.
`` I liked his conversational tone of voice, I think sometimes when you're translating a author who is a lot older than you, it's a bit hard to pick up the nuances in fiction and some tones take a bit longer to register,'' but he found it is easier with the younger writers, which was one of the reasons he was attracted to the piece.
Although Lee had no problems in catching the nuances, it was not easy delivering it in English, especially the humor.
`` It sounds funny in Korean but sometimes it doesn't translate well into English, so I had to try a different joke or something but try and keep the tone the same.''
In all, he took about around a month to translate the piece, as he was able to devote his time during the summer, being an English instructor at Kyung Hee University in Seoul.
In words of encouragement to other aspiring translators who find literature difficult, Lee said, ``With literature, you're always improving, so it's something that requires dedication, and even if you don't have natural talents you can always compensate by trying harder.''