Farewell
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By Chi-Young Kim
It seems that everyone is in a sharing frame of mind these days. Most people I know, whether young or old, are on various social media platforms, from Facebook to Instagram. Somehow, none of this has ever felt right to me. I don’t want people to know what I’m thinking or listening to. I am not even on LinkedIn, though friends and colleagues urge me to join, telling me it is indispensible for networking and job hunting. They are probably right, and maybe I will join one of these days.
I have always been a private person. It takes me a while to open up to someone. As a child, every move to a new place brought on bouts of anxiety. I would think ― I’m just starting to hit my stride here ― and now I have to start over and make new friends! While I have become good at engaging with new people, it is mostly due to a secret I learned: everyone likes to talk about themselves. So I ask a lot of questions. Mainly I’m interested in what they have to say, since I’m eternally curious about people’s lives and motivations, but it also serves to deflect questions about myself until I feel ready to share.
Given these proclivities, I almost turned down this newspaper when asked to write a regular column. What would I write about every other week? Who would even care to read what I had to say? I’m too young to have anything of consequence to share! But I listened to my trusted confidants. If nothing else, my mother counseled, it would be good practice in learning to write on a schedule. Of course, as always, they were proved right. The paper generously allowed me to choose any topic I wanted, and I found I enjoyed writing these columns. Having a set schedule taught me to organize my thoughts quickly, and though I tend toward perfectionism, I had to let that go to meet deadlines, helping me understand that good enough is good enough.
A particular highlight is hearing from readers. A translator sends her work out into the world blindly, not knowing what everyday readers are taking away from it and how they feel, so this experience was eye opening. Some people graciously pointed out mistakes, others wrote to express their appreciation, and a few told me their personal stories, leading to fascinating exchanges.
Now, two and a half years later, I am writing my last column. While it has been a thrilling ride, it is time. As my day job ramps up and I balance my translation work with other interests, I would like to create more time for reflection and rest. It’s common knowledge that rest is beneficial to one’s work, but a workaholic has a difficult time putting that into practice. Ever since I started translating, I suffered from what I call the freelancer’s syndrome: taking on every possible job to ensure one’s relevance. I also genuinely wanted to do everything. This project has such a distinct voice, I would rationalize, or that novel pushes me out of my comfort zone and I want to try it. Recently, though, to maintain my sanity, I have begun to turn down projects that I don’t love or have time for and I recommend other translators.
This past summer was the first significant chunk of time I took off from translation. I referred to it as my sabbatical, but nobody believed I would actually stop; I am the sort of crazy person who took on a new translation project when my daughter was only a few weeks old. This summer, though, I stepped away from my desk. It came as no surprise to anyone but me that the time away was rejuvenating. I read widely, and for pleasure. I spent more time with family and friends, whiling away hours at the beach watching my daughter dig in the sand. On weekend mornings, instead of pounding away at my computer, I had brunch. I even took naps. As is evident from my rhapsodizing, I had a blast.
Now, I feel ready to tackle new translation projects, slog through a busy season at work and develop new friendships and strengthen old ones. Thank you for reading and being a part of this exhilarating experience. I hope one day to return to these pages.
Chi-Young Kim is an award-winning literary translator based in Los Angeles. Her latest translation, Lee Jung-myung's "The Investigation," was released by Mantle in March. Contact her at chiyoung@chiyoungkim.com or via her website, chiyoungkim.com.