Systematic support necessary to nurture quality translators

This is the first of a four-part series on the importance of translation in globalizing Korean culture. — ED.

By Yun Suh-young

Kim Seong-kon, president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea)

To have more of its literary works recognized by the world, Korea needs systematic support to nurture quality translators.

Novelist Han Kang’s recent winning of the prestigious Man Booker International Prize with “The Vegetarian,” was also a feat of translation and a case in point that showed a good translator can turn a work into a global literary sensation.

Kim Seong-kon, president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea), said what differentiates “The Vegetarian” from other works translated into English is its readability.

“It’s very comfortable to read. Deborah Smith managed to translate the Korean cultural nuances very well. We need to foster such translators,” he said during an interview.

“She is well trained in writing as a literature major in college and knows the sensitivity of language. She’s written her own works and has learned Korean for the past seven years. She started translating Korean works solely out of passion. That’s important as well,” he said.

The biggest gift a writer can get is to have a good translator, he said, adding that Japanese writer Murakami Haruki was lucky because he has 46 excellent translators dedicated to translating his works.

“I’ve always been jealous of Japan for having superb translators such as Edward Seidensticker to translate Japanese literature into English beautifully. I believe Smith will play that role for Korea,” Kim said.

What makes good translator

To be a good translator, one has to love the writer and the work, Kim said.

“Translators need to understand the culture as well as the language, have a literary sensitivity, and be able to discover nuances and rhythm,” he added.

Koreans who have fluency in the arrival language would be ideal translators for Korean literature, Kim said.

“Native Koreans who speak and write fluently in the arrival language would make the best type of translators because they have a deep understanding of Korean culture. If they can convey that in the arrival language, nothing could be better. If not, a foreigner who knows Korea and its language well is another good option.”

Kim said there are not many qualified Korean translators. So in terms of the actual number of quality translators, there are more foreigners than Koreans.

“Yet the interest in translation is increasing among Koreans so I hope to see more qualified Korean translators in the future,” he said.

Challenges in nurturing translators

Currently the Translation Academy run by LTI Korea offers courses to 150 students selected every year. Since last year, the translation program has become a two-year course from the previous one-year program. Full scholarships are offered to foreigners.

“There are three types of translators — foreign nationals, Korean-Americans and Koreans. More and more, the number of foreigners is increasing while the number of Koreans is decreasing,” Kim said.

Part of the reason is that professors in Korea are not motivated to translate because translated works are not recognized as part of their research achievements.

“This is a pity because there are plenty of Korean professors who are fluent in foreign languages and can produce excellent translations. It’s a waste of talent,” he said.

Another reason attributed to the lack of Korean translators is the absence of academic degrees in translation.

“There is no degree available for translation. Our academy gives out certificate of completion to students who have studied here, but this is not enough. We need to give proper academic degrees to those who’ve completed the two-year program.”

“If the academy turns into a specialized graduate school and gives out a master’s degree, then we’ll be able to attract a pool of quality talent. I’m hoping and pushing for the institute’s transition into a grad school which is why we decided to extend the program to two years.”

Support system needed

Systematic changes are necessary for the translation industry to grow and to foster quality translators.

Changes can be made from policy revisions allowing translation to be recognized as part of a professor’s research as well as the granting of translation degrees.

“The culture minister and Cheong Wa Dae’s chief secretary of education and culture both support the transition into a graduate school. The final stage is passage by the National Assembly,” said Kim.

However, the bill has foundered so it needs to be resubmitted.

Kim said the Man Booker International Prize will rekindle hopes for the passage of the bill by parliament as the award must have impressed lawmakers.

“It’s funny how they didn’t listen to us when we spoke to them before, but now with the Man Booker achievement, it will help get the bill through more easily. That’s a big relief."

LTI Korea, an affiliate with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, will be receiving increased funding for translation from the government as it recently decided to expand its support.

There are also voices for strengthening the role of LTI.

“There are people suggesting that the role of LTI Korea should be expanded to function as a Translation Board which oversees all types of translation, not just literature. There are also talks about the name of the Literature Translation Institute being changed to the Culture Translation Institute to widen the field of translation. These are all under discussion at the moment,” said Kim.

Then there are areas for substantive support such as providing translators at working spaces.

Kim plans to build a “translators’ house” to offer translators a place to focus on their work.

“This is a mid to long-term plan. We plan to offer a place for translators to live during the period they’re translating. This saves costs and is more efficient for translators as well,” he said.

Then there are directional changes to be taken by LTI Korea to broaden the influence of Korean literature overseas. The institute plans to increase the number of English-translated works.

“We will focus on English translations even more in the future, having seen the impact The Vegetarian is having on the world. We realized that a work has to be translated into English in order to reach a wider audience,” Kim said.

With Kim’s appointment to the institute’s presidency in 2012, changes have already taken place and the development is ongoing. English, which had been marginalized until then, was brought to the forefront.

“Until I assumed the position, the institute had produced more translated works in other languages such as French or German than English. This was because those languages were what previous LTI presidents had studied. When I came, there weren’t even English speaking employees,” Kim said.

“So I created a team specializing in English. Now we have a whole crew of employees proficient in all the languages we translate into — English, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Japanese and Chinese.”

Kim, a professor emeritus of English literature at Seoul National University, was named president of LTI in 2012 and reappointed in 2015.

Kim earned aPh.D. in English Literature from the State University of New York at Buffalo and studied comparative literature at Columbia University under the noted scholar Edward W. Said.

Because of his long-term residence overseas, he has a network to promote Korean literature.

“Before, we barely had any industry connections in the English speaking world,” Kim said, explaining why Korean literature had not been popular.

“It was easier for me because I knew literature professors, publishers and editors in the U.S. because I lived there for over a decade. It’s impossible to globalize Korean literature overseas without a network. The efforts are slowly paying off.”