45th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards

Judge's report

By Brother Anthony, Jung Ha-yun, Min Eun-kyung

Brother Anthony, professor emeritus at Sogang University

Jung Ha-yun, professor at Ewha Womans University

Min Eun-kyung, professor at Seoul National University

Each year as we set out to review the entries for this contest, we harbor anticipation of not only discovering new talent, but also of being introduced to unknown work that surprises and excites us, and to new ways of reading familiar writers. Translation, as the poet Robert Pinsky put it, is the most intense form of reading, and translators bear the responsibility of being the most engaged readers and interpreters of the work that they take on.

This year, the works chosen by the participating translators represented a broader spectrum than in previous years, ranging from a story by Oh Chung-Hee and poems by Choi Seung-ja, both leading female voices of the 1980s and 90s, to fiction by two of the latest arrivals on the literary scene, Yu Go-eunand Kim Jong-ok.But once again, the most popular among the translators were a familiar handful of contemporary writers -- urban in sensibility, modernist in style, and detached in voice -- as seen in this year’s winning works in the fiction category: Kim Soom, Pyeon Hye-young, and Park Hyeong-seo.

The first thing that struck us about this year’s fiction entries was their impressive quality. There were many worth considering, rendered in fluent English and with a sufficient sense of how a story flows. So the final stages of judging proved harder than in previous years, requiring a closer examination of each translation’s literary and aesthetical achievements: How far is the translator willing to go to achieve in English what the original story is achieving as a captivating work of art?

Three entries shortlisted by all three judges made up our finalists in fiction, each of them accomplished: an excerpt from Park Hyeong-seo’s novel “Nana Before Dawn,” set in the underbelly of Bangkok; “Monsoon” by Pyeon Hye-young, about a young couple confronting the loss of their child; and Kim Soom’s “On Slowness,” an adolescent girl’s coming-of-age story. While the prose in “Nana Before Dawn” is polished and sophisticated in style, the translator seems willing to push beyond the original work, shifting the syntax and amplifying the effect of the imagery. The dry and distant third-person voice in “Monsoon” proves quite challenging to be rendered into a compelling narrative in English, and while the translator has produced a fine and faithful translation, often times the prose ends up sounding stilted. After much deliberation, we decided on commendations for the two aforementioned entries and on awarding the grand prize to “On Slowness.” Written in a reminiscent first-person voice and narrower in scope than the two other finalists, this was in some ways a less demanding story, but overall, the translator proved deft at handling the vivid details and at controlling the prose to render the voice natural and at the same time elegant.

There were quite a number of fiction entries that did not make the final list but were strong contestants that showed promise, including “Underwater Goliath,”“A Real Sweet Holiday,” and “Beach Boys.”These manuscripts deserve acknowledgment, and we hope the translators will work on polishing them and developing their craft.

In the poetry category, only four entries were received, among which one stood out for the quality of the translation and the distinct sensibility of the poems. Choi Seung-ja’s poems of torment and deprivation served as private anthems for many tortured souls during the politically oppressed 1980s, and in translation, the emotions captured in the poems feel just as raw and frightening. The translation manages to stay faithful to the overall design of the poems, which is quite impressive. However, much of what gives the poems a touch of playful lyricism in Korean -- for instance, rhythm created through onomatopoeic adverbs -- is simplified in the translation, resulting in a darker, more somber voice, and we decided on a commendation award for this entry.

While it is true that Korean literature is gaining more ground in the English-speaking world, with some writers now gaining global recognition, there remain far more works to be read, explored, and translated. Good translators possessing both linguistic and literary competence are still much needed. This year’s good crop leaves us hopeful.