(News Focus) Han Kang's NBCC win again spotlights art of translation

▲ Han Kang speaks at a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, on Dec. 12, 2024. (Yonhap)

▲ South Korean novelist Hwang Sok-young (L), Sora Kim-Russell (C) and Youngjae Josephine Bae (R) pose for photos at the award ceremony of the International Booker Prize 2024 at London's Tate Modern on May 21, 2024. (Yonhap)

▲ Novelist Cheon Myeong-kwan (R) and translator Kim Chi-young pose for photos at the International Booker Prize ceremony at Sky Garden in London on May 23, 2023. "Whale" was shortlisted for the prize that year. (Yonhap)

▲ The cover of Han Kang's "We Do Not Part" is shown in this image provided by Hogarth Press/Penguin Random House. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(News Focus) Korean literature-translation

(News Focus) Han Kang's NBCC win again spotlights art of translation

By Woo Jae-yeon

SEOUL, March 27 (Yonhap) -- The National Book Critics Circle (NBCC)'s recognition of Han Kang's "We Do Not Part" speaks to Korean literature's growing reach on the global stage. Yet one factor is repeatedly singled out as indispensable: the quality of translation.

The Nobel laureate's NBCC win marks the first time a translated work has received the prize in fiction. Her recognition follows that of poet Kim Hye-soon, who became the first Korean to win the same award in the poetry category last year for the English translation of her collection "Phantom Pain Wings."

Within the Korean literature world, calls have been growing louder for greater government investment in translation quality and fairer treatment of translators. The need is made all the more pressing given how few people outside Korea speak the language.

In her acceptance speech Thursday night in New York, Han's first words of gratitude went to her two translators.

"I am so honored. Thank you to the two translators, e. yaewon and Paige Morris. I appreciate the incredible connection you have made for this book, from my mother tongue, Korean to English," said the speech delivered by David Ebershoff, vice president and editor-in-chief of Hogarth and executive editor of Random House, on behalf of the Korean author who was not available to attend the event in person.

In November 2024, she made the same point right after receiving the Nobel Prize in literature. At that time, she said she and dozens of her translators are "together in every sentence and in all sentences."

The thread stretches back further still. In 2016, Han won the 2016 International Booker Prize for "Vegetarian," a literary breakthrough that first brought her to wider global attention. Han and Deborah Smith, who translated the book, shared the honor together.

At a press event in Seoul shortly after winning the prize, Smith equaled translating a work of literature to "creatively rewriting it in another language, a process that involves varying degrees of interpretation and editorial decision" that demands both "literary sensibility" and "linguistic competency."

Since then, Korean authors have continued to make their presence felt on the global literary stage.

Chung Bora's "Cursed Bunny," a collection of 10 science-fiction short stories on curses and revenge, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2022, followed by Cheon Myeong-kwan's novel "Whale" in 2023. Hwang Sok-yong's "Mater 2-10" continued the streak the next year.

Chung also was nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award for "Your Utopia" in 2023, becoming the first Korean author to be a finalist for the science fiction prize.

For children's books, Suzy Lee won the Hans Christian Andersen Awards in 2022, while Lee Geum-yi has been shortlisted for the same award this year, following her nomination two years ago.

The Literature Translation Institute (LTI) of Korea has played a central role in nurturing literary translators since its foundation in 1996.

According to the state-run agency, overseas sales of Korean books, supported by the LTI's translation and publication program, reached 1.2 million copies last year, 2.3 times the figure of the previous year. The number of Korean books translated by the LTI hit a record 194 last year, a huge jump from 15 in 2001.

"Han's win reflects how her profound literary depth was seamlessly carried over through high-quality translation," LTI President Chon Soo-young said.

"We will spare no effort in supporting Korean literature to continue reaching readers around the world across the languages barrier," she said.

Poet Kwak Hyo-hwan, who served as LTI president from May 2021 to June 2024, stressed the need for broader social consensus on improving the treatment of translators, warning of a shortage of seasoned ones.

"One of the biggest challenges facing Korean literature translation is that there aren't that many reliable translators," he said, adding, "It won't be helpful to Korean literature in the long term if one translator is stretched across too many books."

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