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Discussion of indirect translation : based on the study of translation of the novel 'The Besieged Fortress' of Qian Zhong Shu

양은정 1

1중남민족대학

Accredited

ABSTRACT

The famous novel ≪Besieged Fortress≫ written by the great Chinese author Qian Zhong Shu has been published twice in the Korea Republic during the 1990s. The first Korean translation of this masterpiece is actually an indirect translation via its English version. The second Korean translation is a direct translation based on the original novel written in Chinese. Influenced by the English version instead of the original version, some parts of the first Korean version appear vague and rigid as it was unable to be expressed in corresponding appropriate Korean Chinese characters. However, translating this way has its own advantage compared to direct translation. As this would lead to free translation instead of literal translation, therefore it took away the interference from those Korean Chinese characters, as a result it used more authentic Korean words to make the story more vivid, and has a significant good effect in describing the era and the society then, in which the characters of the novel had lived. Thus it also helps readers to understand the novel better. That is why this indirect version is regarded by many translators as an important reference book. Furthermore, it promotes Korean language and its culture, which of course is a desire for all translators from Korea. As a translator, you always want to do your best to produce the highest quality work and hope it will be liked by your readers. Because of that, your translation style has to be catered to the taste of your readers. This study shows that no matter whether it is a direct translation or an indirect translation, provided it helps producing a good translation work, being a translator you need to learn to apply either method or both into your translation to suit your readers.

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.