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The Issues in English Translations of Pre-modern Korean Literature

YOUME KIM 1

1연세대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

The number of publications on Korean studies has surged due to Korea’s increased international exposure since around the early 2000s. While the number of studies on Korean literature also has shown noticeable growth regarding contemporary novels and poems translated into various languages, the field of pre-modern Korean literature has relied on a small number of scholars and publications. To expand the scope of pre-modern Korean literature in English-speaking countries, this study suggests ways to enhance the readability of English translations of pre-modern Korean literary works by focusing on introductions and notes in Epistolary Korea: Letters in the Communicative Space of the Chosŏn, 1392-1910, Score One for the Dancing Girl, and Other Selections from the Kimun Ch'onghwa: A Story Collection from Nineteenth-Century Korea, and Wrongful Deaths: Selected Inquest Records from Nineteenth-Century Korea. This study selects the three publications above because they were translated and edited by pre-modern Korean scholars in the United States, who number very few but have devoted to themselves to make useful reading materials for students, published in US university presses, and received favorable reviews among scholars and students in general. The three translations commonly devote 30–50% of the total number of pages to the introduction, which guides readers to understand the significance of the translated literary works in understanding Korea and neighboring East Asian countries. In addition, detailed and sufficient notes on Korea’s historical figures and events from an East Asian context help to catch readers’ interest.

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