Translation and Studies in

Colonial Korean Literature

ANDREA ORTIZ
UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO
ENG418
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 2

Korean Studies: Outlook ............................................................................................................. 3

Limitations in Translation ........................................................................................................... 3
Effects On Scholarly Work .......................................................................................................... 3
Project Description.......................................................................................................................... 5

Research Questions ..................................................................................................................... 5

Selection Process ......................................................................................................................... 5
Plan of Work ................................................................................................................................ 6
Dissemination Plan...................................................................................................................... 7
Qualifications ................................................................................................................................. 8

Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 9

Budget and Justification ................................................................................................................ 10

Budget Summary ........................................................................................................................ 10

Budget Justification ................................................................................................................... 12
References ..................................................................................................................................... 14

Appendix A: List of Possible Authors for Translation ................................................................. 15

TRANSLATION AND STUDIES IN COLONIAL KOREAN LITERATURE 1

INTRODUCTION

Korea’s literary history is as long as it is complex and has experienced influences in its writing
system and literature from countries it has come into contact with over different time periods,
with its main influencers being China and Japan. Before the implementation of Hangul (Korea’s
modern writing system) in the 15th century during the rule of Sejong the Great1 all Korean
literature was written using Chinese characters. This made producing literary works difficult
because writing with Chinese characters did not always translate well with the Korean language.
However, Korea would face a more difficult obstacle to its literary tradition and language. In
1910, Japan officially annexed the Korean peninsula into its empire and with it would follow
severe censorship and oppression of the Korean language and literary production and Japanese
influence during Korea’s colonial period from 1910-19452.

The field of Korean studies specializes in documenting and analyzing Korean history, politics,
and literature, and many specialize in a particular time period. Korean studies rose to prominence
in the English-speaking world in the 1970s3 and experienced peak growth during the 1980s as
several Korean studies centers opened in universities in the United States. It was during this time
that translation work of Korean literature into English experienced a boom as many translated
works and anthologies were published during that time4.

A revisiting of Korea’s colonial history is especially timely right now in Korean studies because
Korea is experiencing the centenary of Japanese colonial rule, with the centennial of the first of
anti-Japanese protest in 1919 is also coming up in the coming year. Scholarship and translation
in works created during the colonial period will reflect well on how Korean history has
developed, improve perspectives, and expand readership on this important time in Korean
history.

1
“Want to know about Hangeul?”, National Institute of Korean Language, last modified January 2008,
http://www.korean.go.kr/eng_hangeul/setting/002.html.
2
Youm, Kyu Ho. “Japanese Press Policy in Colonial Korea”, Journal of Asian History, last edited 1992,
http://www.jstor.org/stable/41930866.
3
Wikipedia contributors, "Korean studies," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia,
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Korean_studies&oldid=834176637 (accessed May 8, 2018).
4
Fulton, Bruce. “Selected Readings in Modern Korean Fiction in English Translation”, The Korean Language in
America, last edited 1999, http://www.kahs.org/downloads/99KoreanFic.pdf.

TRANSLATION AND STUDIES IN COLONIAL KOREAN LITERATURE 2

KOREAN STUDIES: OUTLOOK
Though Korean studies shows positive growth as a field of specialization in East Asian Studies
programs in American universities, the growth percentage of five percent is still lower than the
average of other fields of study5 and the growth rate in the labor force is equally as low6. Korean
is one of the fastest-growing foreign languages students are studying7 but the amount of Korean
to English translators is still at an extreme low of one to three percent compared to translators of
other languages, who dominate as much as sixty to seventy percent of the field of translation in
the United States8. This highlights not only a slow growth of the field in Korean studies, but a
lack of interest in the field, which affects the production and creation of scholarly work in this
field.

LIMITATIONS IN TRANSLATION
This particularly affects translation work of Korean literature into English because, though
Korean literature translation and scholarship peaked in the 1980s, translation has not improved
other than updating the current body of translated works and very little new translation work is
being done. In addition, a majority of translation work that has been done in English has largely
focused on classic Korean literature9, while only selections from famous Korean writers of the
colonial period have been translated and largely focused in anthologies10. There is an interest in
translated works of modern and contemporary Korean literature11, but as shown in The Digital
Library of Korean Literature, a comprehensive digital archive of Korean literature founded in
Korea, also shows that while little translation work is being done in English, there is at least a
double amount of translation work being done in other languages12.

The Literature Translation Institute, a Korean organization founded in 2001, acknowledges the
shortage of translation work being done with Korean literature and actively promotes translation
through specialized programs and grants13.

EFFECTS ON SCHOLARLY WORK

5
“East Asian Studies,” Data USA, last modified 2009, https://datausa.io/profile/cip/050104/.
6
Ibid.
7
Gordon, Larry. “Korean Language Classes are Growing in Popularity in U.S. Colleges”, L.A. Times, last modified
April 15, 2015, http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-korean-language-20150401-story.html.
8
Cabrera, Tamara. “The Translation and Interpreting Industry in the United States”, Cervantes Institute at FAS –
Harvard University, last modified Febrary 28, 2017,
http://cervantesobservatorio.fas.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/028_report_translation_2.pdf.
9
“Translated Books,” Digital Library of Korean Literature, http://library.ltikorea.or.kr/bibliography.
10
Ibid.
11
Kim, Kyu Eun. “[LTI at the Olympics] Sports with a Dash of Literature”, Korean Literature Now, last modified
March 23, 2018, https://koreanliteraturenow.com/news-events/lti-olympics-sports-dash-literature.
12
Ibid.
13
“Program: Translation Grants”, Literature Translation Institute of Korea,
https://www.ltikorea.or.kr/en/transupen.do.

TRANSLATION AND STUDIES IN COLONIAL KOREAN LITERATURE 3

Because of the limitations of available translated works in English, scholarly work in English has
also focused on what is available. For scholarly work in colonial Korean literature, the focus
remains on famous authors who have only one or two selections of their work translated into
English, leaving other important works and lesser-known authors in obscurity. Korean studies on
the colonial period are also concentrated in other fields of the humanities, such as history and the
social sciences.

Translation of Korean literature into English, and particularly colonial Korean literature, are in
need of expansion and revised perspectives in order for interest to remain stable and for more
comprehensive scholarship to develop.

TRANSLATION AND STUDIES IN COLONIAL KOREAN LITERATURE 4

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

RESEARCH QUESTIONS
My project, Translation and Studies in Colonial Korean Literature, will focus on the collection
and translation of underrepresented Korean authors during Korea’s colonial period in order to
help fill the gap in English translation of colonial Korean literature. Works will be selected for
translation and analysis guided by, though not limited to, how they can answer the following
research questions:

• What works of literature created during Korea’s colonial period reflect cultural, societal,
and economic realities? What specific historical contexts can be attributed to this, and
these works are responding to?
• What patterns, as a result of political changes, were established that affected societal
structure during Korea’s colonial period? How are these effects presented in literature
published during that time?

The major emphasis of my study will lie in qualitative study of texts published during Korea’s
colonial period from 1910-1945. Texts will be collected from the National Library of Korea and
from libraries in the Korea University Library System. I will choose works from authors that
have not been previously translated into English and further narrow my selections to include
work from authors whose impact on Korean history extends beyond their literary works, such as
political activism and involvement in other influential fields such as film and journalism. The
works will be analyzed and systematically studied using a mix of new historicism and post-
colonial literary theory in order to identify and categorize common themes, styles, and historical
circumstances surrounding the creation of the selected works.

SELECTION PROCESS
There are three authors whose works I would like to prioritize for this project:

❖ Su-Gil An (1911-1977): An influential writer known for his portrayal of the poverty
Korean peasants experienced when they fled to Manchuria to escape Japanese
colonial rule, particularly studied in his short novella “Rice Plant”, which has not
previously been translated into English. An’s family fled to Manchuria early in
Japan’s occupation of Korea and he draws from his experience to reflect the realities
of being driven from the homeland into his writing. In addition, he was a participant
in the Gwangju Student Movements of 1929 and was consequently expelled from
school for his involvement.
❖ Jeong-Hui Choi (1912-1990): Celebrated in Korea for her novel trilogy, Pulse of the
Earth (Jimaek), Pulse of Humanity (Inmaek), and Pulse of Heaven (Cheonmaek). She

TRANSLATION AND STUDIES IN COLONIAL KOREAN LITERATURE 5

 is known for her focus on social discrimination and marginalization of women under
the oppression of a patriarchal society and the political climate of Japanese colonial
rule in her works, and to date only a few selections of her writings have been
translated into English. In addition, she was a member of the Korean Federation of
Proletarian Art (KAPF), a socialist literary group whose mission was to serve class
liberation and worked to make the public aware of injustices brought by the political
climate at the time. Her involvement with this organization let to her arrest in 1934
and after her release, she became a journalist for the Chosun Ilbo.
❖ Myeong-Sun Kim (1896-1950): Writer known for her distinct psychological
portraits, but very little is known about her outside of the Korean peninsula as most of
her works have yet to be excavated and some even remain lost. Her most significant
work, a novella named “Girl of Mystery” (Uimonui Sonyeo), has only been translated
into German. She was a member of the literary circle Creation, founded in 1919 by
Korean students in Tokyo, which focused on realism and opposed didactic literature
written by other Korean writers at the time. She also worked as poet, journalist, and in
film.

A complete list of other authors considered for this project are listed in Appendix A.

During the award period, I will focus on the gathering and collecting of works for translation. I
intend to select at least ten short stories, two novellas, and to complete part of Jeong-Hui Choi’s
Pulse of the Earth for translation. I will scan each selected work in the original Korean along
with its corresponding English translation and digitally catalog them to an online archive. My
work will later be published for public access and will also allow for concurrent commentary on
my translations. I will supplement my translations with archival research focused on newspaper
publications, related historical documents, and documented historical movements to write
corresponding annotations for each work that I translate. The outline of my plan of work is as
follows:

PLAN OF WORK

MONTHS 1-4
• Develop analytical framework for book manuscript.
• Contract translator.
• Travel to Korea and establish connections with Literature Translation Institute of Korea
and Seoul National University (SNL).
• Complete scheduled visits to research locations and collect materials.
• Begin translation of works.

TRANSLATION AND STUDIES IN COLONIAL KOREAN LITERATURE 6

MONTHS 5-8
• Complete selection of materials.
• Begin consultations on translations with Korean Literature department at SNL.
• Compose schematic for first half of manuscript.

MONTHS 9-12
• Submit book proposal for annotated anthology to University of New Mexico Press.
• Begin composing book chapters.
• Begin comprehensive annotations of selected works.

DISSEMINATION PLAN

At the end of the award period, I intend to have completed the comprehensive selection of works
from the selected authors list, have completed translations and archival research, and have the
works ready for annotations. Because I had intermediate proficiency in Korean, I intend to
complete all of my translations the assistance of a translator and I will also consult with the
Korean Literature Department at Seoul National University to ensure that translations are
accurate, account for errors in translation and dialectical differences, and also ensure that I
engage in responsible editing with translations and archival research with regards to
corresponding annotations.

I will also collaborate with the University of New Mexico Libraries and East Asian Studies
program to begin a digital archive of translated works for reading and study that will allow for
improvement and expansions of translated work.

My goal for this project is to complete a book proposal for an annotated anthology with
explanatory and textual notes that I will submit to the University of New Mexico Press to begin
the publication process.

Depending on the date ranges for the project, I also plan to present my ongoing research at the
The Asian Conference on Asian Studies, the Association for Korean Studies Europe, and Asian
Studies Conference Japan. They will serve as important venues for disseminating research and
will help me create a network for collaborative discussion and further research opportunities.

TRANSLATION AND STUDIES IN COLONIAL KOREAN LITERATURE 7

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

A) LANGUAGE LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Advanced Fluency:

• Spanish – Native speaker, 20+ years

• Italian – 8 years
Intermediate Fluency:

• Korean – 3 years
• Mandarin – 2 years

B) ARCHIVAL RESEARCH

• Work experience at a reprographics shop scanning, cataloguing, and reproducing materials

for the City of Albuquerque, Albuquerque Public Schools, and engineering and law firms.
• Maintained and published records for aforementioned organizations on servers and online
websites.

C) SELECTIONS OF TRANSLATION WORK

SHORT STORY
D.H. Lawrence, “Odour of Chrysanthemums” / “Olor de los crisantemos” (2016)
(English to Spanish)
Ernest Hemingway, “Water for Elephants” / “Agua para los elefantes” (2009)
(English to Spanish)
Julio Cortázar, “La noche boca arriba” / “The Face-Up Night” (2016)
(Spanish to English)
POETRY
Selections from Dante Alighieri’s “Inferno”, “El Paradiso” (2014)
(Italian to English)
NOVEL
Juan Rulfo, “Pedro Parámo” (2017-2018)
(Spanish to English)

TRANSLATION AND STUDIES IN COLONIAL KOREAN LITERATURE 8

CONCLUSION

A revisiting of works created during Korea’s colonial period right now is timely because Korea
is currently in the centenary of its colonial period of 1910-1945, and in particular the centennial
of the first anti-Japanese occupation protests of 1919. Translating new works of literature into
English will strengthen the support for translation and publication of Korean literature, which
will in turn have Korean studies benefit from expanded pool of translated works and improved
translations. This will in turn expand readership and promote interest in Korean literature not
only for leisure reading, but also for new scholarly study.

TRANSLATION AND STUDIES IN COLONIAL KOREAN LITERATURE 9

 BUDGET AND JUSTIFICATION

BUDGET SUMMARY

Salaries and Wages Description Cost Total

Fellow’s Salary 1,560 hours $25,500USD $25,500USD

Research Assistance Description Cost Total

Translator Korean to English $22.00USD/per hour $6,600USD

translator for 300 hours

Consulting Fees Contractual Graduate Students: $8,250USD

consultations with $50,000KRW or
graduate students $45USD/per hour at
and professors at current exchange rate
Seoul National for 50 hours
University
Professors:
$130,000KRW or
$120USD/per hour at
current exchange rate
for 50 hours

Travel, Lodging, and Description Cost Total

Transportation

Airfare Roundtrip from $1650USD $1650USD

Albuquerque, New
Mexico to Seoul,
South Korea for one
(1) person

TRANSLATION AND STUDIES IN COLONIAL KOREAN LITERATURE 10

Lodging and meals - 1-bedroom student -$930,000KRW or $2,700USD
apartment $900USD/month at
current exchange rate
for 3 months
-Meals -Per diem $800USD

Public Transportation Transportation Card $4,000KRW or $337.50USD

$3.75USD/per day at
current exchange rate
for 90 days

Supplies Description Cost Total

Books/printed literature $2,500USD $2,500USD

Computer equipment Scanner, hard drive $800USD $800USD

to keep data

Computer Software Adobe Acrobat Pro, $200USD $200USD

archiving software

Office Supplies $100USD $100USD

Project Funding: a. Requested from Total Funding

the NEH Requested from the
NEH: $44,300USD

b. Matching Funds LTI of Korea Matching Funds: $2.5

Translation Grant million KRW or
$2,400USD at current
exchange rate

Total Project Funding $49,700USD

TRANSLATION AND STUDIES IN COLONIAL KOREAN LITERATURE 11

BUDGET JUSTIFICATION

PERSONNEL

Salaries and Wages. Salary requested to support recipient of award for an academic school year
(equivalent to 1,560 work hours). This will ensure that work is conducted smoothly and in a
timely manner. This financial support is vital because it will give the recipient time to focus
primarily on moving the project forward.

Research Assistance. A Korean to English translator will be contracted for a total of 30 working
days. Salary has been calculated using median salaries for translators. Consultations will be
sought out with staff and graduate students at Seoul National University. Fees have been
calculated using rates provided by the Korean Literature Department consultations website. A
total of 100 hours of consultations have been approximated for this project. A translator and
consultations will be necessary to ensure accurate translations and responsible editing.

TRAVEL, LODGING, TRANSPORTATION

Airfare. Travel has been calculated according to NEH Budget Narrative specifications: lowest
cost airfare for involved personnel. Travel to Korea will be essential for the selection and
collection of works to be translated.

Lodging and Meals. Per diem rates in Seoul, Korea run at $220USD/day at the lowest14, and
therefore lodging in a student apartment will keep costs down. Student apartments are compact
and despite their moniker are available to regular residents. Lodging has been calculated for an
estimated three months in Seoul, Korea for the collection and selection of works for translation.
Meal rates have been calculated at the lowest available per diem rates.

Transportation. Transportation will be necessary to travel to multiple locations while in Korea

for the collecting of works for translation. Rates for public transportation have been calculated
using rates listed on Korea’s Tourism webpage15.

14
“2018 Per Diem Rates in Seoul, Korea,” PerDiem101, last modified May 8, 2018,
https://www.perdiem101.com/oconus/2018/seoul-korea-rate.
15
“Transportation: Useful Tips,” Imagine Your Korea, last modified May 8, 2018,
https://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/TRP/TP_ENG_8_1_1.jsp.

TRANSLATION AND STUDIES IN COLONIAL KOREAN LITERATURE 12

SUPPLIES AND OTHER COSTS

Books and printed literature. Books and other printed literature, when they cannot otherwise be
borrowed from one of Korea’s libraries in the Korea University Library System, will have to be
purchased in order to be scanned and archived for translation. Cost has been calculated at an
approximation to encompass all possible costs for book and printed literature purchases.

Computer equipment. A scanner will be required to digitize works for translation and a hard
drive will be required to keep them archived.

Computer software. Adobe Acrobat Pro with original character recognition (OCR) will be
essential for scanning and editing of works for translation. Specialized archiving software will
also be necessary to begin online archiving process.

Office supplies. Approximation for total cost of pens, notebooks, and other miscellaneous costs
involved with the project have been included.

TRANSLATION AND STUDIES IN COLONIAL KOREAN LITERATURE 13

REFERENCES

“2018 Per Diem Rates in Seoul, South Korea.” PerDiem101,

https://www.perdiem101.com/oconus/2018/seoul-korea-rate. Accessed 8 May 2018.
“East Asian Studies.” Data USA, https://datausa.io/profile/cip/050104/. Accessed 8 May 2018.
“Program: Translation Grants.” Literature Translation Institute of Korea,
https://www.ltikorea.or.kr/en/transupen.do. Accessed 8 May 2018.
“Translated Books.” Digital Library of Korean Literature,
http://library.ltikorea.or.kr/bibliography. Accessed 8 May 2018.
“Transportation: Useful Tips.” Imagine Your Korea,
https://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/TRP/TP_ENG_8_1_1.jsp. Accessed 8 May 2018.
“Want to know about Hangeul?” National Institute of Korean Language.
http://www.korean.go.kr/eng_hangeul/setting/002.html. Accessed 8 May 2018.
“Writer’s List.” Digital Library of Korean Literature, http://library.ltikorea.or.kr/writers-name-
list?f=y&field_date=1907-01-01~1950-12-
31&field_family_name_value=&sort_by=field_family_name_value_1&sort_order=ASC
&items_per_page=10&page=1. Accessed 8 May 2018.
Cabrera, Tamara. “The Translation and Interpreting Industry in the United States.”
Fulton, Bruce. “Selected Readings in Modern Korean Fiction in English Translation”. The
Korean Language in America. (1999): Vol 3, pp. 217-231.
Gordon, Larry. “Korean Language Classes are Growing in Popularity in U.S. Colleges.” Los
Angeles Times, April 15, 2015, http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-korean
-language-20150401-story.html. Accessed 8 May 2018.
Hwang, Kyung Moon. Rationalizing Korea: The Rise of the Modern State, 1894-1945. 2015.
Oakland: University of California Press, 2015.
Kim, Kyu Eun. “[LTI at the Olympics] Sports with a Dash of Literature”, Korean Literature
Now, 23 March 2018, https://koreanliteraturenow.com/news-events/lti-olympics-sports-
dash-literature. Accessed 8 May 2018.
Myers, Ramon H. and Mark R. Peattie. The Japanese Colonial Empire, 1895-1945. 1984.
Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1984.
Shin, Gi-Wook and Robinson, Michael. Colonial Modernity in Korea. 1999. Harvard University
Asia Center, 1999.
Yoo, Theodore Jun. The Politics of Gender in Colonial Korea: Education, Labor, and Health,
1910-1945. 2008. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008.
Youm, Kyu Ho. “Japanese Press Policy in Colonial Korea.” Journal of Asian Studies. (1992):
Vol 26, No 2, pp. 140-159.
Wikipedia contributors. “Korean studies.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The
Free Encyclopedia, 4 Apr. 2018. Web. 8 May. 2018.

TRANSLATION AND STUDIES IN COLONIAL KOREAN LITERATURE 14

APPENDIX A

LIST OF POSSIBLE AUTHORS FOR TRANSLATION

❖ Sin Ae Baek (1908-1939)

❖ Myung Hee Cho (1894-1938)

❖ Dong In Kim (1900-1951)

❖ Dal Jin Kim (1907-1989)

❖ So Wol Kim (1902-1934)

❖ Yuk Sa Lee (1904-1944)

❖ Youn Sook Moh (1910-1990)

❖ In Hwan Park (1926-1952)

❖ Kwang Su Yi (1892-1950)

TRANSLATION AND STUDIES IN COLONIAL KOREAN LITERATURE 15