For Foreign Eyes

 

Through the years I have been translating dozens of books into Korean, from English and Chinese. Recently it occurred to me that it's time I did some work in the opposite direction as well. There is a lot of writing in Korean of great potential value for non-Korean readers, for which there is still little prospect of translation. Including mine. ^^

 

English is the only foreign languate I can write in. I would like to be able to write in Chinese too, but it will take some time to do that, if at all. Meanwhile, I will begin the work with English.

 

I have written quite an amount in English, but most of it was in private letters and only a small part was for publication. I cannot be sure about having my future translation published in any formal ways. That is the reason for setting up this category here. I will publish here what I translate, and see if other ways of publication come up.

 

I will begin with my own writings because with them I will have no copyright problems. I will go on to get permission of other writers to publish my translation of their writings. My hope is split. On the one hand, I hope to be able to translate valuable works of many writers. That is a translator's hope. On the other, I hope few writers give me the permission, so I can concentrate on translating my work. That is a writer's hope.

 

The translation is, of course, for non-Koreans' eyes. But I hope some Korean readers too will be interested. Because I believe that translation can put the text in a new light and help the reader to find more meanings than in the original text. That is the primary reason I want to translate other people's work. For my own satisfaction. I am not such a philanthropist who would do the difficult work only for other people's sake.