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, “[Herald Economy=Reporter Naeun Jung] Novelist Han Kang, who became the first Korean writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, is garnering attention for her representative novel ‘The Vegetarian’ which was introduced to the world by translator Deborah Smith. “,
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, ‘The Vegetarian, published in Korean in 2007, gained global attention after winning the prestigious Booker Prize in the UK in 2016. Han Kang’s Booker Prize win was a first for a Korean. Deborah Smith, the British translator, played a significant role in achieving this honor, which is listed along with the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Cervantes Prize as one of the top three literary awards in the world.’,
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, ‘Smith majored in English literature at the University of Cambridge and decided to focus on Korean literature as she noticed the scarcity of translators specializing in Korean in the UK. She taught herself Korean while there was no connection with Korea in 2010.’,
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, ‘Smith expanded her understanding of Korean culture in various aspects by pursuing a master’s and doctoral degree in Korean studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London. In just three years of learning Korean, she encountered Han Kang’s The Vegetarian.’,
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, ‘Smith, who was the first to recognize the charm of this novel in the UK, praised Han Kang’s ability to portray the darkest and most violent aspects of humanity in a perfectly restrained style. She took charge of the translation, contacting publishers, and promoting the book.’,
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, ‘In 2013, Smith presented seven chapters of The Vegetarian’s Korean-English translation to the renowned UK publisher, Granta Portobello, at an event during the London Book Fair. The editor, Max Porter, explained the reason for acquiring the English version by stating, “Some employees felt it was too unfamiliar to forecast commercial success, but it was eerie, shocking, elegant, radical, and beautiful.”‘,
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, ‘Smith shared the Booker Prize with Han Kang for her translation of The Vegetarian. Her translation was praised for preserving the delicate style of the original work.’,
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, ‘At a press conference in Korea in 2016, Smith stated, “I always strive to be faithful to the spirit of the original work and to stay true to the language form as much as possible. A poor translation can damage an excellent piece of work, but even the best translation in the world cannot turn a mediocre work into a masterpiece.”‘,
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, ‘She tends to use Korean words as they are, rather than translating them literally. She explained, “I’m against using derivatives from other cultures, such as calling soju ‘Korean vodka’ or manga ‘Korean comics’. In the translation of Han Kang’s ‘The Boy Comes’ I used words like ‘hyung’ and ‘unni’ as they are.”‘,
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, “Since The Vegetarian, Smith has continued to translate works such as Han Kang’s ‘The Boy Comes’ and ‘Human Acts,’ Bae Suah’s ‘A Greater Music’ and ‘Recitation,’ as well as Hwang Jung-eun’s ‘The Dog Thief,’ introducing Korean literature to the world.”,
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