Move over K-Pop, the next Korean culture wave could be K-Lit – if enough great books can be translated well
Booker prize win for Han Kang’s novel The Vegetarian shows high-quality translations are key to Korean writers gaining the global recognition they deserve, says PEN International’s new South Korean president
“The novel was published years ago in Korean, but it did not gain international attention before it was translated into English. It is an example of the significance of translation in literature,” says Sohn Hae-il, newly elected president of PEN International Korean Centre.
Sohn believes that Korean literature is the next hallyu – the wave of Korean pop culture that has exploded in popularity worldwide.
“Korean literature will become popular worldwide just like K-pop someday. As Korean culture gains popularity across the globe, more and more people are interested in learning the Korean language to understand the lyrics of K-pop and the words of Korean television dramas,” Sohn says.
“Korean literature should reach a wider audience, but the lack of quality translation has prevented Korean literature from resonating with readers in other languages. There are many people who are fluent in both Korean and English, but not all of them can interpret the rhyme and linguistic subtleties of a poem into a different language. The translators need training in understanding the implications in poems, which are different from everyday language.”