KOREAN REALIA IN INDIRECT TRANSLATION (ON THE NOVEL “THE VEGETARIAN” BY HAN KANG)
The article presents the results of comparative analysis of the translation of Korean cultural realia of the Man Booker International Prize winning novel “The Vegetarian” by Han Kang in Ukrainian version (2017, transl. A. Asman) and English mediating text (2016, transl. D. Smith). The research pr...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Alfred Nobel University Publisher
2019-06-01
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| Series: | Вісник університету ім. А. Нобеля. Серія Філологічні науки |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://phil.duan.edu.ua/images/PDF/2019/1/9.pdf |
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| Summary: | The article presents the results of comparative analysis of the translation of Korean cultural realia
of the Man Booker International Prize winning novel “The Vegetarian” by Han Kang in Ukrainian version
(2017, transl. A. Asman) and English mediating text (2016, transl. D. Smith).
The research proves that the indirect translation of the culture-bound Korean novel from English into
Ukrainian leads to inadequacy of translation, distortions of meaning, deterioration of the cultural identity
and specificity of the source text.
The mistakes of the mediating text are replicated in the target text, as well as new errors and
misinterpretations appear, arising from the fact that the Ukrainian translator lacks cultural competence
and seeks to domesticate for the target recipient the mediating text, already adapted and transformed.
The Ukrainian version of the novel frequently distorts the image of Korean society, violating the norms
of Korean etiquette, providing wrong understandings of Korean hierarchical connections and Confucian
moral standards. The translation is overloaded with excessively disgusting details depicting the Korean way
of life as exotic and “uncivilized”.
The artistic ideas of the writer are misrepresented in the Ukrainian translation emphasizing on
the differences between Western and Eastern cultures and the issue of the suppression of women in
male-chauvinistic conservative society. The misinterpretations impede the readers from focusing on the
psychological and philosophical levels of the novel, like the universal problems of solitude, estrangement,
social duties and individual freedom.
The indirect translation of “The Vegetarian”, performed by a person with insufficient knowledge about
Korea, provides the Ukrainian readers with incomprehensible realia without commentaries, unreasonable
cultural adaptation, incorrect description of the appearance and motivation of the main characters. The
translator was not able to convey the symbolical meaning of many culinary terms and the idea of collective
eating as a crucial social phenomenon in Korea. The Ukrainian colloquialisms and slang integrated into the
Korean novel make the expressions unnatural and inappropriate to the context.
Considering that the source text of the novel “The Vegetarian” is very rich in culinary terms, other
cultural words and contexts, and that the general Ukrainian public in not informed about Korean traditions,
the book needs a competent translator able to provide comments and perform adequate pragmatic and
cultural interpretation. |
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| ISSN: | 2523-4463 2523-4749 |