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It was not an easy job to translate <Taebaek Mountain Range>, Jo Jung-rae’s epic novel known for its tightly-woven structure, philosophical depth, and rich linguistic flair. Byeon Jeong-won and Georges Ziegelmeyer completed this arduous task after five years of hard work. The great quality and significance of their work also earned them Les Mots d'Or (Golden Language) 2008 from the Association for the Promotion of French Language (APFA). Looking back to the years they spent crying and laughing with the novel, the two sent us a “love letter dedicated to Korean literature” from a faraway land, France.
- How did you win “Les Mots d’Or (Golden Language) 2008’ from the APFA?
- Byeon Jeong-won (Henceforth Byeon)_ In France, they value and respect diversity. But this culture ultimately evolves around their own language. In other words, they are selecting and giving an award to a high-quality French translation of a foreign literature work in order to promote the study and use of the French language.
- As you are already aware, France suffered through two World Wars, and the people here built a democratic country in the process of healing their nation. I believe the French could relate to and empathize with another process of self-healing as experienced by the Korean people and portrayed in Taebaek Mountain Range. The important thing is that this award recognizes the philosophy of self-healing shared by Korean people and voiced by Cho, rather than our translation, which uses a tool called the French language. We were merely the messengers of her words about the pain and growth experienced by Korean people.
- How did you come to translate Arirang and Taebaek Mountain Range by Jo Jung-rae?
- Georges Ziegelmeyere (Henceforth Ziegelmeyere)_ Taebaek Mountain Range accurately portrays the emotional dynamics and patriotism of the Korean people of that time through somewhat crude and simple dialects; it allows readers to learn about and experience the beauty of the Korean language and the unique sentiments that were widespread during that period. The tightly woven storyline leads the reader to fully engage and sympathize with each and every character. Jo’s work - conceived through the marriage of historical imagination and fictional truth - is a historical literature of unquestionable magnificence. The work embodies the essence of Korean culture and sentiment, comforts the unfortunate, and reflects upon very real social issues. It speaks to all readers around the world, including those from Asian countries with a similar culture to Korea. And we just wanted to introduce this masterpiece, the result of so much love and devotion, to the world.
- With two of you co-translating, how was the division of labor made?
- Byeon_ My husband and I had lived a double life constantly crossing the line between confusion and introspection, as well as the one between reality and fiction, for the five years we spent translating Taebaek Mountain Range. Georges cried a lot in his sleep. When we were translating the part where the innocent people were getting killed for no reason, we became so absorbed in the story that it was like we were not in this world. We had to become a part of the story and live the life of the main characters. In the process, Georges and I communicated over the first draft of the translation to find the most suitable words and phrases for each sentence. We must have gone through the entire novel a few dozen times, living the storyline, throwing around different ideas, and coming to an agreement, night and day.
- How did the French critics respond to your translations of Cho’s works?
- Byeon_ Many French soldiers fought and were killed in the Korean War, and such individual sacrifices are highly regarded in the history of France. And Jo’s interpretation of modern history in Taebaek Mountain Range - presented to a modern French literary scene dominated by superficial and popular themes - is closely related to the traditional value system of French society. Furthermore, the author’s creative and unique organizational style, her delivery of emotions on an epic scale, and the naked portrayal of the pain inflicted by the ideological conflict on the nation and its individual citizens have been enthusiastically praised.
- What is the unique charm of Korean literature compared for instance with that of America and Japan?
- Ziegelmeyere_ French literature is the story of the French people, Japanese literature is the story of the Japanese people, and Korean literature is the story and thought of the Korean people. As small waves come together to create a tsunami, one person’s thought becomes two persons’ stories, and they eventually become the pillar of water rising from the ocean called society.
- Byeon_ From the viewpoint of a Korean person, I think Korean literature shines the brightest when it is truly Korean. And this is the challenge all translators face, as well as the key element to the success of Korean literature outside Korea.
- Tell us about the challenge in translating subtle nuances from Korean to French.
- Ziegelmeyere_ It was particularly difficult to portray sentimental colors that are unique to Korea and Asian philosophy and aesthetics that cannot be found elsewhere. Sometimes we made a literal translation of Korean proverbs, while at other times we found similar French proverbs and used them instead. The making of footnotes to explain different terminologies related with hanok (traditional Korean house), hanbok (traditional Korean clothing), hansik (traditional Korean cuisine) and hallyu (the current vogue for Korean pop culture) was definitely a challenging job, but we thought that it would be a good idea to retain Korean words and terms as much as possible to expand and further enrich the French vocabularies of the future.
As important as it is to promote and highlight the value of the French language, we need to do the same for Hangeul as a tool to add more prestige to Korean literature on the international stage.
- Curriculum vitae [ Byeon Jeong-won and her husband Georges Ziegelmeyere ]
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- Translators
- Published the translated version of Taebaek Mountains written by Jo Jeong-rae in France.
- Received Les Mots d'Or 2008 (Golden Language Prize for Translation) from the APFA (Actions Pour Promouvoir le Français des Affaires)
