NP: on translation (and Han Kang's The Vegetarian)

[John Bailey]

Interesting essay by the English translator of Han Kang's Man Booker
winner The Vegetarian (which P readers would probably like). There's
been some backlash against her translation, with some arguing she
makes too poetic a very spare style, though she defends the poetry she
and others find in that style.
More interestingly, she discusses how translating more than just words
and grammar but 'literary style' itself is a really tricky goal:

"Literary style is not simply a mark of identity, like a fingerprint —
it also has a function and a significance. Function is the easy part:
the cool, understated prose of The Vegetarian functions to offset the
feverish violence, to prevent it from seeming sensationalistic and
over-the-top, a reminder that the darkest horrors are found in the
everyday. Significance is trickier, because it depends on context:
What styles are used by this author’s contemporaries? What’s the
mainstream? What tends to garner praise, get labeled “modern,”
“original,” “experimental,” or even just “literary”? Translating from
Korean into English involves moving from a language more accommodating
of ambiguity, repetition, and plain prose, to one that favors
precision, concision, and lyricism."

https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/what-we-talk-about-when-we-talk-about-translation/#!
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