The Changing Face of Korean Literary translation- talk by Deborah Smith

The past fifteen years have witnessed a precipitous rise in the translation of books from South Korea, whose culture has gone from near-obscurity in the UK to being a recognised global powerhouse. Using the speaker's experience of fifteen years in the field as an entry point, this talk will explore the varied factors driving this trend, the kind of books being translated, and the ways in which translators' politics–feminist, decolonial, and queer–shape their choices on and off the page. In addition, we will look at who these translators are and the many other activities that they engage with, including mentoring emerging translators, founding collectives, and writing about translation. Finally, the talk will touch on some of the pressures facing translators, and their efforts to organise and advocate for their community.

This talk will also include time for a Q&A.

Speaker bio

Deborah Smith studied Korean literature at SOAS University of London. She has translated several books by Han Kang (including The Vegetarian, Winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature) and Bae Suah, and is currently working on a poetry collection by Kim Haeja. From 2015 to 2022 she published translations from across Asia and Africa at Tilted Axis Press. After five years in north India, she recently moved back to Doncaster, where she grew up.