Translating Lives: Moving Beyond State-Centered Translations

Abstract:Korean Studies in the English-speaking world has reached a significant turning point in this first decade of the twenty-first century. If we make the correct turn, it will continue to advance, promoting greater understanding of Korean history and culture in academia as well as a heightened recognition of the distinctiveness of Korean culture in the wider world. However, if we make the wrong turn, Korean Studies could stagnate and grow less, not more, productive.What is the right direction for Korean Studies in the English-speaking world? We have already made a lot of progress in providing material in translation to help our students and others gain access to Korea history and culture through the words of Koreans themselves. However, most of that material has been state-centered, focusing on politics and the cultural productions of the wealthy and well-educated governing elite. We need to move beyond state-centered documents and translate more material on daily life, especially the Eves on the non-elite, to give those who can’t read that material in the original a better sense of what it was like to Eve in Korea a thousand, five hundred, or even just fifty years ago. In this article, I will make some specific suggestions for the type of material we should think about translating.