Abstract
This study analyzes linguistic hybridity in Min-jin Lee’s Pachinko from the perspective of Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of sociology, with specific focus on the concepts of habitus, capital, and field. First, Lee’s habitus is specifically examined as a Korean American writer. Her awareness that representing history accurately is crucial, and her belief that literature can be one of the ways of conveying history are also examined. In addition, as a history major, Lee accumulated a wide range of historical knowledge, cultivated a capability for meticulous historical research, and strengthened her skills as a writer by participating in various workshops. Two critical changes in the social field, the spread of the Korean Wave and the increase in the number of Korean diaspora writers, made it possible for Pachinko to garner global popularity. However, when Pachinko was translated into Korean, the marked linguistic hybridity in the original was transformed into an unmarked language in the translation and, consequently, the author’s intention and message that are to be conveyed through such hybridity disappeared. The feeling of otherness and unfamiliarity that is intentionally created through linguistic hybridity can be tarnished in the process of translation if the linguistic markedness in the original is not preserved. In consequence, the quality of the work can be damaged by the removal of the linguistic hybridity in translation; therefore, linguistic hybridity in diaspora literary works, which is the meaningful outcome of cultural translation, should be carefully preserved in inter-lingual translation.
Published Version
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