The laboratory of translation of Korean poetry into Ukrainian: Kim Min-Jeong’s verse “For the first time... she started to feel”

Abstract

This paper offers two versions of a poem by the contemporary South Korean poetess Kim Min-Jeong translated into Ukrainian. Both translations are accompanied by corresponding comments, making it possible for the reader to have a glimpse at the process of transformations that occur with the original work: its tempo, metrics, stylistic and expressive means, etc. To this end, the process of decision-making in terms of selecting linguistic devices and other resources stemmed from the translation of the verse “For the first time… she started to feel” is the object of this paper. The goal of the research is to demonstrate the logic underlying the corresponding decisions. At the same time, it should be noted that this paper is not aimed at providing a comprehensive analysis of all the aspects that may arise from translation of the original, but rather focuses on several examples. Given the steadfast development of Korean studies in Ukraine and due to the growing interest in Korean language, literature and culture, this study will hopefully be useful for translation classes of Korean literature into Ukrainian as a material for comparative analysis with the original in order to have a better look at possible forms and variants of shifts and transformations. Thus, the relevance of this analysis can be explained in terms of practical needs of Korean studies in Ukraine, whereas its novelty is apparent due to the lack of translated works, accompanied by comments. The poetic style of Kim Min-Jeong catches attention due to its frankness, criticism and straightforwardness, and since the poetess addresses completely non-lyrical and complicated topics. As a result, the study demonstrates the mechanisms employed by the translator by applying two different approaches. In particular, it demonstrates what happens to the pace, expressive and stylistic means, etc. On the other hand, the article assumes that there is no single correct method or form of translation. Therefore, the analysis invites to reflect upon the appropriateness and necessity of taking certain translation decisions and thus emphasizes the importance of the process of self-reflection when working with the original.