Noey translates Korean classics
By Suwitcha Chaiyong
Photos by Suwitcha Chaiyong
and courtesy of Post Books
Did you know
The mermaid on the Starbucks logo has two tails.
Aside from K-pop music and Korean TV shows, books written by Korean authors have proven popular in Thailand. In local bookstores, readers can easily find romantic Korean novels, as well as educational Korean comic books that have been translated into Thai editions.
Naritha Sukpramarn (Noey) is a translator who regularly makes Thai editions of Korean books. The 27-year-old’s first translation of a Korean education comic book was Super Aye Koo Hoo Puan Muang: Adchariya Yok Gang (Wild Buddy, Super an Aey: Episode of the Genius Gang) back in 2008.
Since then, Noey, who also works as an instructor with Srinakharinwirot University’s Faculty of Humanities, has translated 16 books in genres ranging from romance and mystery novels to educational comics. Her latest release in the latter genre is Siren: Singing Mermaid, published by Post Books.
Student Weekly recently met up with Noey at Srinakharinwirot University to chart about her work and to get some tips on how to become a translator.
Student Weekly: How did you first become interested in Korean language?
Noey: I was interested in learning a third language, and I found out that Srinakharinwirot University offered student exchange programmes to Busan in South Korea. There was no prerequisite for taking the Korean language course, so I was able to start learning from the beginning.
Student Weekly: What did you think of the exchange programme?
Noey: It was great. I enjoyed studying with other foreign students in Korean language classes and had fun with Korean students who were learning Thai. I spent 11 months in Busan. I also learned casual language and slang, which was different from what I learned in the classroom.
Student Weekly: How did you become a professional translator?
Noey: When I was a senior student majoring in Korean language, I wanted to translate a novel. I sent samples of my translations to several publishing companies and an editor contacted me to do a translating test. After the test I was offered a job.
Student Weekly: Did Korean people seem to be interested in reading when you were there?
Noey: A lot of Korean people were interested in reading. The large bookstores seemed similar to libraries. There were many kinds of books and people spent a lot of time reading and talking about books in the stores. The customers were of all ages, and the shops were divided into different sections, just like libraries.
Student Weekly: What’s the hardest thing about translating a book?
Noey: Technical terms. I translated a lot of books relating to science, and they required plenty of research.
Student Weekly: What has been your proudest experience so far as a translator?
Noey: I’m proud to know that I was the first person to read the Thai language edition of each book that I’ve translated. I also feel proud whenever I see my books in bookstores.
My favourite work so far was the novel Our Happy Time by Kong Ji Young, because it was the first novel I translated. Our Happy Time is a best-selling novel. It was even made into movie, called Maundy Thursday.
Student Weekly: What makes your recent book, Siren: Singing Mermaid, unique?
Noey: The book is very informative. It includes legends about mermaids. The book also cites a lot of reliable sources such as research from French naturalist and zoologist Georges Cuvier. He researched sea cows and explained how people used to mistake them for mermaids.
Student Weekly: Did you have any difficulties working on this book?
Noey: This type of work is never easy. In this book, the names of Geek gods were difficult to figure out because I had to search for an English name from the Korean name, then translate it into Thai. The editor helped me a lot.
Student Weekly: Do you have any advice for people who would like to be professional translators?
Noey: Start by reading a lot. If you don’t like reading, it will difficult to spend several months translating one book. Reading also helps you to learn about word choices and how to make the writing lively and fun to read.
You don’t have to be great at translating before you send work samples to a publisher, because you can always learn and improve your skills. But once you have a job, you have to be punctual with the deadlines.
Vocabulary
- latter (adj): the second of the two things just mentioned
siren (n): in ancient Greek literature, a sea creature that is half woman and half bird, whose beautiful singing encouraged sailors to sail into dangerous waters
prerequisite (n): something that must exist or happen before something else can happen or be done
informative (adj): giving useful information
reliable (adj): that is likely to be correct or true
zoologist (n): a scientist who studies animals and their behaviour
sea cow (n): a family of large herbivorous mammals that live in the sea and in rivers, wetlands, etc.
punctual (adj): happening or doing something at the arranged or correct time
deadline (n): a point in time by which something must be done
