Back to Work

I started working on a new translation. As much as I complain about it, translating is a very rewarding occupation. It’s demanding, sure, and sometimes, usually at night, it makes you want to open the window, grab your computer and throw it down the abyss. But on the other hand, when you find the right things to say, it’s like a double chocolate cookie in the morning.

The piece I’m looking at is another Korean short story, one that I actually like. I picked it from a book that contained the winning stories of last year's Yi Sang Literature Prize. It took me a while to find it, I spent many hours looking for it here and there, but at the end it showed its face and surprised me with a fresh choice of words and a mellow writing style.

The story itself makes me laugh, and I think that’s a good thing. Sometimes I don’t know what exactly I’m looking for. And that doesn’t only apply to books. But why does anyone have to look for anything, anyway? Most of the time, we already have everything we need. We just tend to forget. However, I’m glad that I found a good story. Now I can get to work again.