A Translator's Fieldwork
​The Korea Times, May 6, 2014

​Each project makes its own unique mark on my life. I spend close to a year living, breathing and thinking about each novel I translate, examining each sentence, sentiment and fact. As a translator, I probably know the ins and outs of a novel and the individual quirks of each character second only to the author. 

Translating the Untranslatable
​London Book Fair, March 2014

Although accuracy is crucial in translation, literal accuracy sometimes imbues the author’s words with an inauthentic meaning. It’s a fine balance, one that every translator navigates in his or her own way. There are no right or wrong answers, and someone else
might come up with a better solution. 

Capturing the Mood
​English PEN, March 13, 2014

​In the run-up to the London Book Fair 2013, where South Korea is the market focus, we have the first in a series of pieces from the region: today Chi-Young Kim writes about the varied places translators go to, from baseball blogs to animal fables, when transporting the reader into the world of the novel.

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The Name Game
​The Korea Times, March 11, 2014

​I can think of only two times when a name became an issue. The first was a character's dog, whose name was either Polly or Paulie. I asked the author if the dog was male or female, and went from there. (It was Paulie.) 

He Said, She Said
​The Korea Times, September 10, 2013

​Each language has slang and expressions that cannot be translated neatly word for word. You also have to consider the character's age, his or her relationship to the other person, their level of education, and their moods at the time they utter the sentence. 

When Literary Translation Gets Literal
The Korea Times, August 27, 2013

As the bridge between two languages and cultures, my role as a translator is to ensure that the English language reader isn't pulled out of the text because of something that is confusing, but feels the same emotions and understands a scene as a Korean reader would. 
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Author-translator Partnership
​The Korea Times, January 1, 2013

I'm now in the fun stage: asking the author numerous questions about continuity and characters' behaviors that struck me as odd. Mr. Lee has been extremely helpful, even consulting his Japanese translator as to how I should Romanize the poet Yun Dong-ju's Japanese name.

Importance of Research
​The Korea Times, October 9, 2012

​Since I translate fiction, it isn't apparent that I need to conduct research all. But there are so many parts that have to be accurate about before I submit a translated manuscript to an editor. For example, every single book I have translated has included a quote from a famous poet/novel/song/person. 

Journey to Translated Fiction
​The Korea Times, March 13, 2012

Editing is a crucial, though seldom discussed, part of translation. This I knew both from my publishing job and observations of my mother's work. For someone like me, who is something of a perfectionist and likes to dwell on the nuances of words and phrases, editing is a joy.