Expanding Boundaries: Inter-lingual and Inter-semiotic Translations of Han Kang's Korean Novel, The Vegetarian

초록

In literary translation, faithfulness to the original text constitutes the point of departure rather than the final destination, initiating a new perspective on the transformations that occur in the process. Literary translation derives its vitality from its expansiveness, communicating with global readers by transcending the linguistic and cultural limitations of the original work. Through this expansion, literary translation realizes what Walter Benjamin describes as the afterlife of the original. Such expansiveness is evident in Roman Jakobson's concepts of inter-lingual and inter-semiotic translation and aligns with André Lefevere's view of translation as rewriting and manipulation. The English translation and film adaptation of Han Kang's The Vegetarian—by the 2024 Nobel Prize-winning author—serve as notable examples of inter-lingual and inter-semiotic translation. In both cases, the interventions and modifications of the translator and director reveal the characteristics and purposes of translation as a form of rewriting. Although such rewriting often invites scrutiny and controversy from the perspective of faithfulness, translation ultimately addresses readers different from those of the original text. Its diverse purposes and strategies thus contribute to its expansiveness, enabling broader communication with a wider readership. It is through such expansion that literary translation is revitalized.