Korean Literature Workshop in Vietnam

At the workshop, the current state and prospects of translating and promoting Korean literary works in Vietnam was a topic that received much attention and contributions from the delegates.

Cultural exchanges between Vietnam and Korea began in the late 16th to the 20th centuries, but the history of officially translating Korean literature into Vietnamese only spans 22 years. In 1992, diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Korea were officially established. Alongside the increasing investment of Korean businesses in Vietnam, Korean interest in Vietnam is also growing, and vice versa. This favorable cooperative environment between the two countries has further facilitated the strong development of literary exchanges. In terms of cultural exchange, this memoir...The world is vast and there is much to be done.The novel by Daewoo Group Chairman Kim Woo-Jung, translated into Vietnamese in 1993, can be considered the first translation of a Korean literary work into Vietnamese. To date, the introduction of Vietnamese literature to the Korean literary scene, and vice versa, is steadily growing in both the number of books and the quality of translations. Annually, the Korean Institute for Literary Translation awards prizes to Vietnamese translators who have excelled in translating Korean literary works. These activities have been and continue to be an important channel for promoting cultural exchange and mutual understanding between the two countries.

To improve the effectiveness of Korean literary translation in Vietnam, it is suggested that efforts should be made to enhance the quality of Vietnamese translation experts, and that necessary and continuous support should be provided to Korean literary translators currently working in Vietnam. Furthermore, with classical Korean literature, works written in Chinese characters constitute a high proportion and share cultural similarities with Vietnam, both belonging to the Confucian culture, thus resulting in a high degree of equivalence in translation. Therefore, when translating classical Korean literary works, it is necessary to find Vietnamese experts knowledgeable in Chinese literature and collaborate with Korean experts on Vietnam to achieve better translation results.

Furthermore, communication and promotion of translated works are considered crucial in bringing them closer to the Vietnamese public. Therefore, organizing scientific seminars like this, in collaboration with specialized training and research institutions in Korea and Vietnam, will help expand translation activities and enhance the professionalism of translation work. The introduction and dissemination of translated works should first target Vietnamese researchers of Korean literature, universities in Vietnam that teach Korean studies, and specialized journals. In addition, management units should consider the effectiveness of communication within the Vietnamese student community in Korea, multicultural families, and workers in Korean businesses.

The workshop heard the following keynote presentations:Translation as an act of reinterpretation to share and create the world.(Translated by Phung Khac Kien, Vietnam Institute of Literature);Hwang Sun-won and the theme of Love in the short stories "Rain Shower" and "Star"(Dr. Ha Minh Thanh, Department of Oriental Studies);The significance of autobiography in the world of Park Wan Seo's works - the central theme of the work "Who Ate All the Sing-a Trees That Day?"(Nguyen Le Thu, University of Foreign Languages, VNU Hanoi);The element of fantasy in Kim Young Ha's stories.(Nguyen Thi Hien);The current situation of translating Korean literature into Vietnamese and future development plans.(Professor Ahn Kyeong-hwan, Choseon University, South Korea).