earticle

영어

This paper discusses theoretical and practical aspects of feminist translation in South Korea by analyzing how an internationally acclaimed feminist book was translated into Korean. The texts under study are The Vagina Monologues (2007/10th Anniversary Edition), an episodic play written by Eve Ensler, and Pŏjainŏ Monollogŭ, a Korean translation by a feminist writer-cum-translator with an educational background in women’s studies. A comparative analysis of the two texts shows that the translator effectively conveys feminist messages, using traditional translation strategies (e.g. substitution, addition, borrowing, compensation), but in some instances she does not adequately communicate women’s experiences to the target readers. The findings suggest that translating a feminist book is and should be an act of activism, and that in a conservative culture like Korea, there should be a more intervenient role for feminist translators.