Korean professor translates Vietnamese literary masterworks

Korean Professor Ahn Kyong Hwan has mastered the Vietnamese language and translated three famous Vietnamese books into Korean.


Prof. Ahn Kyong Hwan feels that the character, history and sense of humanity that resonate through-out the works he has translated is something that people from all cultures and nationalities can relate to.

The 53-year-old Hwan, who is the dean of the Vietnamese department at the University of Chosun, began translating these works after receiving his doctorate in 1996.

He spent most of his time and energy in the late nineties translating “Diary in Prison”by the late President Ho Chi Minh, the leader of Vietnam's revolutionary movement.

With over 200 pages, “Diary in Prison” was published by Jeo Myeong Munhwasa in 2003.

To translate the classic work of “Diary in Prison”, Hwan came to Vietnam several times to visit the native village of President Ho Chi Minh, Kim Lien, because he wanted to have a better understanding of his life and the literary works.

“‘Diary in Prison’ shows that the leader of the Vietnamese revolution was knowledgeable, modest and had a good sense of humor even in very difficult situations. It also showed he was patriotic and brave.”

After the Korean publication of “Diary in Prison”, Hwan began the translation of “Kieu Story”, another masterpiece of Vietnamese literature.

Because “Kieu Story” is a classic, there are many different versions in Vietnamese, and Hwan had to spend ten years collecting versions and making comparisons before the translation took place.

Once the data was complied, the book took Hwan six months to translate and it was published by Munhwasa Journal in 2004.

The professor also translated “The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram”, which chronicles Dang Thuy Tram’s experience when she was working as a doctor at the battle front in central Vietnam when the country was at war with America.

“The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram” is scheduled to be released in Korean on January 15.

Hwan believes that her translated book will give Koreans a window into the kindheartedness of the Vietnamese people.

Several newspapers in Korea have recently had articles about his Vietnamese-Korean copy of “The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram” which will be published in two weeks’ time.

The professor hopes that Korean young people who have never experienced wartime will gain some awareness of patriotism, love among human beings and the destructiveness of a war through this work.

Due to his contributions to bridge a better understanding between the two nations, Professor Ahn Kyong Hwan was presented the ‘Medal of Cultural Cause’ in 2003 by the Ministry of Culture and Information, given the ‘Medal of Peace among Peoples’ by the Vietnam Association of Friendship Agencies in 2004, and given a ‘HCMC Badge’ by the city’s People’s Committee in 2004 while receiving a Praise Certificate from the Vietnam Writers Society.

In addition to translating Vietnamese masterworks, teaching and study, Professor Ahn Kyong Hwan has written scholarly articles for Vietnamese magazines and textbooks that teach Vietnamese to Koreans.

ThanhnienNews