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The Korean-language edition of Dan Brown¡¯s blockbuster novel ¡°The Da Vinci Code¡± is being blasted for shoddy translation work. The local edition, translated and published last June by the Korean subsidiary of the global publishing group Bertelsmann, sold 1 million copies by November of last year alone, despite poor conditions in the publishing industry. Three months later, the book had sold more than 2 million copies, showing a power rarely seen in the Korean book market.
But complaints that portions of the book are poorly translated surfaced as soon as the Korean edition hit the stands.
¡°When I compared the English and Korean editions, there were more than a few clearly mistranslated sections," reader Park Sang-hyeon of Dangsan-dong, Seoul said. "I have no idea how a famous international publisher could openly sell a book full of mistranslations.¡± He added, "This is no different to fraud. The publishing company must take responsibility, publicly apologize and quickly recall.¡±
Bertelsmann Korea has admitted there are mistranslations but says they are not serious enough to affect the plot or flow of the story as a whole.
¡°We compared the translation with the English original under editorial supervision, but during the course of rushing out the Korean language edition, there were parts that weren¡¯t corrected,¡± a Bertelsmann official said. The official said each time a mistranslation is pointed out, the company corrects it in a reprint. The novel¡¯s first edition has seen 24 reprints already.
But now Bertelsmann has decided to publish a revised translation corrected under the supervision of an expert translator of foreign fiction with the consent of the original translator. The revised translation will begin with the 25th printing.
¡°We are carefully editing it with the help of professional fiction translator Lee Chang-shik, and once the editing is completed, there should be far fewer complaints about mistranslations," the publishers said.
The company also plans to replace the translator and completely retranslate the work for an illustrated edition of the book due in March. However, it has no plans to recall the previous printings.
A worldwide publishing phenomenon, "The Da Vinci Code¡± offers a controversial reading of the mystery of the Holy Grail and the work of the Renaissance painter Leonardo Da Vinci. Since it was first published in the U.S. in 2003, the book has been the source of much controversy over its reading of both and has spawned a minor industry of secondary works.
The novel starts with the murder of the curator of the Louvre in Paris. Before his death he manages to pass on a mysterious code to his granddaughter, who then embarks on solving the riddle together with Harvard University "symbologist" Robert Langdon. During the course of the story, the secret organization the Priory of Sion, which is known to have existed since 1099, and the religious group ¡°Opus Dei¡± make their appearance, and the secrets to famous works of art like ¡°The Last Supper¡± and ¡°Mona Lisa¡± are revealed.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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