‘I started self-studying Korean when I was 18. At the time, Korean wasn’t a very popular language to learn, so I had to be very resourceful. I used anything I could get my hands on, be it from the library or online,’ says Tan. Photo: The Star/Low Lay Phon
Singaporean literary translator Shanna Tan, who translated Welcome To The Hyunam-dong Bookshop into English, found herself in the spotlight during a recent bookshop tour with author Hwang Bo-reum in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
As they engaged with eager audiences, Tan faced numerous questions about the nuances of translation, the challenges of capturing the original work’s essence, and the collaborative process between translator and author.
The 35-year-old is a certified polyglot – she can translate Korean, Mandarin, and Japanese to English, but focuses on Korean and Mandarin works for literary translations; Welcome To The Hyunam-dong Bookshop was her first book-length translation.
Falling into place
“I started self-studying Korean when I was 18. At the time, Korean wasn’t a very popular language to learn, so I had to be very resourceful. I used anything I could get my hands on, be it from the library or online,” says Tan in a recent interview in Kuala Lumpur.
“I feel that Korean learners these days are actually very lucky, because there are all kinds of platforms they can use, like structured lessons, textbooks and apps,” she adds.
But becoming a translator was certainly something that she hadn’t planned on.
Before venturing into literary translation in 2022, Tan worked as a civil servant, handling projects for Singapore’s economic diplomacy with Northeast Asian markets.
“I think I was drawn to translation due to my love of languages and reading. Literary translation just happens to be a combination of these two things I really enjoy,” says Tan, who has a Bachelor of Arts in linguistics and multilingual studies from Nanyang Technological University (in Singapore).
Singaporean literary translator Tan (right), who did the English translation for Hwang's best-selling book also joined her for a recent book tour in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: The Star/Low Lay Phon
Things happened to fall into place when Tan’s mentor, the acclaimed Seoul-based writer and translator Anton Hur, recommended her to (publisher) Bloomsbury to translate Hwang’s book.
“When I first read Welcome To The Hyunam-dong Bookshop, it felt like a close friend. It was so calming and comforting.
“I liked that the book wasn’t preachy, but gently nudged you in the right direction by asking questions that made you self-reflect alongside the characters. I thought that was amazing. I was very lucky to have been able to work on the novel,” says Tan, who has a regular daily routine: translating in the morning and editing in the afternoon.
The aroma of words
One of the challenges that she encountered while translating Hwang’s book was the fact that it talked a lot about coffee.
“Personally, I’m not a coffee drinker. I’m sensitive to caffeine, so I tell everyone that I probably only drink about one cup of coffee a year,” she says with a laugh.
“In the book, there were so many vivid, delicious-sounding descriptions of coffee. I wanted to translate that as closely as possible, so I did a lot of research and read all kinds of books on coffee to get a good idea of how people talk about it.
“When I read readers’ reviews of the book and they mention how they loved the bits about coffee, I feel like it was a job well done, because I wanted to not just translate the words, but also the mood and atmosphere of the original,” she says.
This year, Tan translated Singaporean Chinese-language writer Wong Koi Tet's book 'Dakota' into English. Photo: City Book Room
For those interested in becoming translators themselves, Tan advises them to read as much as they can.
“It’s important to read in your source language to get a sense of what excites you, what you want to work on, but it’s even more important to read in your target language to be a better writer and translator,” she adds.
This year, she translated Chinese-language Singaporean writer Wong Koi Tet’s Dakota (2024), a book of essays on the writer’s childhood in the 1970s and 1980s (in the old Dakota Crescent neighbourhood in Singapore).
Tan’s upcoming translations include Marigold Mind Laundry by Jungeun Yun and Yeonnam-dong’s Smiley Laundromat by Kim Jiyun, published by Doubleday and MacLehose Press, respectively.
Next year, she will release her first translated book of essays and poems, Every Moment Was You: Notes On Loving And Parting by Ha Tae-wan, which gained fame from its feature on the popular K-drama What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim (2018).
