Interviewed by: Nikhat Parveen, Delhi

Edited by: Jayati Bhardwaj, Delhi

Clare Richards is a writer, editor, and literary translator working from South Korea. She is particularly interested in feminist literary fiction and the intersection between disability and translation. Her debut novel translation, Kang Hwagil’s gothic thriller Another Person, was released with Pushkin Press in 2023, and she also co-translated the NY Times Bestseller BTS: Beyond the Story with Anton Hur and Slin Jung. 

Her recently released book translation, Yeon Somin’s The Healing Season of Pottery, was published in the US by Algonquin in 2024 and will be published in the UK with Viking in early 2025. Her translations and essays have been published in The Massachusetts Review, The Author, and The Linguist, amongst others. Clare is also an NCW Emerging Translators Mentorship programme mentor and a BCLT Summer School workshop leader.

Clare, you’ve translated works like BTS: Beyond the Story and The Healing Season of Pottery. Could you share your challenges when translating Korean literature for an international audience? How do you retain cultural nuances in your translations? 

Every book brings its own challenges. I’m sure I speak for most literary translators in saying it’s really important to retain cultural nuances, and I try to do this as much as possible in my work. For example, in The Healing Season of Pottery, as well as in Another Person, I kept the forms of address like ‘seonsaengmin‘ and honorifics attached to names like ‘-ssi‘ and ‘-nim‘, as I felt these were central to conveying the relationships between the different characters.

I’m noticing that it’s more and more common to see terms from the source language carried over directly into translations, and on the whole, I’ve seen readers welcome this! Though some readers might be unfamiliar with the words, they pick up the nuance through context, and this can be a very enriching experience.

Concerning your Discord community for D/deaf, Disabled, and Neurodivergent Translators. What motivated you to establish this space, and what improvements are you hoping for in the translation field to increase inclusion for D/deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent translators?

The community came out of a spontaneous decision I made one day, and then I posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) to see if other translators were interested in joining a group like this. The desire to be in a community with other D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent translators was naturally one I’d felt for a long time, though.

Autism and translation are two inextricable things for me, which I have written about in essays elsewhere. I was surprised and overjoyed to discover quite how many other neurodivergent literary translators there were – though I really shouldn’t be surprised- when we find ourselves drawn to the profession for many of the same reasons. Many issues in our field present barriers to disabled translators, but the problem of transparency immediately comes to mind. There is so much gatekeeping and so many blurred lines; more clarity and openness from publishers, in particular, would benefit disabled and abled translators alike.

What draws you to languages like Korean and Japanese? How do these languages influence your translation process and thinking? 

As strange as it might sound, I have always loved grammar and the patterns of languages. I think that was what first drew me to learn Japanese (then later, Korean): to study a language whose basic structure and scripts were so far removed from anything I knew. Having spent most of my life as a monolingual, I clearly experienced a shift in my thinking as I became ‘fluent’ in a second language that was so grammatically different from my mother tongue. I’d never realised how closely tied my thoughts had once been to English. In order to switch comfortably between English and Japanese, it seemed that my brain had to move away from thinking in language per se and thinking more in pictures or concepts. 

In terms of how languages influence my translation process, I say the challenges we face can be very different based on what I’ve heard and read from translators of Romance languages to English. When translating from Korean to English, you must allow yourself a great deal more distance and freedom from the source text to carry over its essence and meaning, focusing more on ‘feeling’ than the words themselves.

Could you share your experience of being mentored by Anton Hur through the NCW Emerging Translators Mentorship? What were some key lessons you learned from him that have shaped your career? 

It was nothing short of wonderful! I’ve been the fortunate benefactor of countless translators’ goodwill and generosity, but no one has been as instrumental in my career as Anton. Having someone there to guide me through the translation and pitching process from start to finish was invaluable, if not essential, for me (as a neurodivergent translator, I particularly needed this kind of structured support). Aside from learning from how Anton mentored me and applying this as I now work with my own mentees (Joheun Lee in 2023-24 and Sarah K.H. Yoo in 2024-25), one of the key lessons Anton continues to teach me is to stop doubting myself so much.

On several occasions, he has given me a nudge (or probably more of a respectful shove) to do something, and when I’ve evasively mumbled, ‘Yeah, I’m not sure if I can do that…’ in response, he’s invariably gone ahead and recommended me for whatever job or position it was anyway. Thanks to this, I’ve taken on challenges and pushed myself outside of my comfort zone (within reason), in ways I never would have done otherwise. Knowing my mentor’s faith in me was enough to push past that doubt.

You’ve co-translated the BTS book Beyond the Story with him and fellow translator Slin Jung. Could you walk us through your collaborative process? 

Last year at the BCLT Summer School, all three of us were in the same place for the first time ever, and we did a panel event at the National Centre for Writing. Because we were under very strict time restraints for this project, there wasn’t the opportunity for collaboration in the way you might immediately think of (fleshing out concerns in detail, workshopping translations, and so on). Instead, our collaborative process was one of trust and support– having faith that we would take care of our allotted sections and helping each other out when and where needed. It was a wild ride; thanks to Anton and Slin, I wasn’t catapulted off the roller coaster train halfway down the tracks.

How does your background in psychology influence your approach to literary translation? Do you find any intersection between the two fields in terms of understanding human behaviour or emotions? 

I’ve noticed that a lot of literary translators have a background in Psychology. Aside from the study of linguistics being part of most Psychology courses, I am still not entirely sure of the reason for this overlap. Being autistic, I’ve always felt like an outsider looking in and have found myself continually ‘studying’ people. Psychology was a way for me to continue my study of these mysterious neurotypicals, though I didn’t realise it at the time. Many are drawn to Psychology as a way to understand those outside the ‘norm’, but I was always most captivated by the wide scope of Social Psychology and its theories of behaviour applicable to the ‘ordinary masses’. I believe my love of fiction and non-fiction stems from this same desire to understand human behaviour.

You’ve translated works by authors like Kang Hwagil and Yeon Somin, who explore diverse themes. Do you have a particular genre or type of literature that you enjoy translating the most? Why? 

I love to translate literature that moves me, books that I can read repeatedly, and each time, I take in something new and more profound. Novels that change my mindset and whose characters never leave me. Books that I’m desperate for my friends and family without knowledge of Korean to be able to read, too.

Could you share with us your experience teaching translation workshops, specifically the NCW Emerging Translator Mentorship and BCLT Summer School? What is your favorite aspect of mentoring up-and-coming translators?

Mentoring up-and-coming translators is simply a joy! It’s been so wonderful to see Joheun and Sarah’s passion for the authors they are translating. I get to learn from their unique styles and approaches and read works that I may have yet to be exposed to otherwise. Translators love to talk with other translators about translating, which has made mentorship such an intellectually stimulating and rewarding process for me. Leading the BCLT Summer School workshop was one of those examples of Anton giving me a respectful shove, and I was so grateful he did. I think I can speak for all of the 2024 Korean strand workshop participants when I say that working with our author-in-residence, Lim Solah, was a true delight.

How do you, as a freelance translator, balance accepting paid assignments and following your passion for work?

This is always a tricky balance to manage. As a kind-of-established translator, I see it as part of my responsibility not to work on spec and to push back against unfair terms. I always come back to the following words that author Hwang Jungeun once said in an interview: ‘Now I hear the words “established writer”, but when you’re established, there is even more need to talk about the necessity and importance of money. Only then can new and talented writers work under better conditions.’ That being said, I still do work on spec from time to time under certain conditions or when there’s a good chance it’ll lead to paid work. 

What do you think about the significance of translators in influencing how readers understand a piece of literature? Have you ever had the desire to creatively intervene in a text to make it easier to understand?

Every translation is an interpretive and creative act: ten different translators could translate the same book, and you’d be left with ten unique end products. I don’t believe in spoon-feeding or overly smoothing things out for my readers—it’s belittling, if nothing else. Maintaining the texture of the source text is paramount, though I will add some glosses from time to time where I feel it’s helpful or necessary.

Can you share your experience studying Korean with us? What was the hardest aspect, and what inspired you throughout the journey?

I’m an all-or-nothing person, and when I make up my mind to do something, I dive in headfirst. As a result, when it came to language learning, the will was there without any external motivation. The difficulty for me has always been the social anxiety around speaking (though this, of course, applies when I’m using English, too). There is a strong overlap between autism/ADHD and perfectionism, and for me, this manifests in deep-rooted fear about making a mistake or saying the wrong thing. It’s a constant battle against myself – I have to repeatedly remind myself that I don’t need to be perfect, nor should I be – but I think I’m winning more than I’m losing now. 

How do you perceive the role of translation in connecting cultural divides when working in multiple languages and cultures? How has your knowledge of Korean culture expanded due to your work?

Of course, any work that I translate has cultural aspects, but I’m always struck by the universality of the human experiences that these books examine. I think it’s this universality that readers often take away most. In the past few weeks, with the world in the state that it is, I have struggled to articulate my emotions, but the one thought that keeps coming back to me is the need to continue to lean into books.

What recommendations do you have for hopeful literary translators, specifically those with neurodivergent or disabled backgrounds, aiming to make a mark in this field?

I feel so conflicted about this because though I know there are so many aspects of literary translation that make it an ideal profession for disabled people in theory, in reality, there is so much ableism and gatekeeping that I am very hesitant to recommend pursuing this career. I always recommend being in a community with other translators, sharing your experiences with one another, and not being afraid to reach out to others for advice and support. Solidarity is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal.

Thank you so much for interviewing with us, Clare! It was truly an honour to interview you and bringing your experience to our readers. I hope our readers enjoy this interview as much as we enjoyed interviewing and editing this. And, on behalf of the Hallyuism team, all the very best in your future endeavours.

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