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Plato's 'Republic' Translated into Korean Over 13 Years by Four Scholars

From Hankyoreh · (3h ago) Korean Positive tone

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Four researchers from the Jeongam Academy spent 13 years meticulously translating Plato's "Republic" into Korean, aiming to minimize mistranslations.
  • The translation process involved rigorous debate and multiple revisions to accurately capture the philosophical nuances of the ancient Greek text.
  • The translators prioritized conveying the precise philosophical meaning of Plato's work, particularly terms like 'to kalon' (beauty/excellence), while also ensuring readability.

In a remarkable feat of academic dedication, four researchers from the Jeongam Academy—Kang Seong-hoon, Kim Ju-il, Kim Hye-gyeong, and Jeong Jun-yeong—have completed a new Korean translation of Plato's seminal work, "The Republic." This endeavor, which spanned an extraordinary 13 years, underscores a profound commitment to philosophical accuracy and linguistic precision. The academy, established in 2000 with the mission to study classical Greek and Roman texts, views the complete translation of Plato's dialogues as a cornerstone of its work.

It is unusual worldwide for four researchers to translate 'The Republic' together. The translation took 13 years.

— Jeong Jun-yeongHighlighting the unique and lengthy collaborative translation effort.

The translation of "The Republic" is particularly significant given its profound influence on Western thought and its complex philosophical inquiries into justice, the ideal state, and the nature of the good life. The Jeongam Academy team's approach was characterized by intense scholarly rigor. They met weekly, dissecting sentence by sentence, debating interpretations, and striving to find Korean equivalents that precisely matched the philosophical concepts embedded in the ancient Greek. This collaborative process, involving multiple rounds of revision and extensive discussion, highlights the challenges inherent in translating foundational philosophical texts.

There were days when we spent the entire day discussing a single paragraph.

— Jeong Jun-yeongIllustrating the depth of deliberation involved in the translation process.

One of the key challenges, as articulated by researcher Jeong Jun-yeong, was finding Korean words that could adequately capture the multifaceted meaning of ancient Greek terms like 'to kalon,' which encompasses both beauty and excellence. The team aimed to build upon previous Korean translations, seeking both philosophical depth and readability. This new translation is presented not as a final word, but as a contribution to an ongoing dialogue, acknowledging that language evolves and future generations may offer new interpretations. The Jeongam Academy's painstaking work ensures that Plato's enduring questions about justice and the good life remain accessible and relevant to contemporary Korean readers, prompting critical reflection in an era often dominated by pragmatic, rather than philosophical, considerations.

We conducted three full revisions of the entire text after the initial drafting.

— Jeong Jun-yeongDetailing the extensive review process to ensure accuracy.
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Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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