Translating Controversial Texts in East Asian Contexts: A Methodology for the Translation of ’Controversy’

Zulawnik focuses on the broad concept of ’controversy’ and issues pertaining to the translation of politically and historically controversial texts in East Asia.

The research methodology is exemplified through a case study in the form of the author’s translation of the best-selling Japanese graphic novel (manga) Manga Kenkanryū (Hate Hallyu: The Comic) by Sharin Yamano (2005), a work that has been problematised as an attack on South Korean culture and the Korean Wave. Issues analysed and discussed in the research include translation risk, ethics, a detailed methodology for the translation of so-called controversial texts exemplified through numerous thematically divided examples from the translation of the chosen Japanese text, as well as examples from a Korean language equivalent (Manhwa Hyeomillyu - Hate JapaneseWave), and definition and contextualisation of the concept of ’controversy’. There has been limited research in the field of translation studies, which seeks to exemplify potential pragmatic approaches for the translation of politically-charged texts, particularly in multi-modal texts such as the graphic novel.

It is hoped that Zulawnik’s research will serve both as a valuable source when examining South Korea-Japan relations and a theoretical and methodological base for further research and the development of an online augmented translation space with devices specifically suited for the translation of multi-modal texts such as - but not limited to - graphic novels and visual encyclopaedias.

Adam Zulawnik is a researcher and Teaching Associate/Coordinator in Korean Studies at the Asia Institute, University of Melbourne and a founding member of the program. He was previously an Academy of Korean Studies Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Monash University, where he completed his PhD in Translation Studies and published his first co-authored book, Interviews with North Korean Defectors: from Kim Shin-jo to Thae Yong-ho (Routledge, 2021). His current research focuses on translation from the Korean and Japanese languages in political and historical settings and the development of a textbook about the history of the Korean Wave titled: The History of Hallyu: from the Kim Sisters to BTS (currently under contract with Routledge).