Have you ever wondered why your professors hate it whenever you use Papago to translate your assignments? Well, this class is going to explain why.

I used to believe that translation is merely the act to transcribing the words from a language to another. All the way making sure that every single detail and cultural nuance is translated into the target language.

However, after taking this class, I realized that the act of translation is more than that. Translation is embedded in every single aspect of our lives, actually.

When you listen to a lecture and jot down notes on your google doc, sitting quietly in a tab on an open browser, you're translating what your professor's words. When you write a paper analyzing the work of a famous author, say, Virginia Woolf, that's an act of translation!

Contrary to common belief, translating is not merely the rigid process of transcribing every single detail of the original work into another language. Rather, it's a collaborating process which integrates the act of interpretation, by choosing which parts of the text to leave in, and which parts to leave out, because there is no one true "equivalent" word in two languages.

Not only did I learn how to put the technical aspects of translation into practice, I also had the chance to understand how fluid human communication works. How humans negotiate meaning by seeking common ground between cultures.

Though some might be intimidated by the course, considering the fact that you'd have to translate Korean texts to English and vice versa (in which, none of them may be your first nor second language), I'd say there's no need to worry too much as Peter's (yes, he prefers students to call him by his first name) mostly pretty understanding with slight awkwardness in your translated text.

Important things to note before taking this class:

1. Class structure:

There're three parts to this class:

A. Theory

Where you learn about translation theory

This section of the class is relatively easy, you'd only have to read through the assigned readings and be prepared to discuss them in class.