by Yea Jung Park (Saint Louis University)

Compiler’s note: The annotated list shared here is the result of serious sleuthing through archives, libraries, and used bookstores, but it is by no means fully comprehensive. My interest in Korean translations of the Tales has two originary moments: one is when I located a rarely-discussed abridged translation of the Tales in the collected works of Choe Nam-seon, among his early 20th-century serializations of “world literature” in translation, and another is when I chanced on a previously undocumented translation of the Tales (“Fake Kim B” below) while shopping for a recommended translation (“True Kim” below). Both ‘discoveries,’ while interesting in themselves, also show that there may be more such translations not discussed here, including partial translations or individual tales. Kang and Choi’s study mentions a lost translation, Kwak Jang-hyun’s 1962 publication, a copy of which they (and I too) failed to locate. A children’s version of the Nun’s Priest’s Tale has been previously identified in the Global Chaucers database. I also note that post-separation North Korea may hold translation archives to which I did not have access. This list may well be updated in the future, and I would be more than happy to receive queries or tips at yeajung.park at slu.edu.

The “CHOE N.” text (CHOE Nam-seon 최남선, 1915-17). Prose; partial and abridged [7 tales]; indirectly translated. Abridged versions of the following: General Prologue; The Knight’s Tale; The Clerk’s Tale; The Franklin’s Tale; The Pardoner’s Tale; The Wife of Bath’s Tale; The Nun’s Priest’s Tale (misnamed as the Nun’s Tale); The Prioress’s Tale. Published as one of the major Western classics under the heading of “세계문학개관” [Introduction to World Literature] in the magazine “청춘” [Youth], this translation was made by Choe Nam-seon, a cultural activist, literary translator and critic who is now also considered the first Korean “modern” poet. Choe’s source, an abridged Japanese translation, was identified only recently in 2018 (see Kim reference). Although Choe worked indirectly, many of his rhetorical flourishes are original, using onomatopoeia and action words that fill out the Japanese base text in ways that create effects surprisingly similar to Chaucer’s vernacular. The opening, an abbreviated version the General Prologue, is reworked into a musical rhythm and vocabulary that echoes the rhetoric of traditional Korean genres such as pansori (musical story-telling genre) or early vernacular soseol (novel). The links to traditional Korean genres, immediately recognizable to today’s Korean readers as hailing from Korea’s premodern vernacularity, create an interesting temporal effect, marking the text as something with a deep linguistic and literary past without the artificial interventions of a consciously “antiquating” translation. Kang and Choi point out that communicating the “feel” of Middle English to modern Korean readers poses a particularly difficult challenge for translators (p. 233); translated artifacts from Korea’s own literary past provide one good way of meeting this challenge. Presenting students with the Choe text as Chaucer’s “first encounter” with the Korean reading public will prompt simultaneous critical attention to the historical particularities of Chaucer’s language and to Chaucer’s afterlife and global transmission history.

The “TRUE KIM” text (KIM Jin-man 김진만, 1963). Prose, versified in later reprints by adding line-breaks; full and unabridged; directly translated with reference to other translations. Kim Jin-man, one of Korea’s pioneering scholars of medieval English literature, published a full translation of the Canterbury Tales in 1963, the first to include all of the Tales and also the first known translation to work directly from Middle English. As mentioned above, Kim’s translation is generally considered the “best” Korean rendition of the Tales, and has been reprinted several times. Kim names F. N. Robinson’s Works of Geoffrey Chaucer (1957, 2nd ed.) as his source text, showing that he chose an up-to-date and authoritative version at the time of translation. At the same time, Kim cites other translations, including modern English renditions by R. M. Lumiansky and Nevill Coghill, a French translation (Les contes de Canterbury by L. Cazamian and others), and Junzaburō Nishiwaki’s Japanese translation (『カンタベリー物語』). The plethora of sources that fed into this translation highlight the fact that even the most academically acclaimed translations rarely constitute an isolated exchange between the original text and the genius of the translator; it is a cultural amalgam that becomes rich through, not despite, multiple vectors of influence. Kim’s stated multivalent translation practice and its eminent success supports both the usefulness of considering multiple translations of the same text together, and the inclusion of indirect translations such as Choe’s in the scope of such considerations.

The “FAKE KIM A (GIANT BOOKS)” text (1982). Prose; partial [General Prologue and 9 tales]; possibly indirectly translated. Discovered by Kang and Choi to be a separate translation from Kim’s authentic 1963 text, this translation circulating under Kim’s name was published in 1982 by Moongongsa as part of the “Giant Books” series of world’s classics and Korean must-reads. Although Kang and Choi condemn this translation as one filled with errors and mistranslations (pp. 238-42), some readers have noted that the Korean prose of this text is much more readable than more literal academic translations. The focus on readable prose, perhaps the hallmark of heavy editorial processing, marks this text as the forebear of later prose translations such as Song’s, visibly geared toward a general reading public rather than academics or students of English literature.

The “FAKE KIM B (DONGSEO)” text (1987). Prose; full and unabridged; possibly indirectly translated. The publishing house Dongseomunhwasa (Dongsuh Publishers) published an authentic reprint of Kim’s translation in 1975, but the 1987 reprint (acquired by accident while searching for the “True Kim” text) is yet another separate translation. The book faithfully reproduces Kim’s 1963 introduction, but surreptitiously adds Michio Masui’s Japanese translation from the 1970s to the list of translations credited. This addition hints that the “ghost translator” behind this text either incorporated Masui’s translation or used it wholesale as the mediating source. The text also shows influence from modern English translations not initially mentioned by Kim, such as a telling reference to the “scent of fruit” in the first line of the General Prologue (that can only be a residue of the rhyming efforts of J. U. Nicolson’s 1934 translation, which runs: “When April with his showers sweet with fruit / The drought of March has pierced unto the root”; my emphasis). This “questionable” version was a surprising crowd favorite among my sample readers, who remarked on its resonance with the overall tone of 1980s Korean literature and chose it as one of the most pleasurable reads along with the “True Kim” text. However questionable the provenance or presentation, a new full translation of the Tales is a muscular feat, and it is worth noting that the Korean market produced yet another one at this time.

The “SONG” text (SONG Byeong-seon 송병선, 2000). Prose; full and unabridged; directly translated with reference to other translations. Translated by Song Byeongseon, a scholar of Spanish literature, this text does not immediately earn the approval of English literature scholars such as Kang and Choi, but the fact that this translation managed to edge out both the iffy Kim reprints and the roughly contemporary Lee & Lee translation in the market is interesting. This translation is currently by far the easiest text to acquire, sold in multiple editions in bookstores, and thus sports the largest number of online reader reviews to date, though likely soon to be overtaken by the newer Choi Yejung translation discussed below. (For the numbers of reviews, I referred to the websites of two major Korean booksellers: Kyobobook and Aladin.) The translation was re-released in an abridged version geared toward young adults in 2007, with comic subheadings added to each tale (e.g., “If your story’s good, your meal is free” for the General Prologue). The translation claims to be based on both Middle English and Spanish; the translator names John H. Fisher’s Middle English edition, The Complete Poetry and Prose of Geoffrey Chaucer (1977), noting its basis on the Ellesmere manuscripts as the reason for his choice, along with a Spanish translation (Los cuentos de Canterbury, 1991). Song’s nod to the manuscript tradition of the Tales displays the kind of interest in faithfulness and rigor increasingly expected of Korean translations, but his use of a Spanish help-text marks this translation as a participant in the tradition of multiply-translated texts that still impacts the Korean literary market.

The “LEE & LEE” text (LEE Dongill & LEE Dongchoon 이동일 & 이동춘, 2007). Mix of prose and verse; full and unabridged; directly translated. This collaborative translation by English professors Lee Dongill and Lee Dongchoon was the first in the several decades following Kim’s original translation to claim special expertise in Middle English literature. Parts of the translation were published earlier in 2001 and 2004 from Hanwool Publishing. The translation takes as its source the 1987 edition of The Riverside Chaucer, edited by Larry D. Benson. The translation is deemed “highly accurate” by Kang and Choi (p. 255), but the focus on accuracy of sense rather than ease of reading or communication of ambience contrasts with the efforts made by Kim to recreate the tone of particular speakers. The translation generally follows the original’s choice of verse or prose, as witnessed in the earlier partial publications of this translation, but the consolidated full edition cited here sometimes renders verse tales into prose (perhaps due to length issues or editorial choice). The general consensus among readers is that this translation is not a standalone reading text, but a near-literal translation that Korean students of Chaucer can lean on when struggling with the original Middle English.

The “CHOI Y.” text (CHOI Yejung 최예정, 2022). Mix of prose and verse; full and unabridged in two volumes; directly translated. Translated by Choi Yejung, a Korean scholar of Middle English literature who has previously conducted comparative critiques of existing Chaucer translations herself, this very recent publication takes The Riverside Chaucer (3rd ed.) as its source. In choosing verse or prose form, the translation faithfully follows the original. It also has the interesting distinction of being the first translation to deploy the polite register (hasipsio-che) of Korean throughout the main narration, resulting in a more conversational yet elevated tone overall than the ‘plain’ formal style (haera-che) of earlier translations. (There is some variation in register and speech level to reflect particular speakers’ character and mood, an element that can be witnessed in other translations as well; comparison of register choices among translations will be an interesting comparative project specific to the Korean-language scene.) Erudite but also very readable, even a smidgen too casual at times, this translation seems likely to become the new standard edition for Korean readers, especially as part of the acclaimed world’s classics series from the publishing house Eulyoo.

The revised “LEE & LEE” text (LEE Dongill & LEE Dongchoon 이동일 & 이동춘, 2007). Mix of prose and verse; full and unabridged; directly translated. A revised version of the 2007 text, created for Minumsa’s long-running world literature series. In the translators’ preface for this edition, Lee and Lee state that revisions were made in the interest of clarity for each line and for the general context, and that they paid extra attention to the meaning of the original Middle English. They expressed regret that Chaucer’s verse rhythm is difficult to reproduce in Korean. Based on comparisons of select passages, revisions appear to be mainly cosmetic (word choice, punctuation). A fuller comparison will give an interesting vision into how the same set of translators can make different textual choices over time.

CHOOSE YOUR FAVORITE: I share some sample passages from each Korean translation drawn from the same sections of the General Prologue, with my English back-translations for non-Korean readers’ reference. (These back-translations will of course reflect my own understanding of the flavor of each translation; if you are a Korean-language reader and have a different back-translation to offer, please reach out!)

Comparing each translator’s treatment of Chaucer’s famous opening lines, particularly their seasonal language and vivid imagery, is a great way to begin appreciating the different stylistic choices and atmosphere-setting work of each translation. For detailed suggestions on using such passage comparisons in the classroom, see my article “Multiply-Translated Chaucer in the Korean Classroom,” which focuses on descriptions of the Wife of Bath in particular.

[Middle English]

What that Aprill with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote
And bathed every veyne in swich licour.
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes… (General Prologue 1-7)

Bifil that in that seson on a day,
In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay,
Redy to wenden on my pilgrymage
To Caunterbury with ful devout corage,
At nyght was come into that hostelrye
Wel nyne and twenty in a compaignye
Of sondry folk, by aventure yfalle
In felaweshipe, and pilgrimes were they alle,
That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde. (General Prologue 19-27)

[Choe N.] 때는 춘삼월春三月 망간望間 땅은 런던倫敦의 남부南部 싸우드웍(Southwork) [sic] 숫막 쇄금정鎖金亭이라. 캔터베리 치성致誠을 가랴고 적적寂寂한 복로 방房에 전전반측輾轉反側 홀로 누어 잠이 드냐말냐 하는 차에 꾸역꾸역 들어오는 이십구명二十九名의 행인行人이 다가튼 치성致誠길이나 제각금 다른 직분職分…

[True Kim] 사월달 달콤한 소나기가 삼월 가물을 속속들이 꿰뚫고 꽃을 피게 하는 습기로 온 세상 나뭇가지의 힘줄을 적시어 주면, 서녘바람 또한 잔나무 밭 애송이 가지의 끝과 끝 속에 감미로운 입김을 불어 넣어 준다.

When the month of April’s sweet showers pierce deep through the March drought, and when with the moisture that causes the flowers to bloom they drench the sinews of all the tree-branches of the world, the westerly breeze also offers to blow its mellow breath into the fine end-points of the baby branches in gardens of small trees.

이 계절 어느날, 나는 경건한 마음으로 캔터베리로의 순례를 작정하고, 싸작크의 타바드 여인숙에 투숙했다. 밤이 되자 그 여인숙에는 스물 하고 아홉 사람의 한 떼가 들었다. 우연히 동행이 된 형형색색의 이 사람들은 모두 순례자들이었고, 찾아가는 곳은 캔터베리였다.

One day in this season, I with a devout heart decided upon a pilgrimage to Canterbury, and found lodgings at Southwark’s Tabard Inn. When it became night, into that inn there entered a crowd of twenty people and nine. Having become companions by chance, these people of all shapes and colors were all pilgrims, and the place they were looking to head was Canterbury.

[Fake Kim A]

달콤한 4월의 비가 한차례 내리자 메말랐던 4월의 대지가 촉촉히 물기를 머금어 나무들은 생기를 되찾고 꽃봉오리도 벌어지기 시작했다. 숲 속의 나뭇가지와 무성하게 자란 관목은 서풍의 향긋한 입김으로 부드러운 작은 가지를 뻗는다.

After a round of sweet April showers, the parched earth of April [sic] held water moistly, so that trees regained their liveliness and flower buds also began to open. The branches in the woods and the lushly grown bushes stretch out soft small sprigs due to the fragrant breath of the west wind.

그와 같은 시절의 어느 날, 신앙심이 샘솟듯 솟아올라, 나는 캔터베리 사원을 향해 혼자서 길을 떠났다. 도중에 런던 변두리 사자크의 ‹타바드 여관›에 묵게 되었다. 우연히도 그 여관에 29 명의 일행이 묵고 있었다. 듣건대 그들은 신분도 직업도 달랐으나, 여행 중에 서로 만나 함께 다니게 되었다는 것이었다. 그들은 말을 타고서 캔터베리에 참례한다고 했다. 물론 나도 그들 가운데 끼어들었다.

One day in that same period, piety welling up like a fountain, I embarked alone on the road toward the Canterbury shrine. On the way, I happened to stay at the ‹Tabard Inn› in Southwark, in the peripheries of London. By chance, there was a group of 29 people staying there at that inn. As I heard tell, they were all different in status and profession, but met during their travels and joined to journey together. They were riding on horses to pay their respects at Canterbury. I of course edged my way in among them.

[Fake Kim B]

과일 향기 달콤한 4월의 봄비
3월의 마른 나무뿌리에 스며들어
수액이 흐르는 온세상 줄기들을 촉촉이
적셔 꽃봉오리 터뜨릴 즈음,
서녘바람 감미로운 입김을
숲과 나무 여린 새싹에 불어넣는다.

Sweet with the scent of fruit, the April spring rain
Seeps into the dry tree-roots of March.
And drenches moistly all the sap-filled branches of the world
And makes the flower-buds burst open—just about then,
The westerly breeze blows its mellow breath
Into the tender buds of woods and trees.

[Song] 은은하게 내리는 4월의 비가 3월의 가물었던 땅 속으로 깊이 파들어갔다. 그 비는 꽃을 피우기에 모자람이 없을 정도로 대지의 모든 나뭇가지를 촉촉이 적셨고, 서풍은 감미로운 입김으로 숲과 들판의 연약한 싹에 생기를 불어넣었다.

The delicately falling rain of April delved deep into the parched earth of March. This rain moistly drenched all of the earth’s branches, enough to make flowers bloom, and the west wind with its mellow breath blew a lively spirit into the frail buds of the woods and meadows.

이런 시기의 어느 날이었다. 나는 경건한 마음으로 캔터베리로 순례하기로 마음먹고 런던교 남쪽의 서더크 구역에 있는 타바드 여관에 묵고 있었다. 그런데 어둠이 깔릴 무렵 스물아홉 명의 무리가 이곳에 도착했다. 그들은 각양 각색의 계층에 속해 있었는데, 우연히 만나서 무리를 이루어 캔터베리로 향하고 있었다.

It was one day in this period. I had decided to make a pilgrimage to Canterbury with a devout heart and was lodging in the Tabard Inn in the Southwark area, south of London Bridge. Then just as dusk settled, a crowd of twenty-nine arrived at this place. They belonged to a diverse array of estates, and were heading to Canterbury, having met by chance and formed a group.

[Lee & Lee; differences in the 2023 revision in brackets]

사월의 달콤한 소나기가 삼월의 가뭄을
뿌리까지 깊이 꿰뚫을 때,
그리고 꽃을 피게 하는 촉진적인 힘을 지닌
그 촉촉함[축축함]에 모든 줄기가 적셔질 때
그리고 서풍 역시 달콤한 입김으로
모든 숲과 들판에서 부드러운 새순에
생명력을 불어넣고 있을 때…

When the sweet shower of April pierces
The drought of March deeply unto the root,
And when all branches are drenched in that moistness [wetness].
That bears the promoting power that makes flowers bloom.
And when the west wind also with sweet breath
Into the soft new buds in all woods and fields
Blows living energy…

이 계절 어느 날,
캔터베리로 성지순례를 떠나기 위해
마음속 믿음 가득한 채 내가 머물고 있던
서더크에 있는 타바드 여관에,
저녁 무렵 다양한 계층의 스물아홉 사람이
우연히 일행이 되어.
단체로 [한 무리로] 그 여관을 찾았다.
그들 모두는 순례자로서
캔터베리를 향하여 가려는 의도를 지니고 있었다.

One day in this season,
Into the Tabard Inn in Southwark
Where I was lodging while faith was full in my heart
In order to depart on pilgrimage to Canterbury,
Around evening twenty-nine people of various estates
Having become companions by chance.
Visited the inn as a group [as one crowd].
They all were pilgrims
And bore the intent of going towards Canterbury.

[Choi Y.]

4월의 달콤한 소나기가
3월의 메마른 뿌리까지 뚫고 들어가
줄기마다 물기로 촉촉하게 적셔
그 힘으로 꽃이 피어나던 때였습니다.
서풍이 향긋한 숨결로
온 숲과 들판에 생명을 불어넣어
보드라운 새싹이 돋아나던 때였지요.

When the sweet showers of April
Pierced through to the dry roots of March
And drenched with moisture each stem
So that flowers would bloom through that power—this was the time.
It was the time when the west wind with sweet breath
Blew life into all the woods and meadows
So that soft new buds began to grow.

이런 계절의 어느 날,
저는 매우 경건한 마음으로
캔터베리로 순례길을 떠날 채비를 하고
서더크 지방의 타바드라는 숙소에 묵게 되었습니다.
밤이 되자 그곳으로
스물아홉 명은 족히 되는
각양각색의 사람들이 들어왔습니다.
그들은 모두 순례자로서
캔터베리로 가는 길에
우연히 만나 동행하게 된 사람들이었습니다.

One such day in this season,
I, with a very devout heart,
Prepared to go on pilgrimage to Canterbury
And happened to lodge at an inn called Tabard in the Southwark area.
When night fell, into the place came
Folks fully twenty-nine in number
Of a diverse array of types.
They all were pilgrims, And on the way to Canterbury
Had met by chance, and begun to travel together.

Texts and translations cited (in chronological order)

Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. In The Riverside Chaucer, 3rd ed., edited by Larry D. Benson. Oxford University Press, 2008. 23–328.

최남선 (CHOE Nam-Seon), trans. “캔터베리記” [Tales of Canterbury]. In 『육당 최남선 전집』 [Complete Works of Yukdang Choe Nam-seon], vol. 13. 역락 Youkrack, 2003. Originally serialized in the magazine 『청춘』[Youth] during years 1915–1917.

김진만 (KIM Jin-man) [True Kim], trans. 『캔터베리 이야기』 [Canterbury Tales]. 정음사 Jeongeumsa, 1963.

김진만 (KIM Jin-man) [Fake Kim A], trans. 『캔터베리 이야기』 [Canterbury Tales]. 문공사 Moongongsa, 1982.

김진만 (KIM Jin-man) [Fake Kim B], trans. 『캔터베리 이야기』 [Canterbury Tales]. 동서문화사 Dongsuh Publishers, 1987.

송병선 (SONG Byeongseon), trans. 『캔터베리 이야기』 [Canterbury Tales]. 책이있는마을 Book Village, 2000.

이동일 & 이동춘 (LEE Dongill & LEE Dongchoon), trans. 『캔터베리 이야기』 [Canterbury Tales]. 한국외국어대학교출판부 Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Press, 2007.

최예정 (CHOI Yejung), trans. 『캔터베리 이야기』 [Canterbury Tales], 2 vols. 을유문화사 Eulyoo Publishing, 2022.

이동일 & 이동춘 (LEE Dongill & LEE Dongchoon), trans. 『캔터베리 이야기』 [Canterbury Tales], 2 vols. 민음사 Minumsa Publishing, 2023.

References and related works

강지수 & 최예정 (KANG Ji-Soo & CHOI Yejung). “‘각양각색의 사람들이 각양각색으로 이야기했노라’—『캔터베리 이야기』 번역 검토” [“Diverse folk diversely they seyde”: Korean Translations of The Canterbury Tales]. 중세르네상스영문학 [Medieval and Early Modern English Studies] 12.1 (June 2004): 225-56. Korean text, English abstract available.

김준현 (KIM Jun-hyun). “『청춘』의 ‘세계문학개관’ 저본에 대한 검토 (1)—최남선과 마쓰우라 마사야스(松浦政泰)” [Review on the Original Text of “World Literature Overview” in Cheongchoon (Youth)—Choi Nam-seon and Matsura Masayasu]. 사이間SAI 24 (2018): 9–41. The Tales are discussed on pp. 30-34. Korean text, English abstract available.

영미문학연구회 번역평가사업단 (Assessment of Translations of Major British and American Writers Project). “캔터베리 이야기” [The Canterbury Tales]. 『영미명작, 좋은 번역을 찾아서』 [British and American Literature: In Search of Good Translations]. Changbi, 2005. 245-265. Korean.

이동일 (LEE Dongill). “『캔터베리이야기』 한국어 번역의 문제점 고찰” [A Consideration of Problems in Korean Translations of The Canterbury Tales]. 영미연구 [Journal of British & American Studies] 36 (2016): 27–52. Korean text, English abstract available.

PARK, Yea Jung. “Multiply-Translated Chaucer in the Korean Classroom.” Literature Compass 21.1-3 (2024). http://doi.org/10.1111/lic3.12735. English.