제 지저분한 메모를 해부하고 있어요…

Translation: Dissecting My Messy Notes…

매일마다 일하고 있으면서 전 많은 메모를 자주 써요. 어제 제 새로운 어휘를 공부했으면서 제 오래된 메모를 발견했어요. 여기에 첫번째 메모가 있어요:

면백하게도 전 그녀의 칭찬 받는것이 즐거웠지만 저도 둘다 한국어로 말하고 타인은 제 말이 이해하게 할 수 있었기 때문애 지 가분이 굉장했어요. 다른 여러 주제에 대해 대화했어요.

However the fun didn’t start here until I tried translating my writing myself, instead of using an assisting program. (Which I primarily use to check my spelling and/or grammar. I don’t ever rely on that thing (Papago) to fix my grammar. Perish the thought!) While typing I couldn’t, for the life of me, figure out what this meant:

The shapes didn’t line up with any words my memory could recall. But then, as I was translating, it hit me. In the prior sentence I had been referring to myself (전) and the response of others to me. Here, I was talking about all the numerous, various topics… we had discussed! “We” in Korean is “우리는” frequently abbreviated to “우린.” Which fit in perfectly.

광주에 다시 갔어요…

Translation: I Went to Gwangju Again…

지난토요일에 광주에 많은 미술관에 방문하러 갔어요. 이 이야기는 그 첫번째 미술관에 대해 예요:

그 전체 전시회의 주제는 전통한국미술작품 볼걸 새로운 방법에 대해 창조하고 있었어요. 그래서 이 예술가가 (하루 K.) 전통산맥의 그림을 거인 창조했지만 그는 삼차원 인쇄기의 그 그림이 만들었어요. 다음의 그는 다른 경치마다 사진을 찍었어요. 그의 사진들은 둘다 똑똑하고 재미있었어요. 그것들이 제게 웃게 많이 했어요. 이렇게 (이 황상으로) 인해서 그 전시회의 안내원이 제가 또한 총명한거라고 생각한 것 같았어요! 불행하게도 그 사진의 장난들이 이해한걸 아주 쉬워서 전 그것들을 이해할 수 있었어요.

(Last Saturday I went to Gwangju and visited many art galleries. This story is about the first gallery:

The entire exhibit’s theme was creating new ways to show traditional Korean art. So this artist (Haru K.) painted a giant traditional mountain range, but made it using a 3D printer. Then he photographed the different (individual) scenes. These photos were at once both very interesting and smart. They made me laugh a lot. Because of this, I think the exhibit’s curator thought I was also bright! Unfortunately the jokes were basic (i.e. very easy to understand), so I could understand them.)

이야기는 게으른 점원에 대해 예요

Translation: a Story about a Lazy Cashier.

When the lady in the “mall” doesn’t put the cool “paid” stickers on your water.

“Look lady, you’re putting me in a bad position. If security stops me, my Korean is insufficient to tell them anything but, ‘미안하지만 그 게으른 종업원은 이 물병이 산 스티코를 안 붗었어요. 당신은 그녀에게 그녀의 게으름에 대해 이야기해야 해요.’ And I’d hate to have to throw you, and your laziness under the bus like that.”

Yargh, so close on my first attempt. I fucked up “sticker” (스티커), “attach” (붙이다), and “cashier” (점원).

Should’ve read “‘미안하지만 그 게으른 점원은 이 물병위에 산 스티커를 안 붙였어요. 당신은 그녀에게 그녀의 게으름에 대해 말해야 해요

또 다른 밤… (2/2)

Translation: Another Night… (2/2)

It just never ends. I thought the story was finished last night, until I woke up this morning and realized that I hadn’t adequately (or at all, really) explained the profound loss I experienced when, at the end of Korean class yesterday, I discovered my tiny magnet was missing.

Also it took me forever, but I finally figured out how to conjugate the Korean word for realize – 깨닫다. My girlfriend was pissed last night when I explained why I refer to King Seyeon as “Mad King Seyeon.” But he designed a language where there’s only three syllable-ending sounds permissible, despite the language still ending its syllables with any and all consonants. They just all change to the three sounds his in-bred (I’m assuming in-bred; if Korean aristocracy was anything like European aristocracy) mind could remember.

Fun fact: 깨닫다 transforms into 깨달아요” when conjugated. Cuz why end with a “D” sound if everything can be a “T” or an “R/L?”

또 다른 밤… (1/2)

Translation: Another Night… (1/2)

So another night, another half-page of scribbles. The only thing separating this from the countless other instances is the circumstance behind said story.

Translation: Another Bad Trip (Accident)

I bought this book Monday morning. I had it slated for a Thursday finish. Now it’s Friday night/Saturday morning and it’s done. Along with a rather lengthy essay I didn’t intend to write, but it ended up on the page nonetheless (“그럼에도 불구하고” for anyone studying at home).

제 펜에서 제 멤어장까지 직진쪽으로 오고 있어요

Translation: Coming Straight From my Pen to the Page.

Tonight’s tale. Not what I set out on writing, but what comes out of my pen is what ends up in the notebook. Heck, maybe one day I’ll use one of the countless Korean textbooks I have rotting at home!

오늘 한국어 수업에 제 가장 자랑스러워한 순간은 타르퀸과 제가 수영에 대 담론하는 (심의하는) 걸 이었어요. 지금 그는 좋은 헤엄치는 사람인대도 타르퀸은 어렸을 때 그는 물에 대 매우 무서워했어요. 그는 물안에 많은 불쾌한 경험 있었기 때문에 그는 물에 주변 있었으면 그는 괘 걱정 될 수도 있었어요.

전 해변에 자랐기 때문에 그의 수영역사가 저에게 정말 재미있었어요. 그래서 전 물에 대 절대로 무서워해 되지 않았어요. 그리고 전 그에게 이걸 한국어로 말했어요. 그러면 그는 저에게 제 한국어 문들이 완벽해 된 걸 말했어요.

(In Korean class today, my proudest moment was when Taruqiin and I discussed swimming. Although Taruquin is now a good swimmer, when he was young he was scared of water. He had a lot of unpleasant experiences in water, so he would become quite worried if he was around it.

He swimming history was interesting for me because I grew up on the beach. So I have never been scared of water. And I told him this in Korean. And he then told me that my Korean sentences had been perfect.)

After posting said work for review:

이 이야기는 제 어마나에 대해 예요

Translation: This Story is About My Mother.

This never stops cracking me up. Five years now, yet he’s still consistently amazed by the clean-ish state of my apartment. Doesn’t everyone have a ghost of their mother following them around yelling at them if things are out of order? It can’t just be me!

지금 한국 언어는 Roller Derby처럼 저를 위해 돼요

Translation: For Me, Korean is Now like Roller Derby.

My Korean has officially become roller derby. Here’s the note about my hospital experience I wrote at work. Followed by me transcribing it into my Korean notebook this morning. Not pictured are the further revisions made waiting for my flu shot. (Essentially turning “…the whole night became horribly boring” into “the entire night became a horribly boring experience. The night was very dull.” Which, upon reading how bad that looks, I changed into “the night was painfully dull.”

ZING!!!

Okay, after countless attempts, I think I’ve finally transformed my prior sentence into “something ShenaniTims would say in English.”

그 늙은 남자는 아직 바보 예요!

Translation: That Old Man is Still an Asshole!

커피숍에 들어온 후에 낡은 남자는 또한 들어왔고 내게 속에 직진 쪽으로 걸어왔어요. 그는 줄을 황급히 가고 싶었어요. 그는 그의 돈을 계산대위에 던졌고 그의 주문을 불렸어요. 그래서 난 아주 화난 됐어요. 운 좋게도 이 커피숍의 점직원은 나를 알았고 그녀도 그가 바보 알아요. 그래서 그녀는 첫번째 내 음료 만들었어요. 그때 그는 화났어요!