Things I Like #4

- Ocean Vuong's poetry
- Putting lipstick onto your top lip, then pursing your lips and seeing the imprint appear on your bottom lip. Then going over it and making it brighter.
- Refreshing my emails on my phone
- Thick braids
- Dane Dehaan

-------

On translation:

Deborah Smith began studying Korean in 2010 and translated The Vegeterian by Han Kang to practice her language skills. The English version was published in 2015. It won a Man Booker. She and the original author split the prize money.
The more I think about being a translator of (modern) prose literature, the more appealing it seems to me. I could do French to English and Chinese to English. I think the fluent-in-theory-but-dy1ng-in-practice relationship I have with French and Chinese, and my excellent English (if I may say so myself) is a good combination. Or Spanish? Or I could even do a new language from scratch, like Smith. My list of languages I want to learn next are:

1. Cantonese (but in terms of literary translation, of course Hong Kong literature would probably need knowledge of Cantonese to translate, but still isn't impossible with Mandarin and some guidance)
2. Korean (I feel like it'd be easier than...)
3. Arabic
4. Sanskrit (not very practical for modern translation!) 
5. Czech

I don't know why Czech. I've had this very romantic view of Prague ever since I read Daughter of Smoke and Bone in year 7 and I also loved The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. And, of course, Kafka. Prague is just such a beautiful name.

Speaking of Kafka, I'm still lowkey reeling from Kafka on the Shore which I read over the summer. I don't understand it. But it was so interesting. The only other Murakamis I've read are Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage and 20 pages of a Spanish version of After the Earthquake. He won't stop thinking about sex during moments when it's not necessary. Anyway, I feel like you could write a whole book analysing Kafka on the Shore. I haven't thought about it yet. It's just sitting in my mind, like a bookmark. Maybe someday I'll dwell on it.