Some of the debates about Squid Game turned the spotlight on the role of the subtitler: Are they skilled enough? Are they paid enough? Are there enough of them? We think that even the best, most highly-paid translator can’t tell you everything you need to know about what’s going on in your favourite K-film or … [Read More]
Category: Language
A review of the Korean cultural year 2021
Each year when I come to write this review, I wonder whether Korean culture in the West has reached its high water mark. And every year so far I’ve come to the same conclusion. Korean music and film, TV and food continue to win admirers, and we can expect to see it continue to thrive … [Read More]
Translating “Squid Game” – online seminar series
Not sure where you stand on the topic of the Squid Game subtitles? Forget about the noise on social media and get something more substantive to help you form some views: Translating Squid Game Four workshops held weekly via Zoom 5pm Saturday 23 October – 13 November Email [email protected] to register Discussing issues of translation … [Read More]
Understanding Minari: Language and life between and beyond Korea and America
The last Wednesday in May is turning out to be a busy day online at the KCC: the book launch for Choi Jin-young’s To the Warm Horizon, the first of the K-music online showcases, and now this talk: Understanding Minari Language and life between and beyond Korea and America Wednesday 26 May 2021, 6pm | … [Read More]
Korean Speech Contest 2019 at the KCC
The annual speech contest is open for applications until 16 June: Korean Speech Contest 2019 Saturday 22 June 2019, 2pm @KCCUK Apply by midnight, 16 June 2019. Visit the KCC website for further details [Read More]
Korean Language & Culture Course Launch Party
This is a course and an organisation we haven’t come across before. Launch event is free, but there’s no indication of the pricing for the course itself. Launch Party for Korean Language & Culture Course Venue: European School Of Economics | 4 Mandeville Place | London W1U 2BG Friday 22 March 2019, 18:00 – 20:00 … [Read More]
SOAS seminar – Clever Speakers and Flexible Listeners: A Study on Sais-soli in Korean
The first of SOAS’s Friday evening seminars of 2019: Clever Speakers and Flexible Listeners: A Study on Sais-soli in Korean Hae-Sung Jeon (University of Central Lancashire) 18 January 2019, 5:15 – 7:00 pm Venue: Brunei Gallery Room B211 Online registration required Abstract Variation is natural and important part of language. What is fascinating in speech … [Read More]
Korean language classes in Raynes Park
If you were unsuccessful in your application for the language classes at the KCC this year, don’t despair: there’s a similar set of classes down in Raynes Park, organised by another branch of the Korean embassy, the Korean Education Centre. More details here: lkl.ink/2kCa5CV Apply by 3 February for this term’s classes. [Read More]
말 MAL – The 2nd Korean Speech Contest
If you’re not intimidated by the standard of last year’s Korean speech competition – see the below video clip – then get your applications in for this year’s contest, to be held on 6 June. 말 MAL – The 2nd Korean Speech Contest in the UK Let’s Speak Korean Date: 6th June 2015 14:00 Venue: … [Read More]
Burberry – the favoured brand of Korean flashers
In the last decade, British fashion brand Burberry manage to rescue itself from the chav associations caused by too liberal licensing of its check design to companies it couldn’t control. But you can’t control the use to which a raincoat is put. And according to the Hankyoreh: Burberry coats have long been sought after in … [Read More]
Brighten up your hangeul typeface
Bored with the default hangeul font on your PC? The Korea Blog has a brief article on hangeul as compared with other scripts, explaining some of the difficulties with hangeul typography. But best of all, they provide a couple of links where you can download hangeul fonts for free: Naver’s Nanum font collection (4 varieties) … [Read More]
Eating yeot, or not
Ask A Korean has a great post on the reason why a disgruntled fan might want to lob a few toffees at the returning Korean football team. He has a few explanations why “Eat Yeot” is considered an insult. The article promted an LKL reader to add a different story about eating yeot as a … [Read More]
Koreans in America: the Slate map of the most popular language in your State
AAPI Voices say that the Slate got it wrong, but at least the Slate article on the most popular language in your State got the Korean states right. So why is it that, after Spanish and English, Korean is the most-spoken language in Virginia and Georgia? One suggestion from an LKL reader is that Virginia … [Read More]
Kim Yuna’s Lark of Emergency and other popular classics
Browsing in the Hankyoreh yesterday I came across some charming pictures of Queen Yuna. This particular one, with the famous yellow logo on the CD cover … … got me googling for Deutsche Grammophon compilations of Kim’s backing tracks. And I came across this: Scrolling down to the tracklist I find that the label hasn’t … [Read More]
No medals for the BBC’s Sochi closing ceremony coverage
As the Olympic flag was passed from Sochi to the mayor of Pyeongchang, it was time for a brief preview of the 2018 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony. The BBC voiceover was done by sports commentator Hazel Irvine, who had been handed a press briefing but no more. Helpfully, she identified that the bird characters on … [Read More]
Some Quite Interesting Korean folk expressions
The witty comedy quiz show QI is now in its 11th series for the BBC, focusing on Quite Interesting facts connected with things that begin with the letter K. Plenty of scope for things Korean to crop up, then. In the episode that screened on 21 September, a series of Korean folk expressions came up. … [Read More]