Immersia 2025: Panel Discussion – From Learning Korean to Translating Books

Are you a Korean learner with an interest in translation? Come hear from students of the Korean Literature Translation Workshop!

Every year since 2023, students from across Australia (and, recently, Singapore) have gotten together to learn the skill of literary translation through a hands-on, intensive workshop. Free of charge and conducted entirely online, the Korean Literature Translation Workshop involves translating a real, novel-length book from Korean into English. For most participants, this workshop is their first attempt at translation –some are still actively learning Korean through university courses, whereas some are native speakers with an enthusiasm for literature. To all of them, the workshop offers the rare and unique opportunity of being able to pursue an interest or develop a hobby in a real, tangible way, with almost no barriers to entry.

Join us as we talk to participants from the workshop about their experiences learning and doing literary translation. Hear also from the workshop’s instructors, Dr Adam Zulawnik and Miss Aditi Dubey, about how the workshop operates, and the challenges of teaching literary translation.

About the participants

Grace Alexander is an ANU student majoring in Linguistics and Korean Language, with a big interest in translating and interpreting.

Yerin Park  is an ANU student studying English and history.

Praju Ghatpande is an ANU student completing her honours in Linguistics. She is interested in translation and Korean literature, and loves to read books from all over the world.

Destiny Harding is an ANU alum who studied Digital Humanities and Linguistics with a minor in Advanced Korean.

Injee Nam is a University of Sydney alum who studied Korean Studies and Psychological Science. She is interested in Korean art and culture, and is currently working on building her literary translation skills.

About the instructors

Dr Adam Zulawnik is a researcher and Teaching Specialist in Korean Studies at the Asia Institute, University of Melbourne. He is the author of two books, including a monograph titled Translating Controversial Texts in East Asian Contexts: a methodology for the translation of 'controversy' (Routledge, 2022). An experienced teacher of Korean and Japanese at all levels, he also teaches translation for the Korean Literary Translation Workshop.

Aditi Dubey is an emerging linguist and literary translator. She co-translated Kim Ryeoryeong’s The Trunk (2024, HarperCollins), and is working independently on Kim Yudam’s Women at Ease (이완의 자세). An affiliate of the Korea Institute (ANU), she teaches translation for the Korean Literary Translation Workshop, and is an experienced Korean language teacher. She is currently pursuing a PhD in linguistics at ANU, researching multilingualism and language contact.  

This event, presented by the ANU School of Culture, History & Language and the ANU Korea Institute, is a part of both the Korean Literature Festival and 2025 Immersia.

Please note: If you require accessibility accommodations or a visitor Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan please contact the event organisers. 

This event may be photographed and recorded. The recorded material may be used to promote future ANU events and programs. By attending the event you are giving us informed consent. If you DO NOT wish to be recorded, please let ANU event staff know on the day. We will be mindful and ensure not to photograph any faces of children present.