Professor La Shure received the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea) Translation Award for Aspiring Translators in 2003 and the LTI Korea Translation Award for his translation of Black Flower, a novel by Kim Young-ha in 2013. Thus, translating Korean literature and studying Korean language and literature evolved into his primary, full-fledged pursuits. Currently, as a professor at the SNU Department of Korean Language and Literature, he mainly teaches oral literature among Korean classical literature.

His chance visit to South Korea sparked a change.

Professor La Shure began his study of the Korean language in 1995, obtaining his master`s and doctorate degrees in oral literature at SNU’s Department of Korean Language and Literature. He had planned to explore Japanese studies in his initial visit to South Korea:
“I was planning to stay in South Korea for six months or a year before going to Japan. To my frustration, I was not able to communicate while in Korea. Once I started learning Korean, I became interested in Korean literature and culture. Everything fell into place.”
During Professor La Shure’s time in the US, people were accustomed to Chinese and Japanese studies. However, Korean studies were less prevalent. Nevertheless, gaining confidence from his exposure to the Korean language led him to select and study Korean literature and culture. As a novel field, Korean language and literature held considerable appeal:
“The Department of Korean Language and Literature offers three major options: Korean linguistics, Korean classical literature, and Korean modern literature. I first decided to major in classical literature rather than modern literature. Because my ongoing interest lay in medieval literature and William Shakespeare, classical literature attracted my keen interest. The subfield of classical literature includes classical poetry, classical novels, Sino-Korean literature, and oral literature. I remember that Sino-Korean literature was challenging because of the Chinese characters.”
While classical poetry and novels are interesting, oral literature, which deals with stories passed down by word-of-mouth, fascinated him. SNU People inquired about his view on the value and weight of oral literature. Professor La Shur responded, “This may be true for all literature.
Personally, while studying oral literature, a continuous sense of ‘living literature’ captivated me. Because oral literature is passed down and created by word-of-mouth, new literary works keep emerging. Oral literature continues from the past to the present. It is valuable because new works are being created all around the world at this moment.”

He conveys a deep and genuine understanding of South Korea to international students.

It has been over ten years since Professor La Shur became an SNU professor. As there is a growing interest in South Korea, the number of international students intending to study Korean language and literature is increasing, and participation in his courses is on the rise.
“Compared to ten years ago, when I was first appointed as a professor at the Department of Korean Language and Literature, student participation in courses has markedly escalated. This change may be due to the influence of the Korean Wave as well as a rising interest in South Korea. Every semester, I have devoted constant efforts to introducing Korean culture to students in a more exhilarating manner. During my courses, I found that my students often knew more about Korean culture than I did. This is because Korean culture encompasses various aspects, such as K-pop, Korean cultural trends, and popular content.”
If the same lectures are repeatedly delivered, it may be boring to both the lecturer and listeners. Thus, his efforts extend to course design with engaging and novel formats. He prefers outdoor classes with his students in the form of tours. For example, he holds a storytelling tour class on Korean literature at Gyeongbokgung Palace.
“I tend to tell old stories during tour classes. While addressing the latest key issues, I strive to connect them to oral literature.”
Professor La Shur primarily teaches Korean language and literature to foreign exchange students. In response to the high participation rates among students with a genuine interest in South Korea, he expends his efforts to deepen his students’ understanding of South Korea. His courses aim to serve as stepping stones for students, allowing them to properly understand Korean culture by correcting vague romantic notions and false information obtained from the mass media.

Korean literary works are gaining global attention, reflecting the importance of translators of Korean literature.

Novelist Han Kang recently won the Nobel Prize in Literature. We would like to know the appeal of Han Kang’s works, which are attracting attention in global literary circles.
“I enjoyed reading The Boy Is Coming among Han Kang’s works. Everyone is curious about why she is being spotlighted overseas. Personally, when I read her literary works, I realized they fostered my understanding of the society and history of the focal country. The Vegetarian excels in this aspect as well. Additionally, the role of the translator, Deborah Smith, may be as important as the work itself.”
No matter how great a literary work is, it may fail to convey the messages intended by the author or establish empathy unless it meets a talented translator. It stands to reason that an excellent literary work should have a competent translator to receive the Nobel Prize. What qualities and basic elements does Professor La Shur think a literary translator should possess? He emphasizes “the agility of a translator.”
“Literary translation is an opportunity for secondary creation. Translators often forget that the books they are translating are literary works. For translators who write their own literary works, it might be more advantageous. A translator must hold artistic qualities rather than performing mere translation. In my case, I majored in English literature, specifically in creative writing. This background has been significantly beneficial in translating literary works.”
Professor La Shur has translated many works into English, including Young-ha Kim’s Black Flower, Sang-seop Yeom`s Mansejeon, and Sang-Guk Jeon`s Planaria. While reading books as a translator rather than a reader, he realized translators must have a considerable depth of understanding of the literary works they are translating. When encountering challenging parts, he tends to ask friends or family members to read the translated book or attempt cross-reading. He remarks that it is impossible to translate a text without interpreting it.
“Literary translation is a concept of rewriting what they felt after reading a literary work in their language. This appears to be a process of consuming and digesting a literary work and then completing it under the name of translation. Because this act is to translate literary works comprehensible to translators, all translation is subjective, and no objective translation may exist.”