More on Horribility

I took Hong Gildong (the "Korean Classical Literature Institute" version) in to work to show it around the Translation Department, who all had a good hoot.

Over a delicious 갈바당 lunch the chair asked why I bought it, and I replied the cover was nice.

She took a look at the cover and said, "yeah, nice, but it really doesn't have anything to do the story, does it?"

I peered at it and joked, "Yeah, it's pretty generic, I bet they used that cover on all the books."

We returned to her office, because she wanted to photocopy the cover - she's going to buy a copy to use in an upcoming conference we will be attending; one about how translations miss their target.

She disappeared behind the screen covering her desk. In about three minutes an "aha!" came from behind the screen.

I asked why?

She said, "Like you said, they all have the same cover."

And, given a slightly different shade, they all do, as this picture depressingly reveals (that one on the lower right is from a different series):