[KS] Foreign copy-editors and polishers in Pyongyang - andSeoul?

[Yoo Kwang-On]

Hello All,

The following article is proof that the Rodong Sinmun doesn't have
Polishers, Copy Editors or even Copyboys, foreign or otherwise.

Yoo Kwang-On

Jul. 10, Juche 101 (2012) Tuesday

Paektusan General Museum to Be Built



The Paektusan (Mt. Paektu) General Museum will be constructed in the
Samjiyon district. It will give a wide-range knowledge as a center for the
education in the revolutionary traditions comprehensively showing the
revolutionary relics and the grand nature in the area around Mt. Paektu.

The great General Kim Jong Il said that the explorers and visitors should
know the immortal revolutionary exploits of the peerlessly great persons
and the lofty love for the fatherland of the anti-Japanese revolutionary
forerunners and everybody, if he or she is Korean, should have knowledge of
Mt. Paektu. The visitors will deeply realize once again the validity of
these words through their inspection of the museum.

Officials, researchers and employees of the Central Commanding Office of
the Shock Brigade 618, the Revolutionary Relics Administration Guidance
Bureau, various institutes under the State Academy of Sciences, the History
Institute under the Academy of Social Sciences, the Central Information
Agency for Science and Technology, General Exploration Party on Lake Chon
on Mt. Paektu, Paektu Museum and many other units are making every sincere
effort to build the general museum well.

Correspondent Jon Chol Ju




On Tue, May 22, 2012 at 6:29 AM, Jim Hoare <jim at jhoare10.fsnet.co.uk> wrote:

>  The only polishers I meet or knew of in the DPRK were foreign, and, as I
> said, they were phased out in 2001-02 on cost grounds. According to the
> only one I ever talked to in any detail, they seemed to be mainly used on
> the glossy magazines and *Pyongyang Times, * rather than other
> publications. They could not change any words or phrases relating to Kim Il
> Sung or Kim Jong Il. They were expected to complete their work by Tuesday
> but the *Pyongyang Times * did not go to press until Thursday, which
> allowed time for the Korean staff to change things back to the way they
> wanted.****
>
> I never met any Korean-Americans or any others with a Korean background
> who might have done this work. There are a lot of North Koreans who have
> studied English abroad and who can write it in a satisfactory, if not
> perfect, way. They include diplomats and their children; many of the latter
> attend the Foreign Languages University on return to the DPRK andthen go
> into work involving languages. We never received badly phrased texts from
> the Ministry of Foreign Affairs  even if the English was not exactly as I
> might have written it.****
>
> I have had a couple of conversations with DPRK officials sine 2001 who
> have lamented the misuses of words in DPRK English-language publications
> but who also indicated the difficulty in getting other organizations to
> change their ways.****
>
> As for “cutesy” images, I blame Walt Disney and “Hello Kitty”….****
>
> Jim Hoare****
>
> ** **
>  ------------------------------
>
> *From:* koreanstudies-bounces at koreaweb.ws [mailto:
> koreanstudies-bounces at koreaweb.ws] *On Behalf Of *don kirk
> *Sent:* 21 May 2012 22:18
> *To:* Korean Studies Discussion List
>
> *Subject:* Re: [KS] Foreign copy-editors and polishers in Pyongyang -
> andSeoul?
> ****
>
> ** **
>
> Yes, really, since when are "cutesy....kids" as "nauseating," almost, as
> the rat images for Lee M.B.? For sure, they've got some "polishers" up
> there who're up on idiomatic English, as indicated in the passage presented
> by Scott. Would be interesting to know who they are, whether foreign or
> Korean, possibly Korean-American.****
>
> Don Kirk
>
> --- On *Mon, 5/21/12, Afostercarter at aol.com <Afostercarter at aol.com>*wrote:
> ****
>
>
> From: Afostercarter at aol.com <Afostercarter at aol.com>
> Subject: Re: [KS] Foreign copy-editors and polishers in Pyongyang - and
> Seoul?
> To: koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws
> Date: Monday, May 21, 2012, 6:54 AM****
>
> Dear friends and colleagues,****
>
>  ****
>
> Jim makes an important point. Foreign linguistic advisers****
>
> may get overridden - and by no means only in Pyongyang.****
>
>  ****
>
> Our List surely includes some who have similarly proof-read****
>
> and polished in the other Korea, or are doing so right now.****
>
> I'd be interested to hear their views and experience.****
>
>  ****
>
> This issue is almost as hardy a perennial as romanization.****
>
> But time and again one still runs across South Korean****
>
> websites, including those of large companies and official ****
>
> bodies, where the English just ain't right; sometimes badly so.****
>
>  ****
>
> Thus the ROK transport ministry http://english.mltm.go.kr****
>
> proclaims on its homepage: "Make Happiness, Happy Creator".****
>
> Amen to that - but what on earth are they on about?****
>
>  ****
>
> Then again, in one classic corporate case where Koreans ****
>
> dreamed up an 'English' product name, the LG Viewty ****
>
> has sold very well. (Viewty is in the eye of the veholder?)****
>
>  ****
>
> - Another thing. English apart, why are so many corporate****
>
> and official South Korean websites festooned with cutesy birds
> and butterflies, winsome kids, cartoon characters and the like? ****
>
> Almost as nauseating, at the opposite end of the scale, as ****
>
> North Korea's bloody rats. (Perhaps I am hard to please.)****
>
>  ****
>
> Kind regards****
>
> Aidan FC****
>
>  ****
>
> *Aidan Foster-Carter*****
>
> *Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Sociology & Modern Korea, Leeds
> University, UK*****
>
> * *****
>
> *E*: afostercarter at aol.com<http://us.mc394.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=afostercarter@aol.com>
> afostercarter at yahoo.com<http://us.mc394.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=afostercarter@yahoo.com>
> *W*: www.aidanfc.net    ****
>
> *W in Korea:  *
> http://web.archive.org/web/20090202080126/http://aidanfc.net/index.html<http://web.archive.org/web/20090202080126/http:/aidanfc.net/index.html>
> ****
>
>  ****
>
> _______________****
>
>  ****
>
>  ****
>
>  ****
>
>  ****
>
> In a message dated 5/21/2012 08:02:22 GMT Daylight Time,
> jimhoare64 at aol.co.uk writes:****
>
> I agree that KCNA did not seem to use polishers, The FLPH laid off
> the remaining foreign staff while we were there in 2001-02 and thereafter
> seemed to relay on Koreans - no doubt this explains the odd language. ****
>
> But even when they did employ foreign staff, the Korean staff would often
> override what the native speakers had suggested.****
>
> On a slightly different note, what use would one make of photographs of
> such people if one had them? ****
>
> Jim Hoare
>
> ****
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Afostercarter <Afostercarter at aol.com>
> To: koreanstudies <koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws>
> CC: jsburgeson <jsburgeson at yahoo.com>
> Sent: Sun, 20 May 2012 18:34
> Subject: Re: [KS] Foreign copy-editors and polishers in Pyongyang****
>
> Dear friends and colleagues,****
>
>  ****
>
> Scott raises the question of native speakers of English (etc)****
>
> as copy-editors - also known as 'polishers' - in North Korea.****
>
>  ****
>
> Having in the past recruited at least two people for such roles****
>
> - Michael Harrold, and the late Andrew Holloway
> http://www.aidanfc.net/a_year_in_pyongyang.html****
>
> - this is a topic about which I'm curious, but not up-to-date.****
>
>  ****
>
> Michael, Andrew and others were hired by the DPRK****
>
> Foreign Languages Publishing House (FLPH). The texts****
>
> they worked on were mostly books, as best I recall.****
>
>  ****
>
> By contrast, I've never heard of KCNA using foreigners.****
>
> My guess would be that they don't, given some stilted****
>
> expressions and the odd mistake.****
>
>  ****
>
> For example, surely if a native English speaker were****
>
> involved they would have recommended a different word****
>
> - be it technical or colloquial - for "bottom hole" in the ****
>
> third sentence of the caption to the cartoon below.****
>
>  ****
>
> There are other linguistic infelicities here as well,****
>
> not least the title. Either tear apart or tear to pieces,****
>
> but not tear apart to pieces.****
>
>  ****
>
> (On the substance: In my article I likened doing the research****
>
> for this to wading through sewage. You can see why.)****
>
>  ****
>
> - But back to polishers. FLPH still uses at least one, but he ****
>
> lives in Beijing. See an interesting interview with Paul White****
>
> at Tad Farrell's ever more indispensable NKNews:****
>
> http://www.nknews.org/2012/04/the-british-voice-of-kim-il-sung/****
>
>  ****
>
> Kind regards****
>
> Aidan FC****
>
>  ****
>
> *Aidan Foster-Carter*****
>
> *Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Sociology & Modern Korea, Leeds
> University, UK*****
>
>  ****
>
> *E*: afostercarter at aol.com<http://us.mc394.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=afostercarter@aol.com>
> afostercarter at yahoo.com<http://us.mc394.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=afostercarter@yahoo.com>
> *W*: www.aidanfc.net    ****
>
>  ****
>
> ******************
>
>  ****
>
> From http://www.kcna.kp/2mb/eindex.html (cartoon 5)****
>
>  ****
>
> ****
>
> *Tear Apart Lee Myung Bak to Pieces*****
>
>
> The dirty hairy body of rat-like Myung Bak is being stabbed with bayonets.
> One is right in his neck and the heart has already burst open. Blood is
> flowing out of its filthy bottom hole. This is not too much to Lee as he
> committed only sordid acts of flunkeyism and treachery. And this is not
> all. It is the strong will and pledge of the army and people of the DPRK to
> tear apart Lee Myung Bak to pieces.****
>
>  ****
>
> _______________****
>
>  ****
>
> In a message dated 5/20/2012 11:27:17 GMT Daylight Time,
> jsburgeson at yahoo.com<http://us.mc394.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=jsburgeson@yahoo.com>writes:
> ****
>
>   Thanks for the great article, Aiden! Did you have to put bandaids on
> your eye-balls after reading so much slashing, violent fulmination? ****
>
> ** **
>
> Any chance you can dig up photos of some of the foreign devils who
> copy-edited this stuff in English? One wonders if they have PTSD by now;
> hopefully they were sharp enough to ask in advance to be paid in soju!****
>
> ** **
>
>
>
> --- On *Fri, 5/18/12, Aidan Foster-Carter <afostercarter at aol.com<http://us.mc394.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=afostercarter@aol.com>
> >* wrote:****
>
>
> From: Aidan Foster-Carter <afostercarter at aol.com<http://us.mc394.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=afostercarter@aol.com>
> >
> Subject: [KS] (no subject)
> To: Koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws<http://us.mc394.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=Koreanstudies@koreaweb.ws>
> Date: Friday, May 18, 2012, 9:56 AM****
>
> Dear friends and colleagues,****
>
>  ****
>
> Just to let you know that the new issue of *Comparative Connections*****
>
> - the thrice-yearly online journal published by Pacific Forum-CSIS -****
>
> includes what I think is the first full account and detailed analysis****
>
> in English of North Korea's ongoing bloodthirsty fulminations****
>
> against South Korea and especially its President, Lee Myung-bak.****
>
>  ****
>
> In over 40 years of following North Korea, I've read tons of rich****
>
> DPRK invective - but never anything as bizarre and nasty as this.****
>
> (They don't much care for Park Geun-hye, either; for all that she****
>
> dined with Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang less than a decade ago.)****
>
>  ****
>
> In case of interest, this article is freely available to all at****
>
> http://csis.org/files/publication/1201qnk_sk.pdf****
>
> The full issue, which as ever also has three further articles on Korea****
>
> covering the two Koreas' relations with the US, China and Japan,****
>
> can be accessed at http://csis.org/program/comparative-connections****
>
>  ****
>
> All good wishes****
>
> Aidan FC****
>
>  ****
>
> *Aidan Foster-Carter*****
>
> *Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Sociology & Modern Korea, Leeds
> University, UK*****
>
>  ****
>
> *E*: afostercarter at aol.com     afostercarter at yahoo.com   *W*:
> www.aidanfc.net   ****
>
>  ****
>
>  ****
>
>   ****
>
>   ****
>
> ** **
>
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