Surviving as a Plagiarist in Another World

Translation is quite a strenuous task.

It is completely different from simply reading a foreign edition in its original language as a bilingual person.

The arbitrary nature of language does not allow for a consistent translation of a sentence like “ABCD” into “가나다라.”

The context in which words are used, the situation of the time, the expressions commonly used by the author, the translation guidelines of publishers, expressions used in domestic papers that dealt with the work in the past, foreign word notation and idiomatic expressions—all of these intertwine to form a single sentence.

In highly complex contexts, the same sentence can be translated in completely different ways.

“Are you okay, senior?”

“Hm?”

“You especially look like… a mad person today.”

“You should fix your way of speaking.”

“What’s weird about it?”

“Well, how should I put it? It’s…”

And then.

Despite all the hardships.

“You look like someone who’s on drugs…?”

“Oh, the nerve of a translator…”

The Old Man and the Sea was one of the novels where the translation process was genuinely enjoyable. Hemingway’s characteristic powerful and intuitive sentences feel like a jigsaw puzzle for a translator. It’s the kind of puzzle where the negative and positive poles, male and female threads, fit together perfectly.

(In fact, novels by writers who were journalists tend to be like that.)

It seems I wasn’t the only one who had such thoughts. In my previous life, the copyright for Hemingway’s works was released in late 2011 in South Korea, and as a result, 2012 was almost considered the year of Hemingway, with many of his works being published.

The Old Man and the Sea, among Hemingway’s works, has a considerable amount of adjectives associated with it—so much so that it is often labeled as “chatty.” But ironically, this made it even more fun to translate. It was no different from how someone who is used to regular puzzles would feel greater intellectual pleasure from blank puzzles, 3D puzzles, or irregular puzzles.

So, the expression “You look like someone who’s on drugs” used by my junior was actually quite accurate.

“Then what should we say?”

“Something like ‘You look like someone in love,’ or some other positive expression.”

“Looking at your expression, I think even the affection we had would start to fade…”

“I should try not to let it fade any further.”

“…Heh, you should! We’re dating now, you know. Haha, it’s hard to believe…”

Well, anyway.

That’s why I translated this novel.

A perfect example of the kind of “style” literature should strive for, from Hemingway’s novel.

Thus, The Old Man and the Sea was published in the Empire.

[“Ah,”]

[He said loudly. There is no translation for this word, and perhaps, it is nothing more than the sound someone unconsciously makes when a nail passes through their hand and penetrates the wood.]

.

.

.

To summarize the plot of The Old Man and the Sea in a single word, it could be “saeongjima” (塞翁之馬), the Chinese idiom meaning “the old man and the horse.”

The old man, who hadn’t caught a single fish for eighty days and four days, catches a giant marlin as if to reward his perseverance. But the marlin, as big as a shark, pulls the boat for three days and struggles fiercely, and after a battle, the old man succeeds in harpooning and catching the marlin.

However, after spearing the marlin, sharks begin attacking the boat, eager to eat the marlin’s flesh. The old man surprisingly manages to kill the sharks, but the sea is vast, and there are many sharks.

In the end, after the sharks devour all the marlin’s meat, the old man returns home with only the skeleton of the marlin.

Then, he falls into a deep sleep—the plot of The Old Man and the Sea.

In fact, just reading the plot doesn’t give much of a sense of what kind of novel it is. But if you read it yourself—.

“This is so interesting…!”

“Is it?”

“Yes! I thought The Metamorphosis was somewhat experimental, but this novel really is the most interesting one I’ve read so far!”

“I’m glad.”

You quickly become engrossed in the story of the old fisherman.

Hemingway had a natural talent for drawing the reader’s attention. The various symbols used in The Old Man and the Sea—Santiago and the fisherman, the stars and the sea, determination and perseverance—were all extremely intuitive and familiar “biblical” symbols.

In his descriptions, Hemingway used concrete and easily understandable words.

If specialized terms were necessary, he would immediately add an explanation for them. Even those explanations were not awkward, but rather poetic and narrative.

[“He always thought of the sea as ‘la mar.’ This was the name people use when they love the sea in Spanish. People who love the sea sometimes speak ill of it, but they always depict the sea as a feminine thing.”]

K2hjWHNPUHQ0V094TWhGSVh6QmUyb0c1bm9LNWxEUWc3ZE1sakt1Y0dEY3YxQk1zcEszWkNDN2RYejd3V2ppWg

For this reason, The Old Man and the Sea was read by countless readers from the moment it was published and received massive acclaim.

Fan letters to Homer poured in to the publisher.

Some even hesitated not to compare The Old Man and the Sea to Don Quixote as an equally great work.

“The Old Man and the Sea is a masterpiece that deals with a theme true to ‘Homer’!”

“The human praise contained in this story─ Santiago’s perseverance and will is, in fact, a salvation that follows the brilliant ideals of ‘Don Quixote,’ but in a more realistic and personal way. This is the suffering of the Savior, no different from the pilgrimage of saints.”

“It’s so interesting… The last novel, ‘Metamorphosis,’ was a bit unsettling, but this one is easier to read and more engaging… It’s exhilarating…”

Naturally, not all the feedback was positive.

In comparison to the overwhelming popularity among the public, critics’ reviews were even more reserved than those of ‘Metamorphosis.’

“It’s a good novel, but… isn’t it too simple and outdated? The message doesn’t move beyond the existing biblical tradition… It feels like the work sacrificed its artistry for the sake of popularity.”

“This is a fable that pretends to describe reality. Wouldn’t it be technically superior to be more overtly absurd, like ‘Metamorphosis’? The expression has also been overly simplified… It feels more like a telegram than a novel.”

Some critics argued that The Old Man and the Sea, despite the public’s praise, was written in a very ‘commercial’ manner, making it a light novel.

In simpler terms, they labeled it as a ‘Herodotus-like’ novel, rather than a ‘Homer-like’ one.

Of course, as always, there were not many readers who paid much attention to the critics’ reviews. At most, only aristocrats who liked to show off their insight in social circles would read the reviews, but since most of those nobles were fans of Homer, it did not provoke any meaningful reactions.

Furthermore, some priests from the church quoted The Old Man and the Sea in their sermons.

“We live through countless sufferings and poverty. Some hardships make us fall, and poverty drags us down so we cannot rise again. Yet, despite that, life still has value. Respect for life, a gentle and patient attitude… Like Santiago in The Old Man and the Sea, let us love our own fate. Only when we love our fate, even if it is full of suffering, will our lives truly have value.”

The Old Man and the Sea could be heard everywhere in the Empire.

And.

The author who had drawn all these reactions, Homer─ Ed Fríden, was.

“It’s been a while. Have you been well?”

“Oh, Isolette?”

He was greeting his cousin, who had come to visit the Fríden mansion.

.

.

.

Isolette Reinhardt was born with great talent.

She was able to see fairy tales through the eyes of a child, read romance through the eyes of a lover, and had the ability to correctly critique everything from the lowest base of literature to the highest spire.

Because of this, they had exchanged letters discussing works of literature from time to time…

But this was the first time she had visited the Fríden mansion since that brief meeting after her transcendence.

“This place is still the same, huh? The ivy growing chaotically, the servants nodding off…”

“Yeah.”

“Ed, don’t you think you should pay a bit more attention to decorating the house once in a while? When the space you live in is chaotic, your mind gets chaotic too.”

“I always clean the bookshelf, though…?”

“…To you, does ‘space’ mean just the study?”

Isolette let out a half-laugh, shaking her head as if in disbelief.

Then, she neatly folded the cloth draped over her shoulder and placed it on the desk, smiling brightly as she spoke.

“Is it okay if I sit down here?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Thank you. My legs are a little sore after spending the whole day on a train and carriage…”

“Really? That must have been tiring. I’ll have Sion bring tea, so just relax for now.”

“Heh, it’s always family that thinks about family. So, with that in mind, do you think it’s okay if I stay here for a few days?”

“Huh?”

“I’ll be staying in the Empire for about a week. I’m Reinhardt and you’re Fríden, but… we’re cousins. I was hoping to borrow a room.”

“I don’t mind, but… shouldn’t you ask my father─ Count Fríden about it?”

“Count Fríden said it would be fine as long as you’re okay with it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, in that case…”

After a brief moment of thought, I nodded.

“Make yourself comfortable like you would at your own home.”

“Thank you, Ed.”

“My pleasure.”

.

.

.

[“Perhaps I shouldn’t have become a fisherman.”]

[He thought.]

[“But that is precisely the reason I was born into this world.”]

That night.

The moon brightly illuminated the table on the balcony.

As usual, I had been reading a book under the borrowed moonlight.

Isolette sat across from me.

“The moon is beautiful tonight.”

Her words, light and playful, were delivered in a teasing tone.

Without taking my eyes off the book, I nodded and answered.

“Yeah. The moonlight is so bright, I can see the book clearly.”

“And me?”

“Huh?”

“Can’t you see me?”

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!