'Translation Graduate School Establishment Policy Forum' poster./Courtesy of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in collaboration with the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea), will hold a policy forum titled "The Future of Literary Translation - The Value of Human Translation in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI)" at the Allo Art Theater starting at 2 p.m. on the 25th.

According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the forum was organized as part of a strategy to achieve President Lee Jae-myung's pledge of realizing "a global soft power big five cultural powerhouse." It highlights the value and importance of translation as a means to support the overseas expansion of Korean literature and content, as well as initiatives to foster professional translators.

Professor Kim Hyun-taek, an honorary professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, will present the first topic, outlining the need for specialized training institutions suited for the AI era and suggesting ways to cultivate advanced professional translators who can deeply convey Korean literature and cultural content, as well as local cultural exchange experts.

In the second presentation, Professor Choi Ae-young from the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea) will introduce the direction and differentiation strategy of a converged translation curriculum that encompasses advanced translation techniques, AI utilization capabilities, and international cultural communication skills.

During the comprehensive discussion, writers, translators, educators, and experts from the content and publishing industries will discuss ▲ ways to enhance the coexistence with machine translation and the professionalism of human translation ▲ changes in translation demand and educational innovation in the digital content era ▲ industry-academia cooperation and international collaboration strategies.

Translator Jo Yong-kyung, who gained attention for translating the Netflix drama "The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call," as well as Lee Gu-yong, CEO of KL Management, who led the export of Korean literature including Han Kang's novel "The Vegetarian," and Lee Jae-won, head of the Tapas web novel business team at Kakao Entertainment, responsible for the North American webtoon and web novel platform "Tapas," will also participate as discussants.

A policy official from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism noted, "While advancements in AI technology are enhancing machine translation, the delicate interpretative ability and cultural sensitivity of human translation remain important." They added, "With the revision of the 'Literary Promotion Act' last year establishing the basis for the establishment of graduate schools in translation, we will cultivate professional translation talents in collaboration with domestic and international universities, based on the 20 years of educational achievements of existing translation academies."