Ugh, since my last update in November, I have written so many incomplete chapters. Written and rewritten (because I stupidly erased the first) a chapter about power words. Another about high school. One about settings. An attempt at Korean culture in general. Glorification of idols. Clichés again. I’ve finally just given up on writing a decent rant and here you go.

I’ve found that the more I learn Korean and experience the language, the more I want to use that style of language in my writing. People have said that when people talk in Korean fanfics, they are basically just “translating” the spoken Korean words to English or whatever language the fic is in. That is totally not true. People have used this idea to justify not liking Korean words in stories.

I agree it is not okay to use Korean words in your fanfics. I have three main reasons. Some people don’t know Korean words that well. Most times I can understand Korean in fics because the level will be “Wae” “Kaja” “Ottoke”. I’ve seen k-dramas before, I know what these words mean. Not everyone will. Even if you know the word, don’t use it. You might not even be using the words correctly. Korean is definitely a more developed language than just questions, commands, and verbs. It has grammar, it has different tones, and it has slang. Unless you know Korean, you can’t be sure what you are saying is even right. Google translate or writing by ear will not always work! Odd or fragmented Korean words in sentences really break the flow of reading. It simply does not fit. For the sheer reason that it breaks the flow, please don’t use Korean words.

While I say all of that in favor of not using Korean words in fanfics, I disagree with the idea that because fanfics are like direct translations, Korean shouldn’t be used. Obviously the Korean language has a different structure than English so a simple sentence like idol-i eopseoyo, “There is no idol”, would actually be translated as “Idol not”. As I’m writing stories, the hardest thing about this not actual literal translation thing is titles. Sometimes I want to use “hyung” and sometimes I want to put “older brother” and it doesn’t sound right. Some things just don’t translate well. And the idea that they are literal translations messes up.

I don’t want to read whole sentences or phrases in Korean, especially ones that have equivalent meanings in English. I will accept phrases that don’t translate. I’d rather read the word Chuseok instead of Thanksgiving, especially because they’re totally different depending on the country. I’d rather read hyung instead of older brother. By using these words instead of an English version, the story holds a bit of that Korean element to it. But I still implore that people not use Korean willy nilly. Even if you know that word, you don’t have to use it.

You know what is also really taboo to me? Korean song lyrics. In any form. I don’t remember if I have said this in this rant story, I hope I have, but song lyrics just listed out in the story really kill the flow. There are so many times that authors will put little snippets of lyrics in the story, in separate paragraphs and lines, and I will flat out skip them. I skip them on instinct just like I skip character profiles. The only time I will read them is if they are incorporated into the paragraphs and not emphasized.

What’s worse than song lyrics at any time? Lyrics you can’t even freaking read or understand. This isn’t limited to Korean either. I’ve read different stories with Korean, Japanese, and even one of the Chinese languages. I can read Korean but not understand it, I can’t read any of the Japanese words but I understand them, and Chinese.

넌 멈춰버렸고 난 가슴은 터질 듯 했는데

Can you read that?

neon meomchwobeoryeotgo nan gaseumeun teojil deut haenneunde

Did you understand that?

You stopped and my heart felt as if it would explode

Isn’t that really annoying? In one story I read, the quote was in Chinese and underneath it in maybe size two font size was the translation. I could not read it. At all. that person. For everything about that quote.

And as I write this, I think of a particular author that I have referred to as one of my favorites. She actually commits quite a few fanfic sins in my opinion. This being one of them. Her characters will often sing their song in many of her fics, and all of it would be really sweet and emotional if I could actually place which part of the song the characters are singing. Take that song above for instance. It is all the same line from the same song, but you probably can’t place the song, the singer, or the tune. Can you hear it in your head? In English or Korean? Nope? I can’t do that in her stories either, even when I know which song it is.

When people speak different languages. Okay, hangul then. When I come across this with Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, French, German, and so on, I am perfectly fine with reading the Romanized version of the word. If I can’t understand it and neither can the main character, the different language actually adds to the story. But as a note, using sentences and words that people can’t read or understand too much is also just as annoying as it being done for a reason as without a reason. I’d 98% prefer sentences like “Hangeng mumbled under his breath and ______ cocked her head in confusion” over words I can’t type without google translate.

In general, the most annoying thing to see is people randomly making sentences in another language for no reason. There is no excuse for it. Nobody wants to see that, what is wrong with you? It doesn’t impress anyone to have multiple languages. Just because we are going multicultural es. This is a major reason to start hating a story. Song lyrics and random sentences I can skip, but how can I get any content from a story if half of it is just recycled drama lines?

All in all, I can say I understand the desire to write in a different language. I want to express levels of respect between a hoobae and a sunbae, I want to use the flow of the words correctly, I want to be correct with honorifics. I’m also wary to use it. I don’t want to be wrong with my spelling or my understanding of a word, and I really don’t want to confuse my readers. As a reader I can handle seeing a few words, and if the word isn’t common, I really appreciate seeing a hint to the words meaning. I hate song lyrics, I hate random words and phrases, I hate improperly used language.