EPT
Getting to know Jaedong, getting into the biz.
"I moved from Korea to America's hat in 1999, which made me miss out on seeing the incredible growth of esports in Korea. I could only experience esports through VODs and media articles -- there's nothing I regret more than not being able to experience that first hand. If I had a time machine, that would be the one thing I'd go back and change -- I might also prevent BL-Infestor from becoming a thing.
I got to know Jaedong through a chance meeting. It turns out that one of my friends was a high school classmate with the tyrant. He helped me get an audience with his Dongness, and I started to meet up with him a lot when he came to American tournaments.
When the WCS Season 3 finals came around, it just happened to be that the organizers (NASL) needed an interpretter on short notice. I was already in attendence with Jaedong, so things just came together. One thing led to another, and I started to work for ESL and Red Bull as well."
About translation accuracy
"Look, man. I'm not a professional translator (however, I AM a professional G). I've never been trained in it, which means the title of 'interpreter' is a big f***ing burden for me. I agree that if you're an interpreter, then being as accurate as possible is the right thing to do.
But ya know, it's not like Korea and North America have the same cultures or anything like that. There's a lot of differences in mindset and language, both big and small. I use some jokes, figures of speech, and body language to try and get nuances and subtleties across. If I tried to do things too dry, too word for word, I think it would take away from the experience.
I talk a lot to the players before to get a feel for what they're thinking and to learn about their personalities. I want to try and help them express the personality they might not be able to show well by themselves.
In the process, I guess it's made the viewing experience less than ideal for some people. As a Canadian I'm obliged to say "sorry," but I think my style makes the most of my strengths and makes things more fun for most viewers.
And I mean, come on. It's not like Koreans pros are the most interesting people in the world. In fact, I'd say they're closer to being the least interesting people. Have you talked to INnoVation? I've had better conversations with piles of rocks. You know what? F*** interviews and f*** translations. Just give me the mic and I'll do all the talking. [The last paragraph may or may not be made up entirely]
Somehow Flash has made his way into an otherwise totally unrelated story.
"I met Flash for the first time at the WCG 2010 grand finals. When I got to see him again at IEM Toronto, we told each other we'd do our best and show ppl good performances like any proper Korean would.
Flash had a lot of trouble with his wrist surgery in the past -- look it up bandwagon fans who didn't watch BW -- and he's had trouble adjusting to SC2. It was strange watching him stand there and lift that trophy. If you know about what he's been through, you can't help but cheer when Flash wins."
What the future holds and final comments
"I talk to Polt a lot about the future. Like me, he's working in a field that's wildly different from what he studied in school. He did agriculture, and I've studied chemical engineering and architecture. I graduated in May, and I've been thinking about what to do. If I do work in esports, then I want to work on the creative/content production end.
All the translators right now have their own styles, so I hope people don't criticize them for trying their own thing. We're all doing our best to make a living out here.
Please cheer for me and I hope I can show you good translations in the future."
