This year, to celebrate International Translation Day, we are taking you behind the scenes of 천추세인 to learn more about the story, our localization process, and the team working on it. We'll also reveal who the illustrator in charge of the cover and insert art is.
천추세인 ("Cheon Choo Sae In" or CCSI; official English title TBA) is a muhyeop, a Korean genre of fiction following adventures and martial arts, usually set in Ancient China. Our story follows Moonpyeong as he is forced to serve as a bodyguard for the Heavenly Demon Cheonma, who is granted a new chance at life after attaining rejuvenation. Things won't be simple, and we'll dive into the workings of the Demonic Cult as Moonpyeong and Cheonma's relationship develops.
As Dawn, our editor, will mention later, muhyeop novels aren't commonly translated into English, and this makes the translation and localization process challenging as our team researches terms, historical elements, and geographic locations.
Localization Process
Our localization approach is "Contextual Localization." We maintain cultural markers while adapting expressions and restructuring text for clarity and flow. To ensure this is done correctly, especially with a dense title like 천추세인, our workflow starts with the translation, followed by translation quality control, then editing, and ends with a final quality control.
Some of our older titles, such as Payback and Raw, are going through editing to match our current localization style. We appreciate your patience while we finish working on them.
Meet the Localization Team
Translator
JS is the translator for 천추세인. Last year, we learned more about their translation journey. You can read it here and meet other translators.
What is your favorite part about translating 천추세인?
My favorite parts are the sheer complexity of the language that goes into this novel (as far as a lay reader is concerned) and how well sculpted the characters and setting feel. It's evident to me as the translator just how much care went into the finer details, and it's just fabulous that I get to be a part of localizing it.
And what is something that you find challenging?
Personally, since this novel is so dense in terms of wuxia and Chinese terminology, researching the terms can be time-consuming. But at the same time, I enjoy the effort that goes into smoothly unraveling the sometimes esoteric wording into English and feel it helps me appreciate the fine nuances of storytelling that sometimes make or break a novel for readers.
Do you have a favorite scene and character?
My favorite by far is Cheonma (the Heavenly Demon) himself. He is portrayed as a supremely selfish character with no one's interests but his own at heart, but also someone unequaled in martial prowess. The way his relationship with Moonpyeong (the shou MC) develops is unconventional in a good way and often leaves the reader guessing and wanting more.
My favorite scene so far involves Moonpyeong, the MC, falling in love. (I won't reveal the details since it's a spoiler). The reason I like this one is the depth of feeling portrayed in the otherwise mostly helpless and sometimes bungling, but also complex, man that is Moonpyeong:
To be completely honest, Moonpyeong liked everything about him: the nose that curved with grace like the eaves of a house; the smart lips that could sometimes be harsh, other times full of wit; the white fingers that carefully applied medication even while pushing hard against the wounds to cause remonstrative pain. Everything about the man was beautiful, and Moonpyeong loved all of him.
The feelings that had built up slowly over time rippled and continued to rise. Every part of his body was filled with the same emotion toward [REDACTED]. It did not just take root in his bones and flesh, but it also filled his heart, covered his warm skin, and filled even his meridians.
And even after it had completely packed every part of his body, it still continued to grow, until eventually his body was not big enough to hold it. He grew incapable of handling it on his own. Then he overflowed.
"I…like you as well," Moonpyeong mumbled as if to himself.
What is something you want readers to find out/discover?
I know this novel can be slightly slow to start, but I think that's the charm of this story, rather than a defect. I'd love it if readers could stick around past the first few chapters and feel the complex worldbuilding and layered relationships that unfold.
Editor
Dawn is the editor for 천추세인 as well as Beware the Pup and The Hunter's Gonna Lay Low. This is our first time interviewing one of our editors, so we asked Dawn about her journey to get here.
What made you decide to become an editor?
Editing wasn't a path I chose as much as one that presented itself to me, which I think is probably a more common career path than people think. I fancy myself a writer and an artist, so I had (and still have) dozens of projects on the go. I was working as a freelance illustrator when I asked a friend who works in the manga industry point blank if she had any work I could do to pay the bills. One thing led to another, and now freelance editing pays all my bills! I'm very lucky, but I wouldn't be here now if not for my own fixations as a storyteller.
What do you enjoy most about editing?
I read a lot, and I've written a lot (of varying quality), so I may have more experience with words than average. I think this comes in handy, especially when editing translated work. An editor should be able to read between the lines and try to communicate what the author means, even more deeply than what they say, while also not revealing too much or too little. I can't count how many times I've sat with a sentence that seems to make no sense on its own, staring into space for hours at a time and trying to think of why the author chose to put that there and what they're trying to communicate. This often inspires some great conversations at Publang (especially with 천추세인). When editing translations, an editor wants to be invisible while also being a champion of the author and their story. I really relish polishing a story to shine as the author intended.
What is your favorite part about editing 천추세인?
천추세인 comes with a lot of social and political intrigue, and every character has a very strong personality. I find it extremely addictive to read and rich to work on. But I think only the team will ever know how much research JS and I have done for this project to make sure historical and geographical terms are correct. I've become a little bit addicted to doing research, even though it's not always easy.
And what is something that you find challenging?
The answer to this question is also "research" lol. For context, 천추세인 is a muhyeop, a Korean version of the Chinese xianxia genre, so it takes place in historical China but with Korean terms and tropes of its own. This is a genre which has been adapted into English in crumbs (primarily webtoons), so we often have to rely on Chinese terms and resources for the tropes. Sometimes I find absolutely nothing, and I have to send the team looking for Korean resources. I can only imagine that some aspects have gone completely over my head, but I'm trying to make up for it by consuming all the xianxia media I can get my paws on.
If you are a bilingual lover of some niche genre or hobby, I beg you to make an English blog or a wiki (or even a book??) about it. You'll be rescuing people like me!
Do you have a favorite scene and character?
I really love Moonpyeong. I think he's a wonderful character for the reader to attach to, since he's extremely normal in this world of extreme superpowers, and yet also much more capable than the average person. His desire to be loved contrasted with his pride to never show weakness pushes all my buttons. He enters the story with such little agency that I get chills whenever he gets to stand up for himself. I hope the readers see what I mean when they get there.
What is something you want readers to find out/discover?
Cheonma's relationships. Cheonma certainly prefers the sexual company of men, but Baek Woonjeong is "the only man Cheonma ever loved." I imagine Cheonma would prefer that no one believes he's capable of something like love. He's a man with such immense dominating force that his enemies would struggle to find weak spots to exploit, but there's something there, only visible in the right light. But what does this mean for our Moonpyeong?
Art
Aside from the translation, we have also prepared some art for 천추세인. Vin is in charge of the cover and insert art, and they have done a great job at capturing Moonpyeong and Cheonma. Here's a peek into their creative process.
We hope you enjoyed learning more about our localization process. Please look forward to the translation coming next year as well as the title reveal.
Join us in celebrating and appreciating translators and editors all over the world. Happy International Translation Day!