A Korean to English translator working with writers and cultural organizations to bring Korean and Korean diasporic voices into English.
Having spent much of my life between Korea and abroad, I’m drawn to cross-cultural stories and how Korean narratives carry over into English. Bringing these voices to English readers is the most rewarding part of this work, and the most demanding.
My focus is on oral histories, memoirs, and essays rooted in Korean and Korean diasporic experience, work that requires more than fluency: an understanding of what the original carries culturally, and the judgment to know what an English reader needs spelled out and what they don’t. Published translations include selected chapters from a multi-volume oral history of the Jeju April 3 Incident, memoirs from the North Korean Writers in Exile PEN Literature series, and essays by Korean American writers.
I do my best work when I’m genuinely connected to a text, which is why I prefer longer, more considered projects. I also take on literary fiction, a direction that has grown naturally from this work as both a translator and a writer.
I hold a BA and MA from Yonsei University in Seoul. I’m a member of the American Translators Association and the American Literary Translators Association, and I’m based in Leiden, the Netherlands.
“From the very beginning, Jamie demonstrated a deep understanding of the nuances and cultural subtleties embedded within my essays. She skillfully captured the essence of the original Korean text and conveyed it wonderfully in English, preserving my voice and style.“
— Chune Hee Lee, Korean American Writers Association of Eastern USA
“Jamie Jin has translated literary works including essays, memoirs, and short stories written by North Korean defectors and played an important role in the publication of the English version of North Korean Writers in Exile PEN Literature.“
— Gilwon Lee, International PEN Korea
Jin Language Studio 