Day 20: A Taxi Driver Who Taught Kant

Dialogue

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1. 1

   B 손님, 목동 어디쯤에서 내려 드릴까요? 많이 피곤해 보이시네요.

   Sonnim, mokdong eodijjeumeseo naeryeo deurilkkayo? Mani pigonhae boisineyo.

   Whereabouts in Mokdong shall I drop you, sir? You look exhausted.

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2. 2

   A 목동역 근처요. 네, 피곤하죠. 오늘도 열두 시간 일했어요. 하루하루가 고달파서 이게 사는 건지 모르겠네요.

   Mokdongnyeok geuncheoyo. Ne, pigonhajyo. Oneuldo yeoldu sigan ilhaesseoyo. Haruharuga godalpaseo ige saneun geonji moreugenneyo.

   Near Mokdong Station. Yes, I'm exhausted. Twelve hours of work again today. Every day is such a grind, I don't know if this counts as living.

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3. 3

   B 이 시간까지 일하셨으면 회사에서 인정은 받으시겠어요.

   I sigankkaji ilhasyeosseumyeon hoesaeseo injeongeun badeusigesseoyo.

   If you work this late, your company must think highly of you.

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4. 4

   A 인정받으면 뭐 해요. 월급이라고 받아 봐야 대출 이자 내고 나면 남는 게 없어요. 집이라고 하나 있는 것도 은행 거나 다름없고요.

   Injeongbadeumyeon mwo haeyo. Wolgeubirago bada bwaya daechul ija naego namyeon namneun ge eopseoyo. Jibirago hana inneun geotdo eunhaeng geona dareumeopgoyo.

   What good is that? What passes for a salary is gone once I've paid the loan interest. And the so-called home I own might as well belong to the bank.

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5. 5

   B 그러면 손님, 하나 여쭤봐도 될까요? 그 집이랑 월급이 없어지면 행복해지실 것 같으세요?

   Geureomyeon sonnim, hana yeojjwobwado doelkkayo? Geu jibirang wolgeubi eopseojimyeon haengbokaejisil geot gateuseyo?

   Then may I ask you something? If that home and salary disappeared, do you think you'd be happy?

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6. 6

   A 아니, 그런 말이 아니라요. 없으면 더 불행하겠죠. 근데 있어도 행복하지가 않다는 거예요.

   Ani, geureon mari anirayo. Eopseumyeon deo bulhaenghagetjyo. Geunde isseodo haengbokajiga antaneun geoyeyo.

   No, that's not what I mean. Without them I'd be more miserable. What I'm saying is that I'm not happy even with them.

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7. 7

   B 그럼 행복은 월급이나 집 문제가 아닌 거네요. 손님이 정말 원하시는 건 뭔가요?

   Geureom haengbogeun wolgeubina jip munjega anin geoneyo. Sonnimi jeongmal wonhasineun geon mwongayo?

   Then happiness isn't a question of salary or a home. What is it you really want?

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8. 8

   A 기사님, 무슨 상담사 같으시네요. 그냥 "힘드시겠어요" 하고 넘어가셔도 되는데요.

   Gisanim, museun sangdamsa gateusineyo. Geunyang "himdeusigesseoyo" hago neomeogasyeodo doeneundeyo.

   You sound like some kind of counsellor. You could just say "That must be hard" and leave it there.

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9. 9

   B 하하, 죄송합니다. 옛날 버릇이에요. 제가 한때 대학에서 철학을 가르쳤거든요. 칸트 수업을 한 십 년 했습니다.

   Haha, joesonghamnida. Yennal beoreusieyo. Jega hanttae daehageseo cheolhageul gareuchyeotgeodeunyo. Kanteu sueobeul han sip nyeon haetseumnida.

   Ha, sorry. Old habits. I used to teach philosophy at a university. I taught Kant for about ten years.

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10. 10

    A 철학 강사님이 택시를요? 그게 더 기구한 인생 아니에요?

    Cheolhak gangsanimi taeksireuryo? Geuge deo giguhan insaeng anieyo?

    A philosophy lecturer driving a taxi? Isn't that a sadder story than mine?

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11. 11

    B 강의라고 해 봐야 한 학기에 두 과목, 그것도 계약이 끝나면 그만이었어요. 그런데 제가 팔 년 동안 운전하며 보건대, 이 차에 타시는 손님들이 강의실 학생들보다 훨씬 진지하게 질문하세요.

    Ganguirago hae bwaya han hakgie du gwamok, geugeotdo gyeyagi kkeunnamyeon geumanieosseoyo. Geureonde jega pal nyeon dongan unjeonhamyeo bogeondae, i chae tasineun sonnimdeuri ganguisil haksaengdeulboda hwolssin jinjihage jilmunhaseyo.

    My so-called teaching was two courses a semester, and that was it once the contract ended. But from what I've seen in eight years of driving, the passengers who ride in this car ask far more serious questions than my students ever did.

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12. 12

    A 무슨 질문이요? 다들 저처럼 푸념이나 늘어놓겠죠.

    Museun jilmuniyo? Dadeul jeocheoreom punyeomina neureonoketjyo.

    What questions? I bet everyone just moans like me.

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13. 13

    B 푸념이든 한탄이든 그 속에 질문이 있어요. 손님도 아까 물으셨잖아요. "이게 사는 건가." 칸트라면 거기서 이렇게 되물었을 겁니다. '나는 무엇을 해야 하는가?'

    Punyeomideun hantanideun geu soge jilmuni isseoyo. Sonnimdo akka mureusyeotjanayo. "Ige saneun geonga." Kanteuramyeon geogiseo ireoke doemureosseul geomnida. 'Naneun mueoseul haeya haneunga?'

    Moaning or lamenting, there's a question inside it. You asked one yourself earlier: "Is this living?" Kant would have answered with another question: "What ought I to do?"

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14. 14

    A 해야 하는 거야 많죠. 출근, 야근, 대출 상환. 해야 하는 일밖에 없는 게 문제라니까요.

    Haeya haneun geoya manchyo. Chulgeun, yageun, daechul sanghwan. Haeya haneun ilbakke eomneun ge munjeranikkayo.

    There's plenty I have to do. Work, overtime, loan repayments. That's the problem - there's nothing but things I have to do.

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15. 15

    B 그건 남이 시킨 일이고요. 칸트가 말한 자율은 스스로 옳다고 정한 걸 하는 거예요. 제가 짐작하건대, 손님은 그런 걸 해 보신 지가 꽤 오래된 것 같습니다.

    Geugeon nami sikin irigoyo. Kanteuga malhan jayureun seuseuro oltago jeonghan geol haneun geoyeyo. Jega jimjakageondae, sonnimeun geureon geol hae bosin jiga kkwae oraedoen geot gatseumnida.

    Those are things other people make you do. What Kant called autonomy is doing what you yourself have decided is right. If I had to guess, I'd say it's been quite a while since you did anything like that.

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16. 16

    A 잠깐만요. 그렇게 치면 기사님은요? 교수 자리 못 얻어서 택시 운전하시는 게 스스로 정한 일이에요?

    Jamkkanmanyo. Geureoke chimyeon gisanimeunyo? Gyosu jari mot eodeoseo taeksi unjeonhasineun ge seuseuro jeonghan irieyo?

    Hold on. By that logic, what about you? Driving a taxi because you couldn't get a professorship - is that something you decided was right?

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17. 17

    B 좋은 반박입니다. 처음엔 아니었죠. 생계 때문에 시작했으니까요. 그런데 지금은 이렇게 한밤중에 손님이랑 칸트 얘기를 하는 게 제 강의예요. 이건 제가 정한 거죠.

    Joeun banbagimnida. Cheoeumen anieotjyo. Saenggye ttaemune sijakaesseunikkayo. Geureonde jigeumeun ireoke hanbamjunge sonnimirang Kanteu yaegireul haneun ge je ganguiyeyo. Igeon jega jeonghan geojyo.

    Good counterargument. At first, no. I started just to make a living. But now, talking Kant with passengers in the middle of the night is my lecture. That part I chose.

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18. 18

    A 강의료도 안 받으시고요? 그건 좀 손해 보시는 것 같은데요. 그리고 제 생각엔 행복이라는 게 그렇게 거창한 게 아닐 수도 있어요.

    Ganguiryodo an badeusigoyo? Geugeon jom sonhae bosineun geot gateundeyo. Geurigo je saenggagen haengbogiraneun ge geureoke geochanghan ge anil sudo isseoyo.

    Without being paid for the lecture? Sounds like a bad deal to me. And if you ask me, maybe happiness isn't anything that grand.

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19. 19

    B 오, 이제 손님이 저를 가르치시네요. 무슨 뜻인지 좀 더 말씀해 주시겠어요?

    O, ije sonnimi jeoreul gareuchisineyo. Museun tteusinji jom deo malsseumhae jusigesseoyo?

    Oh, now you're the one teaching me. Could you say more about what you mean?

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20. 20

    A 기사님이랑 이렇게 따지는 이십 분이 요 몇 달 중에 제일 재미있었거든요. 아, 다 왔네요. 여기 세워 주세요. 요금은 강의료까지 쳐서 드릴게요.

    Gisanimirang ireoke ttajineun isip buni yo myeot dal junge jeil jaemiisseotgeodeunyo. A, da wanneyo. Yeogi sewo juseyo. Yogeumeun ganguiryokkaji chyeoseo deurilgeyo.

    These twenty minutes arguing with you have been the most fun I've had in months. Oh, we're here. Stop here, please. I'll pay the fare with the lecture fee on top.

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