Day 32: Choosing a Gift for an Ambassador

Dialogue

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1. 1

   A 사장님, 내일 오전까지 선물을 하나 골라야 하는데요. 이 은장도 좀 볼 수 있을까요? 조각이 정말 섬세하네요.

   Sajangnim, naeil ojeonkkaji seonmureul hana gollaya haneundeyo. I eunjangdo jom bol su isseulkkayo? Jogagi jeongmal seomsehaneyo.

   Sir, I need to choose a gift by tomorrow morning. Could I look at this silver dagger? The carving is really delicate.

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2. 2

   B 보는 건 얼마든지 보세요. 근데 누구한테 주시려고요?

   Boneun geon eolmadeunji boseyo. Geunde nuguhante jusiryeogoyo?

   Look as much as you like. But who's it for?

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3. 3

   A 외교부에서 의전을 맡고 있어요. 임기를 마치고 본국으로 돌아가시는 대사님께 드릴 선물이에요. 한국적인 걸로요.

   Oegyobueseo uijeoneul matgo isseoyo. Imgireul machigo bongugeuro doragasineun daesanimkke deuril seonmurieyo. Hangukjeogin geolloyo.

   I handle protocol at the Foreign Ministry. It's a gift for an ambassador who's finished his term and is going home. Something distinctly Korean.

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4. 4

   B 그럼 그건 내려놓으세요. 칼은 예로부터 인연을 끊는다는 뜻이 있어서, 떠나는 사람한테 주면 우리 사이는 끝이라는 말이 돼요.

   Geureom geugeon naeryeonoeuseyo. Kareun yerobuteo inyeoneul kkeunneundaneun tteusi isseoseo, tteonaneun saramhante jumyeon uri saineun kkeuchiraneun mari dwaeyo.

   Then put that down. Since long ago, a blade has meant cutting ties, so if you give one to someone who's leaving, it says 'we're finished'.

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5. 5

   A 에이, 요즘 누가 그런 걸 따져요. 대사님 나라에는 그런 뜻이 없을 수도 있잖아요.

   Ei, yojeum nuga geureon geol ttajyeoyo. Daesanim naraeneun geureon tteusi eopseul sudo itjanayo.

   Oh, come on, who worries about that sort of thing nowadays? It might not mean that at all in the ambassador's country.

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6. 6

   B 없으면 더 문제예요. 받은 쪽은 모르고 있다가 나중에 한국 사람한테 그 뜻을 듣게 되거든요. 그땐 해명할 기회도 없고요.

   Eopseumyeon deo munjeyeyo. Badeun jjogeun moreugo itdaga najunge Hanguk saramhante geu tteuseul deutge doegeodeunyo. Geuttaen haemyeonghal gihoedo eopgoyo.

   If it doesn't, that's even worse. The person who got it doesn't know, and then later hears what it means from a Korean. And by then, there's no chance to explain.

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7. 7

   A 아... 그건 생각 못 했네요. 실제로 그런 일이 있었어요?

   A... geugeon saenggak mot haenneyo. Siljero geureon iri isseosseoyo?

   Oh... I hadn't thought of that. Has that actually happened?

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8. 8

   B 몇 해 전에 어느 사장님이 외국 거래처에 줄 선물로 장도를 한 쌍 사 가셨어요. 제가 그렇게 말렸건만 비싼 거니까 괜찮다고 고집을 부리시더라고요.

   Myeot hae jeone eoneu sajangnimi oeguk georaecheoe jul seonmullo jangdoreul han ssang sa gasyeosseoyo. Jega geureoke mallyeotgeonman bissan geonikka gwaenchantago gojibeul burisideoragoyo.

   A few years back, a company boss bought a pair of ornamental knives as a gift for a foreign client. I tried so hard to talk him out of it, but he insisted it was fine because it was expensive.

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9. 9

   A 그래서요? 거래가 깨졌어요?

   Geuraeseoyo? Georaega kkaejyeosseoyo?

   And? Did the deal fall through?

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10. 10

    B 계약은 됐는데, 그쪽 통역사가 선물의 뜻을 설명하는 바람에 식사 자리가 싸늘하게 얼어붙었대요. 한마디로 낭패였죠.

    Gyeyageun dwaenneunde, geujjok tongyeoksaga seonmurui tteuseul seolmyeonghaneun barame siksa jariga ssaneulhage eoreobuteotdaeyo. Hanmadiro nangpaeyeotjyo.

    The contract went through, but their interpreter explained what the gift meant, and the whole dinner went ice-cold. In a word, a fiasco.

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11. 11

    A 듣기만 해도 식은땀이 나네요. 그럼 대사님께는 뭘 드려야 해요? 예산은 삼십만 원 정도예요.

    Deutgiman haedo sigeunttami naneyo. Geureom daesanimkkeneun mwol deuryeoya haeyo? Yesaneun samsimman won jeongdoyeyo.

    Just hearing that gives me a cold sweat. So what should I give the ambassador? The budget is about three hundred thousand won.

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12. 12

    B 이리 와 보세요. 이건 연적이라고, 먹을 갈 때 벼루에 물을 떨어뜨리는 그릇이에요. 옛날 선비들은 서신을 쓰려면 이게 꼭 있어야 했죠.

    Iri wa boseyo. Igeon yeonjeogirago, meogeul gal ttae byeorue mureul tteoreotteurineun geureusieyo. Yennal seonbideureun seosineul sseuryeomyeon ige kkok isseoya haetjyo.

    Come over here. This is a water dropper; you use it to drip water onto the inkstone when you grind ink. In the old days, scholars couldn't write a letter without one.

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13. 13

    A 복숭아 모양이네요. 근데 편지 쓰는 도구가 떠나는 분께 무슨 의미가 있어요?

    Boksunga moyangineyo. Geunde pyeonji sseuneun doguga tteonaneun bunkke museun uimiga isseoyo?

    It's shaped like a peach. But what does a tool for writing letters mean for someone who's leaving?

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14. 14

    B 이 연적에 곁들여 드리는 글이 있어요. 조선 통신사가 일본 문인한테 연적을 선물하면서 써 줬다고 전해지는 편지를 요즘 말로 풀어 쓴 거예요. 읽어 드릴게요.

    I yeonjeoge gyeotdeuryeo deurineun geuri isseoyo. Joseon tongsinsaga Ilbon muninhante yeonjeogeul seonmulhamyeonseo sseo jwotdago jeonhaejineun pyeonjireul yojeum mallo pureo sseun geoyeyo. Ilgeo deurilgeyo.

    There's a text I give with it. It's a modern rendering of a letter a Joseon envoy is said to have written for a Japanese scholar when he gave him a water dropper. Let me read it to you.

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15. 15

    A 네, 읽어 주세요.

    Ne, ilgeo juseyo.

    Yes, please do.

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16. 16

    B "그동안 베풀어 준 정이 참으로 고마울 따름이오. 이 연적에 물을 채울 때마다 나를 생각해 주오. 바다가 멀다 하나, 먹 한 방울이면 마음은 넉넉히 건너가오."

    "Geudongan bepureo jun jeongi chameuro gomaul ttareumio. I yeonjeoge mureul chaeul ttaemada nareul saenggakae juo. Badaga meolda hana, meok han bangurimyeon maeumeun neongneoki geonneogao."

    'For all the kindness you have shown me, I can only give thanks. Each time you fill this dropper, think of me. Far as the sea may be, a single drop of ink is enough to carry my heart across.'

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17. 17

    A 와... '계속 편지를 주고받자'는 뜻이네요. 떠나도 인연은 이어 가자는. 칼이랑은 정반대예요.

    Wa... 'gyesok pyeonjireul jugobatja'neun tteusineyo. Tteonado inyeoneun ieo gajaneun. Karirangeun jeongbandaeyeyo.

    Wow... So it means 'let's keep writing to each other'. That the bond goes on even after he leaves. The exact opposite of the knife.

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18. 18

    B 그렇죠. 외교 선물은 물건이 아니라 문장이에요. 받는 사람이 그 문장을 어떻게 읽을지까지 헤아리는 게 예의고요.

    Geureochyo. Oegyo seonmureun mulgeoni anira munjangieyo. Banneun sarami geu munjangeul eotteoke ilgeuljikkaji hearineun ge yeuigoyo.

    Exactly. A diplomatic gift isn't an object, it's a sentence. And thinking through how the person receiving it will read that sentence is simply good manners.

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19. 19

    A 그 글도 번역해서 같이 넣어 드려도 될까요? 대사님이 한국 역사에 관심이 각별하시거든요.

    Geu geuldo beonyeokaeseo gachi neoeo deuryeodo doelkkayo? Daesanimi Hanguk yeoksae gwansimi gakbyeolhasigeodeunyo.

    Could I have that text translated and put in with it? The ambassador has a special interest in Korean history.

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20. 20

    B 그럼요. 대신 '나를 생각해 주오'는 너무 애틋하게 옮기지 마세요. 잘못하면 연애편지가 되니까요.

    Geureomyo. Daesin 'nareul saenggakae juo'neun neomu aeteutage omgiji maseyo. Jalmotamyeon yeonaepyeonjiga doenikkayo.

    Of course. But don't make 'think of me' too tender when you translate it. Get it wrong and it turns into a love letter.

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21. 21

    A 하하, 명심할게요. 저는 그 손님처럼 고집 안 부렸으니까, 포장은 제일 예쁘게 부탁드려요.

    Haha, myeongsimhalgeyo. Jeoneun geu sonnimcheoreom gojip an buryeosseunikka, pojangeun jeil yeppeuge butakdeuryeoyo.

    Ha ha, I'll bear that in mind. I didn't dig my heels in like that customer, so please make the wrapping extra nice.

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