[57th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards] Fiction Commendation Award winner Jude Vandervort

Jude Vandervort won the Fiction Commendation Award for his translation of Jeong Ji-a's novel "Bead by Bead" at this year's 57th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards. The award-winning Rutgers University graduate, who majored in cell biology and neuroscience with a minor in Korean, found the experience transformative.

Vandervort explained that it shifted his perspective on translation, moving beyond the precision of scientific writing to embrace the artistic possibilities of interpretation. He described it as "a literary art shaped by the person doing the translating."

The budding healthcare professional's interest in translation began during his language classes at Rutgers in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Analyzing Korean articles in these classes sparked his fascination with how a sentence's emotional impact could be conveyed.

Vandervort, who also served as a senior student ambassador for the university's Asian Languages and Cultures Program, revealed that his translation studies led him to venture beyond literal translations into more poetic verse. He shared his elation at winning the award, saying it meant a great deal to him.