What is Happening in Indonesia: 10 Asia + Star, Indonesia Edition

Last month when I was doing my favorite activity on weekend which is going to book store to book store, I was kind of surprised with what I saw. There’s a big billboard with one of JYJ members’ face on it looking sharp at the main entrance of one of the book stores. My fangirl’s alarm pinged. I went closer to take a look. There're piles and piles copy of magazines with pink 10 Asia + Star on their cover. Apparently 10 Asia + Star magazine, 1st Indonesia edition had been born.

Publisher: Elex Media Komputindo
Publish Date: May 30, 2012
Page: 128
Language: Bahasa Indonesia

My 1st encounter with 10 Asia was when I started to revitalize this blog after very long hiatus due my study last year. Before that I only saw “10 Asia” stamped on pictures of Korean celebrities here and there around the web. I really like their taken on K indie bands with Indie 10 Series. Like these: Female singer of Yozoh, Neon Bunny, Day Break, No Reply, The Knoxx, Winterplay.

Thanks to all translators of World Wide Web (this, this, this, this, this and of course Allkpop are where I like to get my K indie music news in English) who have done tremendous jobs, we got the chance to read some of Korean written articles about K indie music. Aside from that, there’re articles those were written in English at the time they were published by 10 Asia (Go to its Korean Wave section). It is kinda tricky to find information, a good reading article moreover, about K indie music scene or anything outside K pop or K drama as a part of K entertainment for us, whose Korean language ability is around limited to none. So when there’s a source that minds to provide us the information, ready available in English, we really appreciate it.

Despite 10 Asia magazine be one of my reliable sources for news outside K pop or K drama, it seems Indonesia edition of 10 Asia magazine, projects more to K pop idol industry and K drama news for their content. It will be not fair to judge by only its 1st edition. But with taking the consideration that Indonesia market in general tends toward that projection, I may presume that it looks like where it is going to be. If I were allowed to make superficial generalization about K pop fandom in Indonesia, they are clueless about anything else beside K pop, which means literally K idol here, and K drama. So it is understandable if that is the direction they are going to take.

So this is just another foot print of Hallyu Wave in Indonesia, else are K pop idol music that has penetrated Indonesia music market and K dramas that have been flooding Indonesia TV stations’ air time. Just like 1st Indonesia edition, 10 Asia + Star magazine’s editorial said: “ The hype of K pop, K drama, Korean Wave in Indonesia, at the end of 2011 has intrigued us into participating the enrapture of this euphoria. A lot of information is spreading over internet also real world, nevertheless there’s only limited amount that have been presented formally.”

But there’s one thing that has been tickling my mind: How popular 10 Asia + Star magazine among K pop fandom in Indonesia as its target market? Is it popular enough that it can be considered as one highly valuable magazine brand like other franchise magazine brands eg Bazaar, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Nylon, etc those have already scattered in Indonesia, leaving our own magazines little room to breathe? It makes no sense to me if a franchise magazine has to build up its brand from the very bottom.

I, myself, cannot get rid the idea that K pop fever in Indonesia is only a fad, easy come, easy go.Though this statement has yet to be proved. So looking at the trajectory this magazine is going to take, K pop industry as their main covering, I can’t help but think: How long it is going to last? And there’s one more thing that I think can be happening to put another hindrance. The target market can be smaller than what’s expected that it is not equal with the level of popularity of K pop in Indonesia right now. When we talk about K pop lest we not to forget its infamously dedicated notorious fans. Yes they are probably too notorious that it will resolve the fact how high price this magazine is (around $ 6, compared to Indonesia NGM ±$ 5, Nylon ± $4, Elle ± $3) for its mostly teenage market. But they are also dedicated enough that they don’t mind to search, dig, translate, and spread any news from their beloved oppas and unnis at any source they can find to feed the endless fandom’s demand. This fact results on any news K pop idol related is fast-paced and easily out-dated information, moreover for a magazine that’s publishes once in a month and for an interview-based article. Who want to buy too-pricey-to-your-pocket magazine every month if the information in it can be archived freely on line? For myself, I rather buy a book which will never be out-dated and upgrade my internet bandwidth for unlimited source of fresh and up-to-date news.

Is it the end? Kh. No, it is not. :) This magazine really leaves me a lot of stuff to talk about. Reading 10 Asia + Star, 1st Indonesia edition, I kept stopping here and there: Is there something wrong with the translation??

Hallyu Wave or the flood of Korean culture entering Indonesia just happens recently. There’s not many Indonesia text that is translated directly from Korean. At least from my own side, I have never read one. It has become my routine in the last few years to check Korean entertainment news on internet every day, any day of the week, but I cannot remember I ever follow Indonesia written site for feeding my obsession. The reason is simple first: I cannot stand the thought there’s something limits my curiosity. If I can chop all the walls off and get my curiosity fix, I do whatever I can. Korean news site written in Indonesia is still limited and if there’s one, it is like almost every news on it I have already read it on English written sites I follow. Second: The thought of I get a second hand translation is boggled my mind like no other. There’s always something lost in translation no matter how small it is. People can try to minimize it but it is inevitable. So what’s going on is gonna be Korean -> English -> Bahasa Indonesia. Gah. How many things that will be lost in process? Can you imagine that?

That’s from Korean, it is different with English to Indonesian translation. I have plenty experiences from English to Bahasa Indonesia translation. I had become a translator, myself, while I was in university. And as Indonesian, I’m pretty much aware that Indonesia written source is limited almost in any field. So one must make his/her English good or he/she will be stuck with very limited source of information. I don’t know about other, but it can drive me nuts from time to time.

There’re times I can’t find the original English source, so whether I want it or not, I have to be content with anything that I have in my hand. This really sharpens my skill ( kh :D ) to recognize whether a text is a translation or an originally written in Bahasa Indonesia text. I can smell it from miles away. No matter how many Indonesia slang words people try to put in their translation, it cannot mask that it is a translation. It is just how the punctuation being places, the pattern of the sentence, the particles being used, or even the straightforwardness of the way information given. The sound in my head is different when I read an originally Indonesia written text, a translation, moreover an English text. It is less recognizable if the text is a fact-based text, but if it is a fiction, the difference is quite striking.

In fact I’m quite a fan of this English translation in Indonesia writing style. So one day, I made an experiment. I tried to invent a fiction story and try to write it with the style I mention above. How that happened I didn’t know myself. I couldn’t reach the level of “straightforwardness” as I found in an English translation. Or how to make it not sound “stiff” but still make it “English word free”? I simply just could not. I can only presume what culture we have been brought up that affects out personality will reflect in our language, written or spoken. That the best conclusion I can offer.

So back to 10 Asia + Star. When I was reading it, I kept bouncing to stop to gaze over some, if not many, sentences. I could understand, or guess for exact, what the sentence wants to tell me. But my head couldn’t stop asking: should not this phrase better being put in the end of sentence? Or should this word come first before this word? Or should this word being replaced with this word so the sentence sounds better? But it is not like the text from English that I can guess what the English word is before it got translated. It is Korean language we talk about. I could not guess, I could only get furrow between my brows. Reading it is like hearing a singer sings off key. I kept read and re-read just to find the best intonation I suppose to read the sentence in to give me best understanding.

It seemed like the translators were too afraid to be too deviated from the material given to them really wants to say, and then they chose to translate it word by word. So weird. By doing so, it made them looked like didn’t understand what the article as whole wants to deliver. This is one thing about of translating that at one point he/she has to have the overall comprehension of the material being translated to produce good translation. Seriously, based on the people who have been interviewed by this magazine, I know 10 Asia + Star is a big magazine back there, in South Korea, so I expect more than this less-than-decent translation. The translation quality just doesn’t match up. I'm not here to say this as a reader who sits down comparing two edition of magazine, Korean and Indonesia edition, but purely as Indonesian reader who read Indonesia edition.

Publisher: Elex Media Komputindo

Publish Date: June 6, 2012

Page: 128

Language: Bahasa Indonesia

There’s small inner voice of mine telling me what if, it is just the matter of language. I know there’s a lot Korean words those don’t have a compatible Indonesia word. What if this awkward sounding in my head Korean translation sentence couldn’t be made otherwise, better? I was a newbie too in this Korean translation thing, so I keep wondering the best explanation behind this. Recently I had followed a Korean class discuss about the progress of Korean poem. The lecture, itself, was given in Korean, but there was a translator accompanied by. He was a Korean and he was good. Though he spoke in highly accented Indonesian, I could understand easily what he was talking about. Because bahasa Indonesia is not about the accent since every ethnic groups in Indonesia have their own way of speaking bahasa Indonesia. If the person understands the language well, gone all the accent and he/she will sound just fine, once I relay what I heard in my head. So I was convinced, it was not because the matter of language. To be more convinced, I bought the second Indonesia edition of 10 Asia + Star. Thankfully, it came off better. *Sigh*

That first edition was a messy and horrible work of translator and editor that found its way up to be printed and published. Good luck with the new magazine! :D

비스트 (Beast) : Fact

거짓말이야 거짓말이야
Geojitmariya geojimariya
이렇게 끝낼수는없어
Ireoke kkeutnaelsu neun eobseo
다시 돌아와 제발 돌아와
Dasi dorawa jebal dorawa
니가 날 떠나가는게 믿기지가 않아
Niga nal tteona ganeun gemitgiji ga ana

어떤말을 너에게 해봐도 다소용이 없겠지만
Eotteon mareul neo-ege haebwado dasoyongi eopgetjiman
이건아니야 이건아니야 이사실을 믿지못하겠어
Igeon aniya igeon aniya isasireul michi mothagesseo

이건 모두 거짓말이야 사실이 아니야 더는 믿지못해
Igeon modu geojitmariya sasiri aniya deoneun michi mothae
돌아와 달라고 몇번을 말해 내게 이건 거짓말이야
Dorawa dallago myeotbeoneul marae naege igeon geojitmariya

이젠 너는 내옆에 없잖아 그게 사실이야 믿고싶지않아
Ijen neoneun nae yeope eopjana geuge sasiriya mitgo sipji ana
돌아와 달라고 수 없이 얘기해봐도
Dorawa dallago su eopsi yaegi haebwado
지금이 거짓말이여야해
Jigeumi geojimariyeo yahae
거짓말이야 거짓말이야 거짓말이야 거짓말이야
Geojitmaraya geojitmaraya geojitmariya geojitmariya
사실이아냐 사실이아냐 사실이아냐 사실이아냐
Sasirianya sasirianya sasirianya sasirianya

It’s a fact 머리는 아는데 맘이 인정을못하겠데
It’s fact meorineun aneunde mami injeongeul mothagetde
삼켜질듯한 불안감에 나도모르게 나오는 보호본능
Samkhyeojildeuthan bulangame nado moreuge naoneun bohobonneung
또는 집착인듯해 머리위로 툭하고 떨어져버린 이상황
Ttoneun jibchakin deuthae meoriwiro thukhago tteoreojyeobeorin isanghwang
도저히 감당할수가없어난 비워낼수없다면 새로 채워볼께
Dojeohi gamdanghalsu gaeopseonan biwonaelsu eopda myeon saero chaewobolkke
너와나의 이야길 다시 써내려갈께
Neowa na-e iyagil dasi sseonaereyogalkke

비스트 (Beast): Fiction

아직 난 널 잊지 못하고 모든걸 다 믿지 못하고 
Ajik nan neol iji mothago modeungeol da michi mothago
이렇게 널 보내지 못하고 오늘도
Ireoke neol bonaeji mothago oneuldo

다시 만들어볼게 우리 이야기 끝나지 않게 아주 기나긴
Dasi mandeureo bolke uri iyagi kkeutnaji anke aju ginagin
살갗을 파고 스며드는 상실감은 잠시 묻어둘게
Salgacheul phago seumyeodeuneun sangsilgameun jamsi mudeodulke
새로 써 내려가 시작은 행복하게 웃고 있는 너와 나
Saero sseo naeryeoga sijakeun haengbokhage utgo ineun neowana
네가 날 떠나지 못하게 배경은 출구가 없는 좁은 방 안
Nega nal tteonajimothage baegyeongeun chulguga eopneun jobeun bang an

아무렇지 않게 네게 키스하고 달콤한 너의 곁을 떠나가질 못해
Amureotji anke nege khiseuhago dalkhoman neo-e gyeotheul tteonagajil mothae
우린 끝이라는건 없어
Urin kkeuthiraneun geon eopseo

이렇게 난 또 (Fiction in Fiction)
Ireoke nan tto (Fiction in Fiction)
잊지 못하고 (Fiction in Fiction)
Iji mothago (Fiction in Fiction)
내 가슴 속에 끝나지 않을 이야길 쓰고 있어
Nae gaseumsoge kkeutnaji aneul iyagil sseugo isseo
널 붙잡을게 (Fiction in Fiction)
Neol butjabeulke (Fiction in Fiction)
놓지 않을게 (Fiction in Fiction in Fiction)
Noji aneulke (Fiction in Fiction)
끝나지 않은 너와 나의 이야기 속에서 오늘도 in Fiction
Kkeutnaji aneun neowa na-e iyagi sogeseo oneuldo in Fiction

지금 여긴 행복한 이야기들밖에 없어
Jigeum yeogin haengbokhan iyagi deulbakke eopseo
너무 행복한 우리 둘만의 이야기가 이렇게 (현실과는 다르게)
Nomu haengbokhan uri dulmanui iyagiga ireoke (hyeonsilgwaneun dareuke)
써 있어 점점 채워지고 있어
Sseo isseo jeomjeom chaewojigo isseo
너는 나에게로 달려와서 안기고
Neoneun na-egero dallyeo waseo angigo
품 안에 안긴 너를 나는 절대 놓지 못해
Phum ane angin neoreul naneun jeoltae noji mothae
우린 끝이라는건 없어
Urin kkeuchiraneun geon eopseo

이렇게 난 또 (Fiction in Fiction)
Ireoke nan tto (Fiction in Fiction)
끊지 못하고 (Fiction in Fiction)
Kkeunji mothago (Fiction in Fiction)
내 가슴 속에 끝나지 않을 이야길 쓰고 있어
Nae gaseumseoge kkeutnaji aneul iyagil sseugo isseeo
널 붙잡을게 (Fiction in Fiction)
Neol butjabeulke (Fiction in Fiction)
놓지 않을게 (Fiction in Fiction in Fiction)
Neoji aneulke (Fiction in Fiction)
끝나지 않은 너와 나의 이야기 속에서 오늘도 in Fiction
Kkeutnaji aneun neowa na-e iyagi sogeseo oneuldo in Fiction
다시 한 번 더 말하지만
Dasi hanbeon deo malhajiman
지금 너는 내 옆에 있다고 그렇게 믿고 있어 난
Jigeum neoneun nae yeophe itdago geureoke mitgo isseo nan

(하지만 Fiction)
(Hajiman Fiction)
난 목적을 잃어버린 작가 이 소설의
Nan mokjeogeul ireobeorin jakga isoseorui
끝은 어떻게 마무리 지어야 해
Kkeutheun eotteoke mamuri jieoya hae
사랑해 사랑해 사랑해 사랑해 사랑해 이 세 글자만
Saranghae saranghae saranghae saranghae saranghae ise geuljaman
써 내려가 무뎌진 펜 눈물로 얼룩진 낡은 종이 위로
Sseo naeryeo modyeojin phen nun mullo eollukjin nalgeun jongi wiro
행복할 수도 슬플 수도 없어 이 이야기는
Haengbokhal sudo seuloheul sudo eopseo i iyagineun

지금 난 너무나도 행복한 생각에 이야기를 쓰지만
Jigeum nan neomu nado haengbokhan saenggake iyagireul sseujiman
모든게 바람일 뿐이라고 여전히
Modeunge baramil ppun irago yeojeoni

난 행복한걸 (Fiction in Fiction in Fiction)
Nan haengbokhan geol (Fiction in Fiction)
우리 함께인걸 (Fiction in Fiction in Fiction)
Uri hamkke ingeol (Fiction in Fiction)
이제 시작인걸 (Fiction in Fiction in Fiction)
Ije sijak ingeol (Fiction in Fiction)
끝은 없는걸 (Fiction in Fiction in Fiction)
Kkeutheun eopneun geol (Fiction in Fiction)

Thanks To:
beastofficial, sakuraisme96, for the videos
10 Asia, elex media computindo for info and pictures