The Words of the Chang Family
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The Words of the Chang Family |
A
scene of the round-table talk
The participants:
Young-Tyang Chang (Editor-in-Chief of The Way of the World, and Director of publishing Dept. of HSA-UWC)
Eun-Hyung Kang (translator)
Kang-Won Kim (Corrector or Copy Reader)
Hi-Ja Ahn (Typist)
Time: At 2:00 P.M. September 16th, 1970
Place: Office of the President, HSA
Young-Tyang Chang, Editor-in-Chief, presided over the meeting.
Young-Tyang
Chang
Young-Tyang Chang:
We celebrate today; for the first time; the 1st Anniversary of The Way of the World since we began; in compliance with a special command of our Teacher, to publish the journal last September in 1969 to bring our Family all over the world into a unity of being.
On this joyful occasion, I have gotten ready for a round-table talk with the staff members of The Way of the World, who have made a steady effort to publish The Way of the World for one year.
I will be very grateful if you express your candid opinion on the difficulties which you all experienced while carrying out own duty, under inadequate circumstance, as well a new turn that can solve the problems soon.
Eun-Hyung
Hang
Eun-Hyung Hang:
However well we may speak a foreign language, I, as the man in charge of translation, feel very deeply that there is nothing as hard as translating Korean into a foreign language so that all foreign families can understand our journal, if we take the varieties of each country's nationality, culture, and tradition into consideration. To solve this problem, I also feel that our foreign Family members especially the English or Americans should touch up the translated-articles in order to meet the way of writing of Western people who dwell in Korea.
So, I told this to our Teacher and he was in sympathy with it. I know that a few American Family members will be invited someday, but I wish they would come sooner than I am expecting. I'm sure that the overall problems on the translation will be solved.
Young-Tyang Chang:
I encountered, with the financial difficulties, the problem of personnel management, and (the problem) of the printing while taking charge of editing and the whole production process during the last year.
Putting special emphasis upon not only how to introduce domestic and international events to foreign Families, but also how to fulfill the providence through the action. I have edited The Way of the World.
However, recollecting the past, I assure that every difficulty will get smaller one by one, even though there are still many.
We have created a new transition, while solving the problem on the production process and the printing for ourselves. We also faced, somewhat a lack of articles, but it has brought to a settlement with desperate help of foreign Families. Whenever the foreign Family contribute their articles for The Way of the World we used to feel from the bottom of our hearts that we are only one Family, working for fulfilling the Providence.
For circulation, I at first, worried about the expansion of the circulation very much. But I was very glad to receive an order for over a thousand copies of the journals unexpectedly from Japan.
On the other hand, I am disappointed a little that there are few American Families who subscribe to The Way of the World for their members.
I conceive that there may be certain troubles and however, I know that we should circulate to a wide circle of our American Family.
Hi-Ja
Ahn
Hi-Ja Ahn:
At the beginning, I took charge of copy reading, for the time being, somewhat far from my original job, a typist. And what is worse, I had my big trouble because of the poor facilities of the printing house, After that, I have been in charge of typing, but immediately I faced another problem -- a typewriter.
Now, I am convinced that I can work more efficiently if a new typewriter is purchased.
Kang-Won
Kim
Kang-Won Kim:
I have also experienced hardship while having charge of correction, just as Miss Hi-Ja Ahn said briefly. Sometimes I wonder; that some mistakes in the journal may mislead our readers toward the wrong direction. I used to feel a strong guilty conscience. It is more so when I correct the translation of our Teacher's Sermon. I sincerely apologize in this respect to the readers.
Anyway, I will do my possible, best with the cooperation of a foreign family members, when they come over.
By the way, what I felt while correcting the article is the fact that it is impossible for only one person to be in charge of all the corrections. It's because we are apt to make a mistake if one person keeps his eyes on just the same sentences several times. It's really likely to pass away, habitually, the mistakes in them while reading the verses. So, I have to say that more persons should be recruited soon.
Young-Tyang Chang:
Of course it is natural that you should say so, I know that you all have experienced every trouble.
Now, I'd like to discuss editing the contents of the journal. Yet still there remain many problems to solve, for instance, the problem of photography. However, we were planning to carry eminent persons and the scenery of Korea, plus Korean economy, society, culture, art, and philosophy. But to my regret the plan was forced to cease except for a few journals would you like to comment on this point, Mr. Kang?
Eun-Hyung Kang:
I apologize for the cease action of the introduction of Korea to the foreign Family. From now on, what with the domestic news, and what with other interesting news, I will do my best for the foreign family to understand Korea relatively soon.
Young-Tyang Chang:
I have also made an effort, from every angle, to edit The Way of the World. Whenever I had trouble to publish the journal because of the lack of contributions, valuable articles, sent on time for a dead line from the American Family would make the journal more worthwhile reading.
With the continuous and positive help of the readers, we should make The Way of the World which will draw sympathy from the readers, and through which we can get a propelling power to consecrate to the fulfillment of the providence.
Kang-Won Kim:
Recollecting the past of The Way of the World, I feel that we need a stronger innovation in the phase of the qualities and the quantities.
First of all in the phase of the quality, we should bring about a new turning point by taking advantage of our international systems.
Second, in the problem of expansion of the quantity, I suggest that we should extend the subscription orders. In order to do it, I think that the Family all over the world, not to speak the Korean Family, must take interest in The Way of the World positively.
Young-Tyang Chang:
Of course, we should enhance the quality of The Way of the World, so that even non-Christians may read the journal as a good text.
Eun-Hyung Kang:
That's right, we must devote ourselves to meet such a standard. I think that our journal is capable of showing cosmopolitan traits if all the Family exerts themselves to contribute articles written on the peculiarity of their countries. And I suggest that we should compile contributions, directly or indirectly, from high ranking persons, by way of all our Family over the world.
Young-Tyang Chang:
It is true that we have a wonderful background. There are seventy missionary posts, stationed among thirty countries, except for Korea and Japan.
These posts and missionaries can activate their activity for The Way of the World if required. Consequently, I hope that all of the foreign Families activate themselves to cover stories, thinking of themselves as correspondents.
Sooner or later, I am about to give official orders to them, strengthening our system very systematically. It's also an intention of our teacher.