Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 10) — A local book publisher revealed how it was handpicked to translate the memoir of K-pop juggernaut BTS, but the process wasn’t as smooth as butter.
The anticipated book “Beyond the Story: 10-Year Record of BTS” was launched globally on Sunday to coincide with the 10th year anniversary of their fans lovingly called ARMY, who are known for their unwavering support for the global superstars.
In the Philippines, the launch was an all-day affair in different parts of the metro to celebrate the milestone and the unique relationship of BTS and ARMY.
The local edition is handled by Apop Books, a publishing imprint based in the Philippines, which focuses on translating Korean bestsellers for the English-speaking market. Its “Beyond the Story” gig is, however, unique because it is the publisher’s first book directly translated to Filipino from the Hangul version written by South Korean journalist Kang Myeongseok.
It is also one of only two dozen translations of the memoir in the world.
It is also a collector’s dream since it contains the photocards of all seven members — something that is exclusive to the translated versions.
Apop Books head Agno Almario recalled he began taking notice of BTS during his trip to Seoul, South Korea years before the pandemic. He said he found out about a book celebrated for its positive message of self-healing and self-love. It became popular because BTS’ Jung Kook read the Korean version of “I Decided to Live As Me” in their “Bon Voyage” reality show.
The international bestseller was the first book to be published under Apop.
“That’s how Apop was born. Now super happy kami kasi three years down the road, meron kaming chance na suklian sila [We are super happy because after three years, we can now give back],” Almario said on Sunday.
He added, “We were able to thank BTS in a way by being their conduit to the Filipino language. This is the first piece of official merchandise in Filipino, designed specifically for the Filipino ARMY. We are super happy we were able to be the bridge towards that.”
It was a full circle moment for the publishing house since “I Decided to Live As Me” and several more titles under Apop were the reasons why they were able to bag the deal with BTS’ agency HYBE (formerly Big Hit).
“What allowed us to acquire the rights was more our credibility. What I’ve learned from our Korean partners, they’re very trust-based so we were lucky enough to have the credibility, to have the previous experience to be recommended to be the publisher of this book in the Philippines,” Almario said.
He added, “Nung sinabi nilang we want a Filipino edition for BTS’ autobiography, hindi na ako nagdalawang isip. Yes na lang agad.”
[Translation: When HYBE said they want a Filipino edition for the BTS autobiography, I didn’t think twice. I had to say yes immediately.]
The chief of Apop Books detailed the strict process they went through to publish the local version of the memoir.
“Napakahigpit din kasi ng timeline. Alam niyo naman ang Big Hit pagdating sa pagprotekta sa BTS, pagdating sa pag-alaga nila ng banda nila, wala silang katulad. Sobra nila naging strikto, sobra nilang binantayan galaw namin. Minake sure talaga nila na ang mapo-produce natin na product ay of quality of official merch talaga,” Almario noted.
[Translation: We had a tight timeline. Big Hit is known for protecting BTS. They are strict. They were closely monitoring what we were doing to make sure we produce the books that have quality similar to its official merchandise.]
The journey
Apop’s team of translators, editors, and Korean language consultants also shared how they worked on the mega project. They told about how they ensured accuracy and how they injected Filipino flavor in the memoir that highlights the group’s 10-year journey — from their trainee days to their coveted status now as arguably the biggest musical act to come from South Korea.
Six Filipino translators worked on the book, and ensuring that the book is cohesive was one of the challenges for editor Bernalyn Sastrillo. She said the objective was to make sure that the book was easy to read while it portrays the individuality of its members RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, V, Jimin, and Jung Kook.
“Interview style ang book. Si V nonchalant and chill, si RM very poetic, si SUGA din malalim. So paano natin maka-capture in Filipino? Kailangan faithful sa original Korean context, sa original Korean text,” she said.
[Translation: The book was written interview style. V is nonchalant and chill, RM is poetic, while SUGA is deep. The challenge was figuring out how we can capture that in the Filipino language. It needs to be faithful to Korean culture and context.]
Despite guaranteeing that it remains true to the original version, the team also worked on making sure that it will connect with the Filo ARMYs.
“May mga bagay tayong pinasok na very Pinoy. Gumamit tayo ng salita tulad ng ‘pang malakasan, bongga, nakakabaliw.’ Sinubukan namin pasukan ng ganung kultura natin para mas mapalapit satin ang sinasabi nila,” said translator Oliver Quintana.
[Translation: We also incorporated words and phrases that are very Pinoy. We want to bring them closer to us.]
But Korean words like “hyung” — what a younger male calls an older brother or an older man they respect — is retained since this is what the members call their older members.
Korean language consultant Kyung Min Bae said the local version shows the past, present, and future of BTS in 700 pages. She added it will help both the ARMY and even casual fans understand what each member went through to reach their superstar status.
The local edition sells for ₱1,295, while the US version is sold at ₱1,795 to ₱1,999.
