Kahoe ‘Jannah’ Kim, the Korean translator who dreams of visiting Sharjah

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Young South Korean national Kahoe Kim has shared that she “dreams of visiting Sharjah”, after spending an entire day in Sharjah’s Guest of Honour pavilion at the 65th Seoul International Book Fair, which concludes on Sunday (June 18).

South Korea’s special celebration of the emirate has presented the Korean republic’s citizens and residents, who hold a special interest in exploring and learning about Emirati and Arab cultures, a one-of-a-kind opportunity to immerse themselves in the fun and informative programmes and activities hosted by the Sharjah pavilion, while also acquainting themselves with the rich collection of Emirati and Arabic literary works displayed.

For Kahoe Kim, a professional freelance translator who studied Arabic at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, her keen enthusiasm for the languages and cultures of the UAE and Arab world has transformed into a deep love for both, and inspired Kim to adopt ‘Jannah’ as her Arabic name.

During her visit to the Sharjah pavilion at the book fair, Kahoe made the most of her interactions with a diverse group of Arabs who shared the beautiful dialects that define the rich and multifaceted Arabic language. Between reading through a selection of high-quality titles being exhibited by a local publisher, Ramsa Publishing House, and watching and re-watching several episodes of a popular Emirati television show to deepen her understanding of the subtleties of the Arabic vocabulary, Kahoe ‘Jannah’ almost never realised that she had spent her entire time dedicated to exploring the book fair in one place – the Sharjah pavillion.

Deeply impacted by the joyful dispositions and warm hospitality of the Emirati and Arab delegation who are leading Sharjah’s cultural programme in Seoul, the young lady who has been to the UAE once, says that she cannot wait for an opportunity to return as she now has a strong desire to explore Sharjah and the rest of the UAE.

And not just Kim, the spirit of Sharjah and of the UAE showcased in Seoul, has ignited the curiosities of several Korean students to pursue Arabic language studies.