原文標(biāo)題：
South Korean tattooists
Art in the dark
Korean tattoo artists are lauded abroad and locked up at home
韓國紋身師
黑暗中的藝術(shù)
韓國紋身師在國外廣受贊譽(yù)，在國內(nèi)卻面臨監(jiān)禁

Why South Korean tattooists are being marked as criminals
為什么韓國紋身師不合法？

[Paragraph 1]

THE UNMARKED grey door in central Seoul could lead to just another office in South Korea’s capital.

首爾市中心有一扇沒有標(biāo)簽的灰色大門，可能只是通往韓國首都的另一間工作室。

Yet behind it Kim Do-yoon creates intricate artwork that has garnered commissions from K-pop stars, chaebol bosses and Hollywood royalty, including Brad Pitt.

然而，在這扇門的后面，金道允創(chuàng)作了精美復(fù)雜的藝術(shù)作品，并獲得了韓國流行音樂明星、財(cái)閥老板和好萊塢大腕（如布拉德-皮特）等客戶的青睞。

Better known as Doy, the tattooist is careful not to advertise the presence of his studio. For each of his artworks is also a crime.
這位紋身師“多伊”的名字更有名，他小心翼翼盡量不宣傳他的工作室。因?yàn)樗拿考髌芬泊硪环N犯罪活動。

[Paragraph 2]

Worth some 200bn won ($151m) a year according to the Korea Tattoo Association (KTA), South Korea’s tattoo industry is small but culturally significant.

根據(jù)韓國紋身協(xié)會的數(shù)據(jù)，韓國的紋身行業(yè)每年價(jià)值約2000億韓元（1.51億美元），行業(yè)規(guī)模雖小，但文化意義重大。

Spring brings blooms of colour as short sleeves and skimpy tops reveal the inked-up arms of the country’s hipsters.

春天是五顏六色的季節(jié)，嬉皮士們開始露出紋滿圖案的胳膊，短袖和暴露的衣服讓他們的紋身更加醒目。

Outside South Korea, the reputation of its artists has grown alongside the taste for the country’s other cultural exports.

在國外，隨著韓國文化的流行，其藝術(shù)家的聲譽(yù)也與日俱增。

A tattoo from a South Korean artist confers a similar level of cool as a taste for South Korean music or cinema.
韓國藝術(shù)家的紋身作品，就像擁有韓國音樂或電影的品味一樣，會賦予人們同等的炫酷時(shí)尚感。

[Paragraph 3]

Yet its artists are forced to work underground.

然而，韓國紋身師們卻被迫從事地下工作。

In 1992 a South Korean court ruled that tattooing creates health risks and ought to require a medical licence.

1992年，韓國法院裁定，紋身會造成健康風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，應(yīng)該要求有醫(yī)療執(zhí)照。

Tattooists without that qualification can receive a fine of 50m won ($38,000) or up to five years in prison.

沒有執(zhí)照的紋身師可能會面臨5000萬韓元（3.8萬美元）的罰款，或面臨最高5年的監(jiān)禁。

Doy reckons a couple are locked up every year.

多伊估計(jì)，每年都有一兩個(gè)從業(yè)者被監(jiān)禁。

The ban also means that tattooists are vulnerable to blackmail, exploitation or sexual assault because they cannot report perpetrators for fear of incrimination.
這項(xiàng)禁令還意味著紋身師很容易受到勒索、剝削或性侵犯，由于害怕自己被定罪，因此面對肇事者他們也不會報(bào)案。

[Paragraph 4]

Young politicians have tried to drag the industry into the mainstream.

年輕的政治家們試圖將這個(gè)行業(yè)拉入主流。

Ryu Ho-jeong, a 30-year-old MP, introduced a bill in 2021 that would improve working conditions and allow tattooists to report their income.

30歲的國會議員柳浩珍在2021年提出了一項(xiàng)法案，該法案將改善紋身師的工作條件，并允許他們報(bào)告收入。

Doy has taken a more aggressive approach, frequently appearing in court for the past four years to appeal a conviction and draw attention to the plight of less famous colleagues.
多伊采取了更激進(jìn)的辦法，在過去4年中頻繁出庭上訴，并通過此舉引起人們對于那些不知名同行所處困境的關(guān)注。

[Paragraph 5]

South Korean society is increasingly siding with Doy and Ms Ryu.

韓國社會有越來越多的人站出來支持多伊和柳女士。

The elderly still disapprove of tattoos, considering them signs of criminality.

老年人仍然不贊成紋身，認(rèn)為它們是犯罪的標(biāo)志。

Yet over half of South Koreans as a whole and more than four-fifths of those in their 20s believe qualified tattooists should be allowed to ink up customers.

然而，一半以上的韓國人，以及4/5以上的20多歲韓國人認(rèn)為，應(yīng)該允許合格的紋身師為顧客紋身。

Far from “a deviant act”, for young people a tattoo is just another consumer product, says Ha Ji-soo of Seoul National University.
首爾國立大學(xué)的河智秀說，對年輕人來說，紋身遠(yuǎn)非 "越軌行為"，它只是另一種消費(fèi)品。

[Paragraph 6]

Unsurprisingly, the tattooists’ main adversaries are doctors, who claim it is risky to let non-doctors tattoo.

毫不奇怪，紋身師的主要反對者是醫(yī)生，他們聲稱讓非醫(yī)務(wù)人員從事紋身是有風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的。

They stand to lose a lucrative sideline: in 2022 the market for semi-permanent tattoos, used mostly for cosmetic procedures, was worth as much as 1.8trn won ($1.4bn), reckons the KTA.
主要原因是他們將失去利潤豐厚的副業(yè)：據(jù)韓國紋身協(xié)會估計(jì)，2022年，主要用于美容手術(shù)的半永久性紋身市場價(jià)值高達(dá)18萬韓元（14億美元）。

[Paragraph 7]

The South Korean government, usually keen to promote its culture, has so far been hesitant to upset this powerful lobby.

韓國政府通常熱衷于推動文化輸出，但它一直猶豫不決，不想得罪這個(gè)強(qiáng)大的游說團(tuán)體。

Yet that may be changing: apparently aware of tattooists as a potential source of revenue, the government has already assigned them a tax code.
然而，這種情況可能正在發(fā)生改變：政府顯然意識到紋身師是一個(gè)潛在的收入來源，且已為他們指定了一個(gè)稅號。

（恭喜讀完，本篇英語詞匯量503左右）
原文出自：2023年5月13日《The Economist》Asia版塊

精讀筆記來源于：自由英語之路

本文翻譯整理: Irene本文編輯校對: Irene
僅供個(gè)人英語學(xué)習(xí)交流使用。

【補(bǔ)充資料】（來自于網(wǎng)絡(luò)）
因“紋身的墨水和針頭可能引發(fā)感染”，1992年韓國最高法院把紋身定義成一種醫(yī)療行為。而韓國衛(wèi)生和福利部則認(rèn)為紋身與針灸同源，必須由醫(yī)療專業(yè)人員進(jìn)行。按照韓國法律規(guī)定，紋身師從業(yè)需要醫(yī)療執(zhí)照，否則將面臨“最高5年有期徒刑或最高5000萬韓元的罰款”。為了盡可能在警察眼皮子底下“隱身”，韓國的紋身工作室往往開在不起眼的地方，通常是地下，沒有店招，找入口就像玩密室逃脫。

【重點(diǎn)句子】（3個(gè)）
Spring brings blooms of colour as short sleeves and skimpy tops reveal the inked-up arms of the country’s hipsters.
春天是五顏六色的季節(jié)，嬉皮士們開始露出紋滿圖案的胳膊，短袖和暴露的衣服讓他們的紋身更加醒目。

Far from “a deviant act”, for young people a tattoo is just another consumer product, says Ha Ji-soo of Seoul National University.
首爾國立大學(xué)的河智秀說，對年輕人來說，紋身遠(yuǎn)非 "越軌行為"，它只是另一種消費(fèi)品。

Unsurprisingly, the tattooists’ main adversaries are doctors, who claim it is risky to let non-doctors tattoo.
毫不奇怪，紋身師的主要反對者是醫(yī)生，他們聲稱讓非醫(yī)務(wù)人員從事紋身是有風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的。