Let’s Go!

The 2021 (alternatively the 2020) Olympic Games have begun and whenever Korea participates in a sporting event as a country, we hear a lot of “대한민국 파이팅.”  파이팅 can be Romanized to “Hwaiting”, “Painting”, or (more often) “Fighting.”  For my foreign readers who are not familiar with this term, it is a remark used to give encouragement.  When someone is faced with a difficult task, it would be appropriate to use “Fighting.”  It is also used a lot in sporting events.

Example:  “I am going to take the Suneung (Korean SAT) tomorrow.”  “Fighting!”

The difficulty with this phrase is that it is not easily translated in English.  I am aware that we use the English word ‘fighting’ in its place, but outside of Korea, it sounds very strange.  So, lets see if we can find a phrase of encouragement to help explain this concept.  I will offer a few suggestions, but you are free to add your own thoughts.

1. Let’s Go! – If you have seen the art for this post, you can probably tell that this is my favorite translation. I hear it a lot when people are cheering.  I have seen it a lot in video gaming when someone wins, they shout it to themselves.  It shows extreme excitement.  However, it is not perfect because ‘fighting’ is often used to give others encouragement.  The use of let’s assumes the speaker is part of the challenge or win.
2. Go Korea! – You can substitute another proper noun for Korea to apply it in other areas. It does a good job of encouraging people in difficult situations and sporting events.  You will see it used (as well as “Let’s go _____”) at a lot of sporting events.  The feeling is a little different and it sounds a little weird, but it is a completely acceptable replacement.
3. Come on – Another suggestion is ‘come on!’ If you put a proper now on the end, it can be encouraging.  Context and tonality are really important though.  “Come on ____,” is also used as an expression of frustration.
4. Good job! – Additionally, ‘Good’, ‘Great’, ‘Wonderful’ and many other adjectives can be used to praise someone for a good effort. They lack the encouragement aspect of fighting  These are mostly used after something has been accomplished rather than encouragement before.
5. Fingers crossed – Crossed fingers is a sign of luck. So, saying, “fingers crossed” means that you are crossing your fingers for them.  You are giving them extra luck.  I don’t think this phrase is empowering though as luck and skill are quite different.
6. I’m cheering for you – Or I’m praying for you. These phrases demonstrate that you are on their side and that you wish them good luck.  Again, they lack empowerment but are a little better than fingers crossed.  It can be empowering to know people support you.  However, I feel that these phrases don’t produce the same feeling as fighting.
7. Don’t Give up / Hang in there – These phrases offer encouragement to someone who is facing a difficult task. They assume that the task has already begun.  They are also more about persistence than empowerment.
8. Go for it – This phrase is a pretty accurate interpretation of fighting. It encourages the listener to pursue the goal.  It takes the speaker out of the equation.  In other words, you are saying that the person should do it on their own.  So, its not perfect, but a pretty good translation.
9. You can do it – This final phrase might be the best translation. It can be used as words of encouragement for sports or difficult tasks.  It is also empowering as the speaker has confidence in the listener’s ability.  It is basically saying, “I believe in you.  I know you can do this.”

So, which phrase do you think fits best?  Do you have another suggestion?  This is hardly an extensive list of encouraging phrases.  In any case, enjoy the Olympics and,

Let’s go Korea!

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