희소 가치
2005년 4월 2일 교황 요한 바오로 2세가 선종했다. 이틀 후 영국 런던에선 이상한 일이 벌어졌다. 사람들이 너도나도 찰스 왕세자와 커밀라 파커 볼스의 결혼식 기념 커피잔을 사들이기 시작한 것. 연유는 이랬다. 결혼식은 원래 8일이었다. 그런데 교황의 장례식 날짜가 그날로 잡혔다. 영국 왕실은 예식을 하루 늦췄다. 미리 출시된 기념 커피잔에 새겨진 ‘4월 8일’은 잘못된 날짜가 됐다. 그런데도 커피잔은 품절됐다. 다들 날짜가 잘못 들어간 커피잔이 인터넷 경매사이트에서 희귀품으로 거래될 거라고 예상했기 때문이었다. ‘희소가치’에 사람들이 얼마나 매달리는지를 보여준 사례다.내가 한 영작
On April 2, 2005, Pope John Paul II passed away, and two days later, a strange thing happened in London, England. People competed to purchase the coffee mug commemorating Prince Charles and Camilla's wedding. There is an interesting story behind the unusual popularity of the souvenir mug. The wedding was originally to take place on April 8, but the funeral for Pope John Paul II was scheduled for the same date. ⓐSo ø the royal house of England rescheduled the wedding by pushing it to the next day. The commemorative coffee mug was on sale in advance, ⓑbearing a wrong date, “April 8.” Nevertheless, the coffee mugs sold out, because people expected ⓒthe souvenir with a wrong date would be traded on online auction sites at premium for they are rare. It is an example ⓓof how people are obsessed with the value of “scarcity.”
Korea JoongAng Daily 에디터가 수정한 문장
Pope John Paul II passed away on April 2, 2005, and two days later, a strange thing happened in London. People competed to purchase coffee mugs commemorating Prince Charles and Camilla’s wedding. The wedding was originally to take place on April 8, but when the pope died, his funeral was scheduled for the same date. ⓐSo, the royal house of England rescheduled the wedding by pushing it to the next day. The commemorative mugs ⓑbearing the April 8 date sold out because people expected ⓒa souvenir with an incorrect date would be traded on Internet auction sites at premium. It is an example ⓓof how obsessed people are with scarcity
Writing Tip
ⓐ So ø → So, 문두에서 so가 접속사가 아니라 접속부사로 쓰일 때는 콤마 사용, 참고로, 접속사로 사용되는 경우에는 콤마를 쓰면 안됨
ⓑ bearing a wrong date, "April 8”→ bearing the April 8 date 뒤에 오는 말이 강조되는 것임, 4월 8일이라는 날짜가 중요한 것은 아님
ⓒ the souvenir → a souvenir 정해지지 않은 대상이므로 부정관사 사용이 올바름
ⓓ of how people are obsessed → of how obsessed people are obsessed가 how의 수식을 받는 것임
그런데 실상을 들여다보면 꼭 그렇지도 않은 모양이다. 버킨백을 사기 위한 분투기를 <에르메스 길들이기> (2010)라는 책으로 낸 미국 작가 마이클 토넬로의 증언이다. 그에게도 버킨백은 한동안 ‘불사조나 일각수(一角獸) 같은’ 전설적 존재였다. 그런데 어느 날 에르메스 매장에서 다른 제품을 다량 구입하자 금세 버킨백을 구할 수 있었단다. 결국 허구이고 상술이었다는 얘기다. 1일 현재 버킨백의 한국 내 구매 대기자가 1000명을 넘었다고 한다. 희소가치를 강조하는 고도의 상술에 몸이 달아 핸드백 값 1200만원을 내고 번호표를 뽑은 사람들에겐 토넬로의 체험담은 열 받을 얘기다. 내가 ‘봉’ 됐나 싶을 테니까.
내가 한 영작
However, in reality, the bag may not be so scarce. American writer Michael Tonello talks about his experience as a Hermes reseller in his book, “Bring Home the Birkin.” For a while, the Birkin bag ⓐwas a mythical existence like a phoenix or a unicorn. But one day, he purchased other goods from a Hermes store and was able to land a Birkin ⓑwithout difficulties. After all, ⓒthe scarcity about the bag was a marketing strategy. As of August 1, the waiting list for the Birkin bag in Korea has over 1,000 people. Those who are eager to pay 12 million won for a bag and put ⓓtheir name on the list may find Tonello’s experience upsetting as their obsession have been fueled by an advanced marketing tactic by Hermes. They may feel that they had been an easy prey.
Korea JoongAng Daily 에디터가 수정한 문장
In reality, however, the bag may not be so scarce. American writer Michael Tonello talks about his experience as a Hermes reseller in his book, “Bringing Home the Birkin.” For a while, the Birkin bag ⓐhad a “mythical” existence like a phoenix or a unicorn. But one day, he purchased other goods from a Hermes store and was able to land a Birkin ⓑwithout any difficulty. After all, ⓒthe bag’s scarcity was a marketing strategy. As of August 1, the waiting list for a Birkin bag in Korea contains more than 1,000 people. Those who are eager to pay 12 million won ($11,300) for a bag and put ⓓtheir names on the list may find Tonello’s experience upsetting, as their obsession fuels an advanced marketing tactic by Hermes. They may feel that they were easy prey - and I can’t say they’re entirely incorrect.
Writing Tip
ⓐ was → had 존재감을 가졌다는 의미로 소유를 뜻하는 have사용
ⓑ without difficulties → without any difficulty 다양한 어려움이 있을 상황이 아니므로 단수로 표현
ⓒ the scarcity about the bag → the bag’s scarcity ‘가방의 희소성’을 뜻하는 상황이므로 소유격 사용이 보다 적절
ⓓ their name → their names 여러 사람의 이름이므로 복수로
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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