In One Ear: Translation negotiation

Published 6:00 am Thursday, January 8, 2026

Goonies book rerun: “My book, ‘Three Weeks With The Goonies,’ has just received its first foreign language translation by frame/page in South Korea,” Astoria writer/director Mick Alderman posted on his Facebook page. “They designed the cover to look like a VHS cassette.” Here’s the link to take a look: tinyurl.com/korean3wks (click on “Translate”). 

The book came about after director Richard Donner invited Mick to watch the filming of “The Goonies” while they were shooting on location in Astoria in 1984. One highlight of his experience must have been when Donner introduced Mick to executive producer Steven Spielberg as a “fellow director.” You can buy the book, and read an excerpt, at tinyurl.com/3WksGoonies.

So how did the Korean edition come about? “The publisher — whose name is Sebeom Oh — found the book on Amazon, and initiated contact in mid-2017,” Mick explained. “With the help of  my Los Angeles-based manager, David, we negotiated a contract.”

“I then sent Sebeom Oh the photos,” he added, “and he hired a translator.” And the rest is Goonies history. (In One Ear, 1/5/2018) (Photos: Mick Alderman/Aladin.co.kr)