한국 고유문화 어휘의 번역 방향 연구

Abstract

Korean language materials that focus on cultural education are the subject of much research, but this is not the only noteworthy trend in the field today. In addition, Korean language programs at universities and their publishers, aware of the increasingly diverse nationalities of students, have recently begun releasing Korean language textbooks in different languages. The translation of linguistic study materials provides real assistance to learners by helping them understand Korean more quickly. In so doing, this decreases the amount of time they have to spend studying. Korean cultural passages rendered in Korean in introductory texts are difficult to read for beginning learners who are not yet familiar with Korean language and culture. Therefore, translating these textbook cultural explanations into the learners’mother tongue can assist their understanding of Korea by effectively reducing the disorientation felt when encountering an unfamiliar culture. Such translation of textbooks into the learners’ native language allows them to learn more efficiently. This translation strategy offers learners assistance as they attempt to understand and adapt to a new culture. There are a variety of kinds of cultural vocabulary included in the English and Korean versions of Korean language textbooks, but this paper only analyzes the translation techniques used with Korea’s unique dietary vocabulary. Textbooks today use eleven translation methods in their handling of dietary vocabulary. Such diverse translation techniques all have their own strengths, but when there is no consistency between translation methods, there is the potential for a number of problems to arise. The result of this analysis of the translation of dietary vocabulary is that there are three main problems. First, in every textbook published by Korean educational organizations, different translation methods are used for the same dietary vocabulary. There were even differences in the method used for the same term in textbooks used in different levels at a single organization. Second, the translation of dietary vocabulary was not always accurate. This was particularly the case in two translation techniques. Some of the text translated according to the explanatory method was inappropriate, and Romanization errors were found in a number of dietary terms that used the transcription method. Finally, Korean language materials were not translated by professional translators. In general, it is impossible to set up rigid rules by which a text in a given source language must be translated into a given target language. In this paper, which is based on the Skopos theory and foreignizing strategy, I take into account both the purpose of translating Korean language material and the user and ultimately recommend transcription with supplemental explanation as the ideal translation approach. This approach is the most succinct way to achieve communication while also preserving the distinctive characteristics of Korean culture. By standardizing our approach to translate dietary vocabulary, not only do we avoid confusing the learner by using a variety of different translation methods, but we also communicate the necessary terms to the learner using the same expressions. The translation of learning material should be entrusted to a professional translator, and before the author contacts a translation firm about the job, he or she should pass along basic information about the field of Korean language instruction Translation is not merely the task of changing the source language into the target language, but it is related to socio-cultural influence and the formation of cultural identity. In other words, it is inextricably tied to economic, social, and political considerations. Language learners should not be seen simply as people studying Korean culture, since in the future they will be the ones who carry Korean culture back to their own countries. When English-speaking learners spread Korean culture in their own countries, they will subconsciously rely on the English translations of Korean culture that they saw in their study materials to explain Korean culture to people around them. Whether it will be possible for them to impart Korean culture intact to people abroad depends on whether Korean culture is translated using the domestication or foreignization approaches.