Skip to main content

(Mis)translations of Foreign Film Titles in South Korea

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Translations in Korea
  • 286 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter explores how translation of foreign film titles has been carried out in South Korea since the first importation of foreign films to Korea following its emancipation from Japanese colonial rule. When the titles of foreign films get translated into other languages, however, the results can be downright strange, weird, surreal—at best funny. With reference to audiovisual translation in general and film or screen translation in particular, this chapter discusses the extent of the mistakes made by Korean translators due to a lack of thorough contextual knowledge of the source language and culture. The chapter concludes that, in an era of globalization, film title translations in Korea increasingly show a trend toward transliteration rather than translation—either literal or liberal.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 64.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Baker, Mona, and Braño Hochel. 1998. Dubbing. In Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies, ed. Mona Baker and Gabriela Saldanha, 2nd ed., 74–76. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cronin, Michael. 1996. Translating Ireland. Cork: Cork University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dolet, Étienne. 1997. How to Translate Well From One Language Into Another. In Western Translation Theory from Herodotus to Nietzsche, ed. Douglas Robinson, 95–97. Manchester: St. Jerome.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frost, Robert. (1951) 1995. Conversations on the Craft of Poetry. In Robert Frost: Collected Poems, Prose, & Plays. New York: The Library of America.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holmes, James S. (1988) 2000. The Name and Nature of Translation Studies. In The Translation Studies Reader, ed. Lawrence Venuti, 2nd ed., 172–185. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jakobson, Roman. (1959) 2000. On the Linguistic Aspects of Translation. In Translation Studies Reader, ed. Lawrence Venuti, 2nd ed., 138–143. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nida, Eugene A. 1964. Toward a Science of Translating: With Special Reference to Principles and Procedures Involved in Bible Translating. Leiden: E. J. Brill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nord, Christopher. 2003. Proper Names in Translation for Children: Alice in Wonderland as a Case in Point. Meta 48 (1–2): 182–194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nornes, AbĂ© Mark. 2004. For an Abusive Subtitling. In The Translation Studies Reader, ed. Lawrence Venuti, 2nd ed., 447–469. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ortega y Gasset, JosĂ©. 1991. Misery and Splendour of Translation. In Theories of Translation: An Anthology of Essays from Dryden to Derrida, ed. Rainer Schulte and John Biguenet, 93–112. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rich, Motoko. 2003. What Else Was Lost in Translation. The New York Times, September 21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snell-Hornby, Mary. 1998. Translation Studies: An Integrated Approach. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Toury, Gideon. 1995. Descriptive Translation Studies—And Beyond. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Tymoczko, Maria. 1999. Translation in a Postcolonial Context. Manchester: St. Jerome.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Kim, WD. (2019). (Mis)translations of Foreign Film Titles in South Korea. In: Translations in Korea. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6512-6_7

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics