초록 열기/닫기 버튼
This paper aims to raise the issue of the geopolitical implications of translating materials dealing with cultural heritage via the example of Romanization of the names of tombs of the ancient Goguryeo Kingdom (?-668) of Korea. The paper begins with a short introduction to the ancient Goguryeo mural tombs currently located in North Korea and the northeastern part of China, including their significance in Korean history and as UNESCO World Heritage sites. Then, the paper looks into the geopolitical implications of using the Chinese Romanization scheme in translating the names of Gogurye tombs: the reader may be led to perceive the Korean heritage as belonging to China, which is in line with China’s ongoing efforts to integrate the history of its neighbors into its own. The article then proceeds to examine how the names of two particular Goguryeo tombs (Jangcheon and Tonggu) have been translated (i.e. Romanized) and whether any materials produced by Korean government agencies are using the Chinese Romanization scheme. The final section examines web-based databases (e.g. dictionary and thesaurus) provided by Korean government organizations as translation aids, and suggests improvements that will lead the user to Romanize the names of Goguryeo tombs following the Korean Romanization system rather than the Chinese one.
