earticle

영어

The aim of this study is to analyze the main issues involved in the translation of Korean Musicals into English. The technique of musical translation focused in this study is surtitling. Surtitles are translated lyrics and dialogue displayed on screens. The surtitles are usually projected above the stage or placed on each side of the stage. The examples used in this study are from the English translation of the Korean musical, The Last Empress. The first part of the study deals with theoretical aspects of musical translation. A general overview of the concept of fidelity and readability in musical translation is presented. Fidelity in musical translation means that the specific narrative context of the story should be transferred to the audience. Readability in musical translation supposes that the surtitles placed on each side of the stage should be easily understood by the audience. Next, the concept of singability is explored in the aspect of musical translation. According to Franzon (2008), verbal and musical fidelity should be the aim of translating song lyrics. Franzon also notes that every translation achieves a different level of fidelity depending on the purpose of the translation. The study focuses on the particular problems and difficulties encountered in translating musicals into English by presenting several source text and target text examples.