earticle

영어

This study explores Japanese translation strategies on the names of tourist destinations in Korea. Unlike other languages, Japanese has different writing systems, with Chinese characters that can be pronounced in multiple ways. That being said, the translation and notation of the names of sightseeing spots varies from book to book, and website to website. Although Korean and Japanese both use Chinese characters, the simple switching of those characters often results in meaning being lost, and transliteration of pure Korean words of non-Chinese origin can hardly work. For this reason, semantic considerations should also be given. Translation of the names of tourist destinations should take into account a number of factors: the nature of the name itself, as a proper noun that signifies the features of a particular place, notations (Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji, Roman characters and numbers), phonetics, visuality and how well-known the destination is. As such, this study reviews translation strategies currently used, drawing upon information from the National Institute of Korean Language, the Korea Tourism Organization, the Cultural Heritage Administration, and the local governments. In tandem, the tourism destination translation strategies of Japan, and Japanese books and websites on Korean tourism have also been consulted. Cases of discrepant translations are also discussed, along with suggestions on harmonization, to explore future directions for Japanese notation and translation of Korean tourism destinations.