earticle

영어

In Korea, despite the comparatively rich provision of translations in museums, museum translation has been under-researched in Translation Studies. The reason can be attributed to the limited perceptions of museum and museum translation here. According to the definition of the International Council of Museums, the term “museum” encompasses diverse institutions such as archeological, ethnographic, historic and natural monuments and sites, botanical and zoological gardens, as well as science centers. In contrast, a narrower definition is generally used here, strictly referring to museums as the repository of artifacts. Also, museum translation tends to be associated only with textual factors or translated materials in museums. Hence, this study reviews related studies overseas, adopting broader concepts of and diverse perspectives on museum translation. Then, with a view to invigorating related research here, this paper explores ways to apply those various approaches to museum translation research in the Korean context. To sum up, it suggests that interdisciplinary perspectives should be applied in research on museum translation here, drawing upon concepts and theoretical frameworks from other disciplines. It is also suggested that museum translation research should examine, to cite Sturge’s (2007) terms, not only “translations in the museum” but also “museums as translations.”