earticle

영어

Among the numerous points of cultural tension between Korea and China, controversies over Korea’s traditional festival Dano and traditional food Kimchi have been notably salient. On the topic of this controversy, this study found that while the two nation’s shared used of Chinese characters and history of Confucian culture have resulted in some useful linguistic and cultural similarities and analogues, they may in fact be a cause of disadvantage in translating cultural terminologies. That is, these similarities may cause misunderstanding when translators fall into the trap of pseudo-equivalent words (faux amis) or when they are unaware of cultural differences. Against the theoretical background of B. Brecht’s epic theater and alienation effect, this study suggests perspectives and strategies for the translation of cultural terminologies that objectively perceives and respects cultural differences between the two countries. This study also proposes specific translation strategies according to the type of cultural terminology, giving more weight to the adequacy of source texts than the acceptability of target texts; to the fidelity to ST than to the readability of TT in translating Korean-Chinese cultural terminologies. Above all, this study emphasizes the vital importance of translators’ sensitivities to cultural differences and deep understanding of the two cultures.