Points to keep in mind when using Urban Dictionary
When referring to Urban Dictionary for translation, it is necessary to use it wisely based on a full understanding of the side effects and disadvantages mentioned in the previous post. So useful and at the same time dangerous (?) When using this dictionary, you need tips on choosing and referring to the proper cuisine with a hawk's eye. Just imagining what would happen if you make a mistake in translating an official document using profanity or explicit expressions seen in Urban Dictionary is a frightening picture.
On the other hand, Urban Dictionary also has a good device to prevent such mistakes, and there is a system called 'Top Definition', so the definitions of the terms most recommended by people are displayed at the top. Also, since definitions posted by multiple people are usually listed together in a single term or expression, you can select the most appropriate one and refer to it.
A translation field that fits well with Urban Dictionary
As the number of new video media such as Netflix and YouTube explodes, the demand for translation of various pop culture content is also growing. However, due to the nature of most of these types of content, a feast of unrefined slang and colloquial language often unfolds. It's quite predictable when we think about the entertainment programs and videos of YouTube creators that we usually enjoy.
Furthermore, slang and slang are just profanity or abbreviations in Korean, but there are quite a few expressions corresponding to them in English. Therefore, it is said that even people who have lived in the local area for a long time will have many new expressions that are difficult to understand after being away for a few years. If you think about neologism tests that were once popular in Korea, it's quite understandable when you see that adults who saw vocabulary used by teenagers often couldn't understand them at all.
Therefore, no matter how skilled a translator is, they will have trouble translating materials that include a lot of informal terms or colloquialisms that are currently popular locally. Eventually, you may have to spend much more time and effort than usual searching, asking around, and checking back and forth for that translation job.
But when that happens, Urban Dictionary helps a lot. As long as you know and use the points mentioned above, you can make high-quality localized translations that you can easily relate to while taking advantage of the nuances of the original text when really needed.
In Urban Dictionary, in addition to the ID of the user who posted the definition, you can check related documents and sources through tags, and often include images to help you understand, so you can understand more accurately. Also, even if you know the meaning of any vocabulary or expression, it is often difficult to understand the proper usage situation, and they also post examples along with definitions to help you understand how they are actually used.
While finishing
In general, it is said that it takes several years for new slang words and slang words to enter the general dictionary, or they often go out of style during the review process and cannot be published forever. Urban Dictionary, on the other hand, takes less than a day to reflect new terms or expressions due to its nature. It's also the 77th largest website in the US, with 110 million monthly page views, and it is said that around 2.3 million definitions and 30,000 new suggestions come in every month.
* Source: The New York Times,”For the Word on the Street, Courts Call Up an Online Witness“
Of course, I don't think it's easy to directly compare Urban Dictionary with leading dictionaries that are widely recognized for their credibility. However, I think language, especially words used by the public, play an important role in reflecting the characteristics of living and moving according to the environment as if it were living creatures in the closest real time.
After all, users may basically need the ability to make good judgments and refer to them themselves, but it is one of the very useful dictionaries that can be expected to be of great help if used appropriately in translation work according to the characteristics of the original text.
This article continues from last week's “Urban Dictionary, a hip dictionary that reads trends (1).”
*This content has been transferred from Gicon Studio to Letterworks.
