Getting started
When you run into trouble while working on translation, I think it's time to translate culture or words that aren't commonly used, that is, only in that country. For example, words like side dish, chimak, and sugar. Because the above words can be understood on the assumption that you know the cultural context. But did you know that these words are listed in the Oxford Dictionary? I think it's a disproof of the growing interest in Korean culture along with the Korean language. The fact that Korean words are listed in the Oxford Dictionary can also be seen as an interest in the Korean language.
What Korean words are listed in the Oxford Dictionary and how are they translated?
If so, I suddenly wonder. Side dish, chimak, and gap-jil are all words that refer to Korean culture, which only exists in Korean. How do you explain them in the dictionary? And how does Letterworks translate it?
Among the various Korean words listed in the Oxford Dictionary, Korean food accounts for a large share. Gimbap, pork belly, soju, side dishes, chimak, dongchimi, ribs, makgeolli, kimchi, chapchae, and even yakiniku. All of these words are listed in the Oxford Dictionary. In today's letter, I'm going to take a look at how side dishes and chimak are defined in the Oxford Dictionary.
The side dish is described as 'a small side dish of vegetables, etc., mixed aiong with rice as part of a typical Korean meal', and I can confirm that the meaning is defined by adding Korean culture. The characteristics of this explanation can also be seen in the definition of chimak.
Chimak is borrowed from the Korean chimaek from the Oxford English Dictionary, which refers to the chi— in chikin with the maek— in maekju. Maekju is the Korean word for 'beer', while chikin is a Korean word borrowed from the English word chicken, eaten in Korean chikin only means 'fried chicken' and not the live animal. The use of chimaek in English goes back to 2012, but this combination of fried chicken and beer was popularized Outside South Korea by the 2014 K-drama My Love from the Star. The lead character on this fantasy rom-com, played by top South Korean actress Jun Ji-hyun, eaten craved and snacked on chimaek, and thus started a Korean fried chicken craze in China and other Asian countries where the show was a huge hit.
I was curious about how the Letterworks comparison translator translates the following content. Here is a summary of the contents of the translator: It is a combination of “chi” for chicken and “mac” for beer, and while beer is a Korean word meaning “beer,” it also reveals the etymology of chicken, which is a word borrowed from the English word chicken. Furthermore, they even explain that the Korean word “chicken” only means “fried chicken” and does not mean a living animal.
If so, what kind of results do you get when you turn the translator? I'm wondering if the translation will be done using Korean notation, or whether the translation will take advantage of the English meaning. Why don't you check it out? I hope you enjoyed reading today's letter, and I'll be back with the next one.
Editor l Lee In Hye
inhye.lee@twigfarm.net
