한국학의 영문번역시스템과 개선 방향

Abstract

Although translation for Korean Studies, especially Korean literary translation, has long history and tradition, the results have not been satisfactory. This report seeks to propose future directions to improve the quality of English translations for Korean Studies. For discussion, this study analyzed the experiences of the first three years of the Korean Classics Library Project funded by the Korean Ministry of Education, Science and Technology The Korean Classics Library Project includes one hundred Korean classics selected by the Academy of Korean Studies. The introduction of this paper presents four reasons why English translations for Korean studies are in great demand, what difficulties are there in producing quality translated works, and what measures need to be taken for improvements. This paper proposes four ways to further enhance translation for Korean studies: First, translations funded by the government should put more emphasis on appreciating the translators with translation specialty in a specific academic field and allowing translators to take enough time as required for translation, and less on the management of government grants. Second, it should be better understood that it takes much time to get translated works published at internationally-renowned academic presses. Third, the funding for translation needs to be increased to help translators treated better, including higher recognition in the academia. Finally, programs should be in place to nurture professionals with expertise in academic translation.