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A corpus-based diachronic study of English translation strategies for Korean film titles in the context of cultural discount

  • The Journal of Translation Studies
  • Abbr : JTS
  • 2025, 26(3), pp.173~196
  • DOI : 10.15749/jts.2025.26.3.006
  • Publisher : The Korean Association for Translation Studies
  • Research Area : Humanities > Interpretation and Translation Studies
  • Received : August 14, 2025
  • Accepted : September 15, 2025
  • Published : September 30, 2025

Lee, Jimin 1,  Daeun Kim 1

1계명대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the diachronic and genre-based patterns in the English translation of Korean film titles through the theoretical lens of ‘cultural discount’—the notion that cultural products tend to lose value when consumed outside their culture of origin. It tests two main hypotheses: (1) that translation strategies have changed over time and (2) that in genres more vulnerable to cultural discount—such as comedy and historical drama—translators are more likely to adopt creative and interventionist strategies in order to offset the cultural discount effects. Drawing on a corpus of 721 Korean films registered with the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) from 1998 to 2024, the study categorizes translation strategies and examines their distribution across four genres: comedy, action, historical drama, and science fiction. The analysis reveals a chronological progression in translation strategies, evolving from ‘adaptation’ to ‘text production,’ and more recently, to ‘literal translation.’ This shift reflects an increasing emphasis on preserving cultural authenticity as Korean films attain greater international recognition. Statistical tests confirm significant differences in strategy use across both time periods and genres. Notably, genres associated with higher cultural discount exhibit more frequent use of ‘text production’ and ‘adaptation’ strategies, supporting the view that translators actively intervene to mediate cultural distance. The study contributes to audiovisual translation research by offering empirical evidence that cultural discount functions as a key variable in translation strategy selection.

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