Why we have to consider Accent in translation
When translating English into Korean, one of the most overlooked yet incredibly important elements is accent. To many learners and even some translators, accent is just a way we pronounce words, nothing more and nothing less. However, in reality, English accent features are much more than pronunciation. Accents include elements such as stress, pitch, and rhythm, and each of these components play an important role in translation conveying meaning, emotion, and even a speaker’s background. If these features are not carefully considered during translation, the original speakers’ intention or the emotional richness of their words can be lost. And problems related to these things are even more noticeable in literary works, poetry, and dramatic dialogue, where the way something is translated is as important as what is said.
English is known as a stress-timed language, which means that some words are given more emphasis than others when speaking, creating a regular beat or rhythm. On the other hand, Korean is a syllable-timed language, where each word generally takes up the same amount of time and is given similar emphasis. This big difference in conveying languages makes English and Korean sound very different from each other,, and more importantly, it makes certain emotional or rhetorical speech hard to translate.
Take the English sentence, “He didn’t steal the money.” Depending on which word is emphasized, the meaning of the message can change dramatically. If the word “he” is stressed, it implies that someone else might be guilty. However, if “steal,” is stressed, it suggests that he might take the money in another way like borrowing money from someone else. These slight variations shaped by stress are central to how meaning is conveyed in English. But in Korean, where stress isn’t remarkably embedded in the language, it is not easy to use rhythm to express the same feelings or thoughts. Thus, to convey the subtle differences due to rhythm in English, Korean translators have to use other methods like additional clarification, surrounding contexts, and sentence structure to clearly translate what they have heard.
This difficulty grows in literary contexts like poetry or prose. It is because when writers choose words they consider not only the meaning of the words but also how their sounds like stress, rhythm, and rhyme work together to create mood and beauty. When translators ignore these sound-based elements, the translation may seem boring or too plain, or emotionally distant. That’s why good literary translation goes beyond just conveying the meaning of words accurately. It should also contain the tone, flow, and cadence which makes the translation much more impressive.
An English teacher at MCH Foreign Language High School, Josh Yeo, emphasizes another important point which is that an accent reveals one’s identity. In English, regional and social accents help us guess where a person is from, what kind of background they have, or even what kind of personality they have. For example, a British accent might feel formal or elegant, while an accent from the American South might sound friendly or relaxed. This situation can even happen within the same country. For instance, the accent from Boston or the accent from Texas reflect the cultural associations of each city. These features related to accents are highlighted in literature or film, which contribute to shaping a character’s identity.
In contrast, although there are some accents that are distinct from other Korean accents like the Jeju accent, Korean doesn’t contain that many variations or is easily recognizable especially when written. While regional dialects which are called ‘saturi’ from diverse regions like Gyeongsang or Jeolla Province certainly exist, they’re not typically used in symbolic or narrative ways like English accents are. Thus, it is much more difficult to translate what people with certain English accents say into Korean because Korean often fails to convey the tone and intonation of the original English, which can result in the loss of important contextual information.
Because of this, when translating a character who speaks with a noticeable accent, many of the subtle hints about their background, attitude, or social position can get lost. Because there are things that cannot be conveyed just with literal translation, it is necessary for translators to choose words deliberately and provide additional explanation for the readers.
Accent-related features can be powerful tools in translation if they are handled skillfully. In English, depending on the tone and way of expression, even a single word like “Really?” can carry a wide range of emotions including surprise, suspicion, frustration, or excitement. Although Korean doesn’t use accent or pitch, there are some tools that can be used in delivering the emotions of the speaker. For instance, sentence-closing endings, postpositions, or diverse expressions like “Jeong-mal? (really)?”, or “Geu-rae(Is it really that?)” can convey equivalent feelings. A professional translator should consider the nuance inside the sentence cautiously, and always have to look for the best way to express them efficiently. In this process, they might change some of the sentence elements or expressions of the original speech to deliver the intended effects as exactly as possible.
To account for this effect in Korean, the translator has to change the order of the words or add a reinforcing word like ‘Ba-ro’ (Right now). It would help keep original focus and emotional nuance.
To overcome these challenges, translators must not only understand the technical structure of English but also be deeply aware of the emotional and cultural nuances. Moreover, they should be able to rephrase the mood and meaning by utilizing the diverse expressions, sentence structure, and emotional cues with a creative and flexible attitude.
Ultimately, translation is more than just converting words. It is an art of interpretation. It is about rebuilding the experience of the original, including the feelings, rhythm, and stress. Paying close attention to accent features is a powerful way to achieve that goal. When translators succeed in doing that, they help the reader not just understand the original message, but truly feel it.
By Staff Reporter Ha Nagyeong (1-7)
Youn Chanhee (2-2)
