Punctuation Shift and Translation Strategy of Dash in English-Korean Translation

This paper aims to address two research questions: first, how dash (―) used in the source text (ST) is shifted in the target text (TT); second, what strategies are used to translate dash in English-Korean translation. It is of notable interest that the translation of punctuation marks in English-Korean translation often invites ‘headaches’ due to punctuation system differences and that the issue has been neglected in the academic discipline of translation studies, which calls for the need to address the above research questions. Although there are a number of punctuation marks in the English language system, this paper limits its scope to dash, which often triggers confusion and disagreement of interpretation in the process of translation, as the usage and function of julpyo (―), the “formequivalent punctuation mark” in the Korean language, have both similarities and differences with dash. The data that serves as a basis for the research is taken from novels―7 STs and 21 TTs (3 TTs for each ST). The punctuation points used in this genre effectively express and build relationships between words and sentences. As for the specific research process, this paper first classifies the translation of dash into two categories: Use of Julpyo and Use of Other Translation Strategies. Then, for each category, the paper evaluates whether the translation strategies meet the norms of the target language. Following the process, this research attempts to see whether individual strategies achieve translational equivalence. Based on the analysis, this paper selects and classifies effective translational strategies and discusses how such strategies can be deployed and what attentions should be paid in the process of translation. The author hopes the research will contribute to triggering further discussion on the translation of punctuation and to offering guidelines for those in the translation profession.