This study begins from trying to identify the cause of the phenomenon of same proper names in Korean being transcribed and translated into various terms in Russian text. A careful review of current Russian transcription and translation strategies of Korean proper names showed the absence of consistent standardized guideline on Russian transcription and translation strategy of Korean proper names is one of the key causes for the different transcriptions and translations.
The purpose of this study is to take a deeper look into the Russian transcription and translation of Korean proper names, analyze the problems that arise in phonemic notation and translation strategies, and to propose a new guideline in standardizing Russian notation of Korean proper names and translation strategies.
Translation of proper names requires delivering both their phonemic information and meaning in the target language. Chapter 2 of this paper reviews existing preceding research and found that there are limits to only discussing phonemic transcription of proper names from a phonetics perspective or only discussing translation strategies of proper names from a translation studies perspective. Therefore, the study takes a multidisciplinary approach from both phonetics and translation studies perspectives in discussing the phonemic transcription and translation strategy of proper names.
Chapter 3 of this paper shares the sources of 17 Korean and Russian public organizations from which the paper gathered Russian transcriptions and translations of Korean proper names for the study and suggests a methodology for data analysis. The analysis applied for this study has three main parts. First, the study analyzes the status of Russian phonemic transcriptions of Korean proper names. Second, the study compares and analyzes phonetic data of native Korean speaker and Russian speaker using a speech analysis program called Praat as an analysis tool to suggest an alternative to phonemic notation. Third, the study categorizes proper names into 10 subcategories, applying a quantitative analysis to the various translations by type of translation strategy.
Chapter 4 discusses the various causes for different phonemic transcriptions by reviewing different notations of Korean proper names. Main causes for different phonemic notations include the absence of a standardized Russian notational system for Korean proper names, the impact of Russian transcription practice of North Korean names, and the impact of Romanization. To this end, the paper conducts a phonetic data analysis on several existing controversial phonemes and suggests a Russian transcription of the Korean language based on the results of the analysis.
Chapter 5 reviews the translation strategies of Korean proper names by the subcategories. The different types of translation strategies were found to be mainly; translation by sound of the proper name; sound borrowing of proper nouns and translating the meaning of common nouns; a blended transcription using English; and translating the meaning of the proper name. To reduce confusion caused by different translation strategies, this study suggests a simple consistent translation strategy appropriate to the different characteristics of each proper name subcategory.