Capturing intercultural

connotations through the

translated names of touristic sites:

A case of the Historic Centre of Macau

Suh-hee Choi, Cora Wong

Institute for Tourism Studies, Macau

TTRA APac Chapter Annual Conference

December 5, 2014

• Names of touristic sites

• Importance of culturally-sensitive translation

• The effect of the sites being referred to by diverse names

• Purpose of the study

• To examine the translation patterns of the Historic Centre of Macau into Korean

• To seek for more accurate intercultural understanding through tourism

Introduction

2

• Cultural translation

Literature Review

Original Term Translated Term

Foreignization Semantic translation

Keeping the original culture

Domestication Communicative translation Minimizing exotic elements

• 25 names of the Historic Centre of Macau

• Two types of sources

• Macau World Heritage (MGTO, 2013)

• Historic Centre of Macao (Korean National Commission for UNESCO, 2014)

Method

4

• Inconsistent translation of nouns

Results

Chinese, Portuguese (English)

UNESCO MGTO

媽祖閣, Templo de A-Má (A-Ma Temple)

마조각 [Majogak]

아마 사원 [A-Ma Sawon]

三街會館, Templo de Sam Kai Vui Kun

(Sam Kai Vui Kun)

삼가회관 [Samgahoegwan]

삼카이뷰쿤 [Samkaibyukun]

5

Results Transliteration of Chinese–-Chinese temples

Proper noun Common noun Example

Transliteration of Chinese Character

in Korean style

Transliteration of Chinese

Character in Korean style

媽祖閣, Templo de A-Má

(A-Ma Temple)

마조각 [Majogak]

三街會館, Templo de Sam Kai

Vui Kun (Sam Kai Vui Kun)

삼가회관 [Samgahoegwan]

Transliteration of Cantonese

Transliteration of Cantonese

삼카이뷰쿤 [Samkaibyukun]

Results Translations based on the English translated version of the original languages of Cantonese and Portuguese

Proper noun

Common noun

Example

Trans-literation of Portuguese in

English way, where spelling

is identical to its English

translation

Commu-nicative

translation

議事亭前地, Largo do Senado (Senado Square)

亞婆井前地, Largo do Lilau (Lilau Square)

세나도 광장 [Senado Gwangjang]

릴라우 광장 [Lillau Gwangjang]

Trans-literation

N/A N/A

Transliteration of English

Commu-nicative

translation

聖老楞佐教堂, Igreja de S. Lourenço

(St. Lawrence's Church)

玫瑰堂, Igreja de S. Domingos (St. Dominic's Church)

성 로렌스 성당 [Seong Rorenseu

Seongdang]

성 도미니크 성당 [Seong Dominikeu

Seongdang]

Trans-literation

港務局大樓, Quartel dos Mouros (Moorish Barracks)

무어리쉬 배럭 [Mueoriswi Bareok]

7

Results Translations of proper noun in another European language + communicative translation of common noun

Proper noun

Common noun

Example

Trans-literation of

another European language

Commu-nicative

translation

聖若瑟修院及聖堂, Igreja e Seminário de S. José (St. Joseph's Seminary and

Church)

崗頂前地, Largo de Santo Agostinho (St. Augustine's Square)

성 요셉 신학교 및 성당 [Seong Yosep Sinhakgyo

Mit Seongdang]

성 아우구스틴 광장 [Seong Auguseutin

Gwangjang] Trans-

literation N/A N/A

8

Results Translations of proper noun in another European language + communicative translation of common noun

Proper noun Common

noun Example

Commu-nicative

translation

Commu-nicative

translation

仁慈堂大樓, Santa Casa da Misericórdia

(Holy House of Mercy)

大堂, Igreja da Sé (Cathedral)

舊城牆遺址,

Troço das Antigas Muralha de Defesa

(Section of the Old City Walls)

자비의 성채 [Jabiui Seongchae]

대성당 [Dae Seongdang]

구 시가지 성벽 [Gu Sigaji

Seongbyeok]

9

Discussion

• Factors • Type (e.g., Temple / Church)

• Origin (e.g., Chinese / Portuguese)

• Religious characteristics (Chinese folk religion / Catholic)

10

Discussion

• Spontaneously-conferred translation resulted in translations that fit with neither the religious nor the linguistic context. • St. Paul in the Ruins of St. Paul’s

• St. Augustine in St. Augustine's Square and St. Augustine's Church

11

Discussion

• Translations based on the original languages are rare.

• English translation functions as the reference point in many cases.

Dual Original Terms

Portuguese

Cantonese

Translated Term

Other European Languages

English

12

Conclusion

• MGTO accepts the usage of local Cantonese words for naming sites.

• Challenge in transliterating Cantonese site names into Korean exists.

• Future studies

• Outcomes of translation

• Examining

• Better ways of translation

• How to set rules

13

Thank you.