Sunjoo Kim (middle) graduating from her Master of Research
Whenever I write an email to a professor, there is one question lingering in my mind: Should I say “Dr + Last Name” or just “First Name”?
It might look like a simple question, but it exemplifies a deeper cultural dilemma to me.
When I was in university back in Korea, a professor from the U.S. asked us to call him by his first name, not the last name or job title. I understood what I had to do, but was it easy for me? Not really. It took me a while to get used to it. This is because the culture of address terms is quite different in Korea.
In English, first names can be used regardless of age and hierarchical dynamics in relationships without causing offense. This, however, hardly happens in Korean unless they are close friends of the same age. To be specific, addressing someone older and superior by their first name is impossible, unless I want to pick a fight. Likewise, age and social hierarchy are the core elements that have been deeply rooted in Korean society, playing a salient role in the choice of address terms.
Instead of first names, Koreans tend to choose alternatives including kinship terms and professional titles. Kinship terms, such as unni (older sister, 언니) and oppa (older brother, 오빠) are extensively used to non-family members. Professional titles are used as a generic way to address someone politely. For example, I can call someone sacangnim (CEO, 사장님). It does not necessarily mean that he or she is the head of the company. Rather, it is one of the most neutral and polite titles I can use. All choices depend on the nature of the interpersonal relationship.
The complexity of the societal and cultural characteristics reflected in the use of address terms poses a significant challenge in translation. The challenge gets exacerbated in subtitle translation, combined with spatial and temporal limitations. Multiple layers of relational dynamics and cultural nuances can easily get lost and simplified in translation. In relation to this, for my Master of Research, I explored subtitle translation of Korean address terms.
More Than Meets the Eye: Indexical Analysis on Korean Address Terms in Subtitle Translation
Abstract: Cultural references are one of the most significant challenges in subtitle translation. One example is Korean address terms due to their complexity and multiple dimensions reflecting societal and cultural values in Korea. In this vein, this thesis investigates the translation of address terms in English subtitles of one Korean drama, within the theoretical framework of indexicality as conceptualised by Michael Silverstein (1976). Adopting power, solidarity and intimacy (Lee & Cho, 2013) as an analytical prism, the thesis examines the complex interplay of each dimension to construct the non-referential indexicality of the address terms. The drama, Misaeng (Incomplete Life), which portrays corporate settings where Korean societal cultural values are well-reflected, was chosen for the data set. Thirty cases of address terms within a variety of interpersonal relationships from the drama were chosen to explore the formulation of indexical meaning and how it is transferred into the English subtitles. By adopting qualitative analysis focusing on both linguistic and multimodal elements, results from the study underscore the dynamic fluctuations of indexicality depending on the contextual dimension of the interaction, which makes the translation challenging in reflecting this whole range of indexical meanings. This leads to the inevitable indexical meaning gaps between the original and the subtitles. However, non-linguistic elements contribute to understanding of the indexical meaning, which mitigates the limitations of linguistic translation. The findings indicate that, although the translation of Korean address terms has been domesticated to be aligned with the target culture, this practice of domestication may change in a direction to keep the cultural references as much as possible. This study suggests the need for a subtitle translation direction that can preserve indexicality for global audiences to have a better cross-cultural experience, with relevance to the global attention to Korean cultural products.
You can download and read the full thesis from here.
Translation helps bridge language barriers. With the global rise of Korean culture, now is the time to move towards a translation practice preserving the original cultural depth as much as possible. This will open global audiences’ eyes to the unseen layers and help them genuinely enjoy the culture, as there is so much more than meets the eye.
References
Lee, K., & Cho, Y. (2013). Beyond ‘power and solidarity’: Indexing intimacy in Korean and Japanese terms of address. Korean Linguistics, 15(1), 73-100. https://doi.org/10.1075/kl.15.1.04lee
Silverstein, M. (1976). Shifters, linguistic categories, and cultural description. Meaning in anthropology. https://web.stanford.edu/~eckert/Courses/ParisPapers/Silverstein1976.pdf
This work is licensed under a
Congratulations on your research, Sunjoo (although now I’m wondering if there is a preferred way to address you! ;-))
The variety even within English can be quite tricky too, as you note. I don’t mind the approach I’ve observed from some UK-based professionals when emailing me for the first time. They somehow balance not being too formal but also not being too informal by opting for a “Dear Laura (if I may)” … I’ve yet to try it myself, but it does seem like a good strategy when approaching a new contact!
Of course, when working across languages, things take on a whole different level of complexity, so congratulations again for your research!!
I’ve long used ‘Dear firstname (if I may)’ but the older I get I find that it’s no longer necessarily treated as an invitation to reciprocate … in Germany the hashtag #gerneperdu (something like ‘happy to use the informal form of address’) is becoming popular in e-mail signatures and on introduction (but more senior person has to initiate, as far as I can see)
G’day Dr Piller. Communication across languages is always tricky, but can be fun. I tend to go with the more formal usages until I get a more informal response. However, I remember getting emails from a Spanish contact some years back who signed off with “QBSP” and his name. I looked it up and found it is an old acronym that stands for “quien besa sus pies” – “who kisses your feet”. I eventually figured out it was just him being comical, like another friend of mine in Italy who regularly greets people in person with “Bacio le mani” – “I kiss your hands”. Hilarious. On the other hand, a Canadian contact who I addressed an email to with “Hi” and his name wrote back “G’day Michael”. So I have combined that with your preference for using your title, just for a laugh of course.
😂
More fun content on address terms in intercultural communication:
“What’s otoosan’s name?”
How (not) to address airline passengers
Thanks a lot, Laura (If I may 😊) and Sunjoo is perfectly fine for me 🙂
Keeping the balance seems to be key! I don’t want to sound too distant, but also want to be formal. That’s when things get complicated and I end up spending more time on the very first line of the email than the rest, haha. Next time, I will definitely try this “if I may” strategy!
Looking at this from the other end of the cultural spectrum, I have always objected to the automatic use of my first name when I try to speak to private or government agencies, or when they contact me. When a public servant or someone in a position of economic or political power addresses me as “Michael” rather than “Mr Jones”, they are treating me a supplicant who should just be grateful that they are speaking to me at all. Unimportant and childlike person that I am, I couldn’t possibly understand how busy and important they are and my concerns are obviously based on ignorance or stupidity. When I insist on “Mr Jones” the message usually gets across that I am a person who perhaps knows what he is talking about, probably has read the manual, and deserves some basic respect. Try it.
Thanks, Michael! Medical contexts, particularly hospitals, are another example. There, I really flaunt my title because it makes it more likely to be treated like a competent adult …
Thanks for the insightful comment, Mr Jones! 🙂
I find it genuinely interesting that seemingly simple choices can reveal so much. I guess there are some places where you might prefer to be addressed by your first name. Personally, I always prefer my first name, as it sometimes feels like I am in big trouble if someone calls me “Ms Kim”, haha.