PRM136 - CONSIDERING CHALLENGES IN ENGLISH TO KOREAN TRANSLATION AND CULTURAL ADAPTATION

Abstract

To identify major cultural and syntactical issues encountered within the linguistic validation (LV) of Korean PRO (Patient reported outcomes) translations in a broad survey of LV projects, with a particular focus on the difficulty of achieving conceptual equivalence between source English and target Korean translations. The significant differences between Korean and English, particularly in syntax and morphology, make this a pertinent case study. 13 LV projects encompassing a range of therapeutic areas were studied to offer a broad overview. Back translation and cognitive debriefing reports were analysed for cultural and syntactical issues. Key differences between English and Korean were explored. Key findings: Korean exhibits heavy use of honorifics (formal tone) even in patient interviews; English does not place such weight on these (except in addressing titled individuals); Korean nouns are freer in maintaining the singular form where English would adapt to plural; It is natural in Korean to omit the subject (‘you’), as this is conveyed in conversational context; The Korean age system starts at 1 year (babies are 1 year old at birth), but they have a second system corresponding to the English counterpart for official contexts; Korean names (typically three syllables) are structured differently (surname first, given name last). Korean women keep their maiden name. Korean and English differ so vastly in culture, syntax and tone that Korean back translations can read as inappropriate deviations from the source in English. However, thorough LV reviews between the linguist(s) and LV consultant team enable a unique insight into the translation, allowing for a better understanding of the language and for more accurate target solutions to be found so that the integrity of PRO data can be ensured in the target language’s practical application.