한국 뮤지컬 번역 평가 담론 및 기준에 대한 포괄적 고찰: 온라인 커뮤니티를 중심으로

Abstract

This study examines user comments from a Korean online musical theater community with a view to identifying audience’s evaluation discourses and the specific criteria they consider when making evaluative comments on musical theater translation. A total of 1,735 comments posted between April 1, 2017, and October 31, 2024, on one of the biggest South Korean online musical theater communities were analyzed qualitatively and systematically using MAXQDA, a tool that enables researchers to code, categorize, and analyze source materials. The findings reveal three main interesting points. First, fans in the online musical theater community under examination actively engage in in-depth discussions on various aspects of musical theater translation, demonstrating a deep understanding of original productions, the complexities of the translation process, and the roles of key stakeholders such as production companies and translators. Second, four major criteria that fans consider when making evaluative comments were identified: (1) linguistic integrity of the target text, (2) meaning and effect of the source text, (3) new meaning and effect of the target text, and (4) performability. Thirdly, translations that satisfy the first three criteria were most frequently discussed and highly praised. The findings of this study suggest that the interested parties and stakeholders in the musical theater translation industry and research community need to pay closer attention to the identified discourses and criteria to more effectively resonate with the audience who exerts the biggest influence on the country’s musical theater market.