라이선스 뮤지컬 가사 번역을 위한 실용적 지침 : 가창용이성을 중심으로

This paper aims to provide practical guidelines for translating lyrics of licensed musicals into Korean. Literature on how to translate English musical lyrics into Korean is virtually non-existent, and the Korean language is very different from English, particularly with regard to syntactic structures and the use of meters and stresses. There is clearly a great need to develop specific guidelines for Korean translation. This study proposes principles in five basic areas: vocal singability, phrasing and stress matching, rhyming, syllable addition (or note splitting), and domestication/foreignization. Based on the expertise and feedback collected from musical theater composers and singers, this paper suggests Korean vowels and consonants appropriate for high-pitch notes and Korean consonants proper for end-of-phrase notes. It also introduces specific strategies for adjusting the lengths of phrases and the locations of keywords by using specific Korean words, and it offers tips for avoiding note splitting and for keeping domestication/foreignization levels appropriate.