History and challenges of translation and interpreting in Modern Korea
On the 40th anniversary of The Graduate School of Interpretation & Translation (GSIT) of Hankuk University of Foreign
Studies (HUFS)
In 1979, a graduate school with a hitherto unusual name opened its doors at the Hankuk University of Foreign
Studies in Seoul, the ‘Graduate School of Simultaneous Interpretation’, as the school GSIT, HUFS was called at that time. Up to
then, translation and interpreting had not been considered as proper occupations in Korea. It was actually not known which people
with what kind of qualifications performed translation or interpreting. It was therefore a completely novel idea that translators
and interpreters should be trained at a higher education institution. Yet, GSIT proved to be a huge success. GSIT attracted a
great deal of public attention and many talented young people. The hitherto accumulated T&I needs in society and the trend of
globalization played their part in GSIT’s popularity.
As the only educational institution for T&I for the first 18 years and beyond, GSIT has written key chapters
in the history of T&I in modern Korea. This paper summarizes GSIT’s footsteps in order to discuss the developments of the past
four decades in Korea in T&I education and studies, in the T&I profession and the economic and socio-cultural aspects of
those developments. Based on the results of the discussion, the current situation of T&I in Korea is observed with a focus on
‘professionality’ so as to identify tasks for the future.
Article outline
- 1.Foreword
- 2.Footsteps of GSIT, HUFS
- 2.1Graduate School of Interpretation and Translation (GSIT)
- 2.2Center for Interpreting and Translation (CIT)
- 2.3Interpretation and Translation Research Institute (ITRI)
- 3.The past 40 years of T&I in Korea
- 3.1Training and research
- 3.2T&I as a profession
- 3.3Economic aspects
- 3.4Social aspects
- 3.4.1The birth of new elites and strengthened national competitiveness
- 3.4.2T&I and women
- 4.The current situation and challenges – Focusing on ‘professionality’
- 4.1The conceptual aspect of ‘professionality’
- 4.2The institutional aspect of ‘professionality’
- 5.Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
-
References
-
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