Translationese Korean: Spotting English-Shaped Sentences

The sentence is legal. The shape is the problem.

Some Korean sentences are not wrong in an obvious way. They have correct particles. The verbs conjugate. The spacing may be fine. Yet they feel heavy, passive, and oddly indirect:

이 문제에 대한 해결은 관련 부서에 의해 진행되어졌다.

A literal English-shaped reading sits underneath it: “The resolution of this issue was proceeded by the related department.” A more Korean-shaped version might be:

관련 부서가 이 문제를 해결하고 있다. 관련 부서에서 이 문제를 처리하고 있다. 이 문제는 관련 부서에서 검토 중이다.

Which version is best depends on genre. But the original has several translationese signals: ~에 대한, nominalized “solution,” passive-like ~에 의해, and the awkward over-passive 진행되어졌다.

Translationese is not just “bad Korean.” Some internationalized Korean in law, academia, diplomacy, and technical writing deliberately follows global bureaucratic style. The learner’s task is to distinguish acceptable formal style from prose that merely drags English structure into Korean.

Common English-shaped patterns

The problem is not the individual words. 진행하다, 영향을 미치다, ~에 대한, and passive forms are all real Korean. The problem is unexamined accumulation.

The Korean predicate wants to carry the sentence

English often allows heavy noun phrases to carry meaning: “the implementation of the plan,” “the resolution of the issue,” “the improvement of efficiency.” Korean can do this too, especially in formal writing, but natural Korean often prefers a clear predicate:

The rewrite is not always shorter. It is clearer because the action is easier to locate.

Translationese in real genres

Public notices often tolerate nominalization but dislike needless opacity. Academic writing uses abstraction, but the best academic Korean still controls topic and predicate. Legal or policy translation may preserve source structure to maintain alignment with original clauses. Learner essays often overuse 것, 대한, 진행하다, and 만들다 because they are trying to translate English ideas one phrase at a time. Corporate Korean may normalize vague expressions such as 검토 진행, 논의 진행, and 이슈 대응, but a serious reader should still know what is being hidden.

Diagnostic table

Before/after lab

Draft: 이것은 학생들의 학습에 대한 긍정적인 영향을 미친다. Repair 1: 이는 학생들의 학습에 긍정적인 영향을 미친다. Repair 2: 이는 학생들의 학습을 돕는다. Repair 3: 이 제도는 학생들이 더 쉽게 배울 수 있게 한다.

The best version depends on context. In a policy report, Repair 1 may be fine. In learner writing, Repair 2 or 3 may be stronger.

Draft: 문제는 빠르게 해결되어져야 한다. Repair 1: 문제는 빠르게 해결되어야 한다. Repair 2: 담당 부서가 문제를 빠르게 해결해야 한다. Repair 3: 빠른 해결이 필요하다.

Again, the issue is not “passive is forbidden.” The issue is whether passive voice helps the genre or hides the action.

Reusable editing workflow

1. Underline English-like chunks: noun stacks, about structures, passive chains, vague support verbs.
2. Circle the main Korean predicate. If you cannot find it, the sentence is probably overloaded.
3. Ask what a Korean source would foreground: actor, process, result, status, or problem.
4. Replace one heavy noun phrase with a verb.
5. Remove one unnecessary passive.
6. Check whether the new Korean still fits the genre. Do not make a government notice sound like a text message.

Translationese detector: users paste Korean and the tool highlights patterns such as ~에 대한, ~에 의해, 진행하다, 영향을 미치다, 필요성이 있다, and double passive forms. Each highlight should offer three options: keep, formalize, or rewrite into predicate-centered Korean.

Additional practice and repair

Add a genre-sensitive repair ladder:

The article should include a stronger section on source-language skeletons. Learners should learn to spot hidden English frames:

• “the X of Y” → Korean may prefer Y의 X, but often prefers Y를 X하다 or Y X.
• “about X” → not every about becomes ~에 대해; many become direct objects.
• “was done by X” → Korean may use ~에 의해, but ordinary institutional prose often uses X에서, X가, or a subjectless passive.
• “it is important to…” → Korean may prefer ~는 것이 중요하다, but concise prose may use ~가 중요하다 or 중요한 것은 ~이다.

Practice drill

Have the reader do a three-step edit:

1. Locate the imported skeleton: underline ~에 대한, ~에 의해, 진행하다, 존재하다, or 영향을 미치다.
2. Recover the Korean event: who acts, what changes, what is the result?
3. Choose register: keep formal abstraction, convert to clear institutional Korean, or rewrite for speech.

Example:

본 프로그램의 참여에 대한 신청은 온라인을 통해 진행됩니다.

• Skeleton: participation about application is proceeded through online
• Institutional Korean: 본 프로그램 참여 신청은 온라인으로 진행됩니다.
• Plain Korean: 이 프로그램은 온라인으로 신청할 수 있습니다.

The translationese detector should not simply flag text red. It should output a revision menu with labels: “acceptable formal,” “heavy but defensible,” “learner-English shaped,” and “unclear.” For each flag, the tool should ask whether the writer’s goal is legal alignment, public notice clarity, academic tone, or natural prose.