Saturday, September 09, 2006

Dongdaemun Playground?

Okay, this strikes me as not only a bad translation, but also lazy.
This is one of at least two similar signs near Cheonggyecheon. First, "Playground" might be listed in dictionaries as a possible translation of 운동장, but here it's just not right. It's a stadium. It's called Dongdaemun Stadium.

But it gets worse. This sign directs people not to the playground/stadium, but to the subway station. Dongdaemun Stadium subway station is a major subway station, adjacent to both the stadium and a major shopping area, and as the intersection of 3 subway lines, it's also a major transfer point. I think the fact that every subway map calls it "Dongdaemun Stadium", making it clearly the official name, makes this not the worst mistranslation I've seen, but probably the most inexcusable.

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