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South Korea launches campaign to correct mistranslated food

The Seoul city government has created a new campaign to promote standardised foreign-language names for Korean food to overcome translation errors.

The initiative aims to promote traditional Korean dishes and correct mistranslations from literal translations or automated-based wording in order to enhance culinary tourism by attaching accurate translations to its food for international visitors.

Updating and correcting mistranslated descriptions

“Bear tang” for gomtang (beef bone soup), “six times” for yukhoe (beef tartare), “chicken a–hole house” for stir-fried chicken gizzards, “lifestyle meat” for raw meat and “dynamic stew” for pollack stew are among some of the notable mistranslations that tourists may encounter when surveying Korean cuisine on menus, The Korea Herald gave as examples.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, errors in Korean food translations like these result from literal translations or automated services. As such, these incorrect translations lack the authenticity behind these traditional dishes.

Another common problem is that multiple translations of prevalent Korean dishes may also be present. The Seoul city government also noted that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism introduced “shinchi” as the official Chinese translation for “kimchi”. However, while this has been adopted, the incorrect translation “pao cai” is still used in Korea. Through its latest campaign, South Korea aims to highlight the correct, singular translations for menus that include the common ingredient, “kimchi”.

In July 2024, South Korea announced the launch of its ‘Taste Your Korea’ initiative designed to boost gastronomic tourism. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (KTO) announced its new food tourism campaign slogan, Taste Your Korea, designed to appeal to tourists and position the country as a leading food destination. Alongside its slogan, South Korea also introduced 33 representative regional dishes, seasonal ingredients and alcohol types as core campaign components.

Restaurants play an active role

As part of its current campaign, Seoul’s city government highlights that the correct translations are available online via the Seoul Foreign Language Dictionary. The dictionary includes 30,253 English entries, 28,900 Chinese entries and 29,610 Japanese entries. The city officials said these entries can be a reliable guide for restaurateurs. As such, they can refer to these to ensure their menus accurately represent Korean cuisine when translated into other languages.

The campaign has seen the government reach out to restaurants in tourist-heavy destinations within the capital. The city also announced its plan to create multilingual digital menu boards for 400 select restaurants visited by tourists.

“Accurate naming is vital for introducing our cuisine to the world,” said Kim Young-hwan, director general of the tourism bureau of the city government, cited in The Korea Herald/ANN. “We urge restaurants to play an active role in advancing Seoul’s culinary tourism by adopting standardised translations from the Seoul Foreign Language Dictionary and ensuring their menus accurately represent Korean dishes to international visitors,” added Young-hwan.

A long-term campaign for international growth

Sitting in the backdrop to South Korea’s current campaigns is its $40 million Korean Cuisine to the World 2009 initiative, which saw the country pledge the multi-million cash injection to appeal to international visitors. The Asian food hub saw its then-president Lee Myang-bak strive to grow the country’s culinary footprint overseas.

In the 15 years since its launch, the investment seemingly worked. Data shows that the number of Korean restaurants in China increased from 2,024 in 2009 to 15,989 in 2017. Over the same period, Korean restaurants in Japan rose from 4,916 to 9,388 and went from 1,046 to 2,247 in the US food scene.

However, while satisfaction with Korean food was growing internationally, a poll showed that awareness of Korean dishes and ingredients was lacking. In 2018, the Korean Food Promotion Institute found that while 88% of the US population was satisfied with the country’s cuisine, only 63% were aware of them. This figure was even lower in Europe, with 85% finding South Korean food satisfying but only 57% aware of the country’s culinary dishes.

The Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brands Index (NBI) 2023 which recognises countries around the globe for their investment and travel popularity, placed South Korea at 24 out of 60. The country dropped one place from its 2022 figure and was nine away from South Korea’s goal of making it to the top 15.

A 2022 Korea Chamber of Commerce & Industry awareness survey found that half (50.7%) of respondents said Korean Cuisine is well-rooted internationally. However, only a quarter (25.7%) believed these restaurants had positive business potential. To increase the prevalence of South Korean food around the world, the country’s cuisine is homing in on creating a global image and branding.