Dokdo or Takeshima, Kimchi or Paocai?... Serious Errors in Google Translate

Professor Seo Kyungduk: "Serious Situation with Google Translate Errors"

There is growing criticism over ongoing translation errors in Google Translate concerning major Korean terms such as "Dokdo" and "Kimchi."

Professor Seo Kyungduk: "We will correct translation errors through persistent protest and public debate"

Professor Seogyeongdeok Facebook

On April 28, Professor Seo Kyungduk of Sungshin Women's University stated on his Facebook page, "When you translate 'Dokdo' into Japanese using Google Translate, the result is 'Takeshima' (竹島), which is the name Japan falsely claims. This is clearly a mistake." He added, "Last year, there was a case in a Netflix variety show where the Japanese subtitle for Dokdo was correctly written as 'Dokdo' (ドクト) using the Korean pronunciation."

Professor Seo also mentioned the Kimchi translation issue. He said, "When you translate 'Kimchi' into Chinese, the result is still 'Paocai' (泡菜), but Kimchi and Paocai are completely different foods." He continued, "In 2021, the government revised the 'Guidelines for Foreign Language Translation and Romanization of Public Terms,' specifying that the proper Chinese translation for Kimchi is 'Xinqi' (辛奇). The translation errors by Google Translate concerning major Korean icons are a serious issue," he added.

Furthermore, Professor Seo stated, "Recently, I was able to correct errors in Google Maps regarding the labeling of 'Gyeongnyeolbiyeoldo,' known as the 'Dokdo of the West Sea,' and the misdirection to Japan's 'Tsushima Airport' when searching for 'Dokdo Airport.' We will continue to address translation errors for Dokdo and Kimchi through persistent protest and public discussion," he emphasized.

"Dokdo or Takeshima?"... The world's largest flight tracking app also faces labeling controversy

When accessing 'FlightRadar24' from Korea, it is shown as 'Dokdo' (left), and when accessed from Japan, it is shown as 'Takeshima' (right). Professor Seogyeongdeok Facebook

This is not the first time that there has been controversy over how Dokdo is labeled. In December of last year, the world's largest flight tracking application, "FlightRadar24," sparked controversy by labeling Dokdo as "Takeshima." This app is operated by a Swedish company and provides real-time information on aircraft operations worldwide.

It has also been reported that in Instagram's location-sharing feature, introduced last year, the location is labeled as "DOKDO" in Korea, but as "TAKESHIMA" in Japan.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.