This study examines how interpersonal distance is represented in ChatGPT-based Japanese–Korean manga translation. The analysis focuses on volumes 11 to 20 of Takehiko Inoue’s SLAM DUNK New Reorganized Edition and compares three types of texts: the...
This study examines how interpersonal distance is represented in ChatGPT-based Japanese–Korean manga translation. The analysis focuses on volumes 11 to 20 of Takehiko Inoue’s SLAM DUNK New Reorganized Edition and compares three types of texts: the Japanese source text (ST), the published Korean translation (TT1), and the ChatGPT translation (TT2). Rather than evaluating whether the source text is reproduced in an identical form, this study investigates how interpersonal distance between characters is maintained, adjusted, weakened, or strengthened in translation.
The main objects of analysis are honorific expressions, address terms, abusive and provocative expressions, and visual information. Honorific expressions are examined as indicators of formality, hierarchy, and relational distance. Address terms are analyzed as linguistic elements that reflect intimacy, hierarchy, character identity, and group relations. Abusive and provocative expressions are considered not merely as vulgar words but as expressions that reveal conflict, rivalry, tension, and emotional pressure between characters. In addition, visual information such as facial expressions, gaze, posture, character placement, background, and motion lines is used as supplementary material for interpreting the interpersonal function of each utterance.
The findings show that ChatGPT translation often preserves the basic semantic content of the source text, but the interpersonal distance expressed through speech levels, address terms, and provocative expressions does not always correspond to that of the original. In honorific expressions, TT2 tends to maintain the source text in many cases, while also showing a tendency toward politeness enhancement in scenes involving teachers, coaches, seniors, or older characters. In address terms, TT2 is more likely to reorganize Japanese forms of address according to Korean relational norms, which sometimes results in increased formality or reduced intimacy. In abusive and provocative expressions, TT2 frequently preserves the functional meaning of the original, but regional speech, roughness, and character-specific nuances tend to be weakened or normalized. The analysis also shows that visual information can help interpret the emotional atmosphere and relational tension of a scene, but it does not consistently determine the linguistic choices made in TT2. Therefore, visual information should be treated as a supplementary factor rather than as a substitute for linguistic analysis. Overall, this study demonstrates that the representation of interpersonal distance in ChatGPT translation is not a matter of simple accuracy or inaccuracy. Instead, it appears as a complex process in which linguistic form, character relationships, Korean relational norms, and visual context interact. This study suggests that future research on AI-assisted manga translation should pay closer attention not only to semantic accuracy but also to the relational and pragmatic meanings embedded in dialogue.