The Translation of Food Names in YouTube Mukbang Videos

The global phenomenon of mukbang—a popular video format in which individuals consume large quantities of food—necessitates the subtitling of Korean food names into various foreign languages. This study investigates the translation strategies applied to these food names in the English subtitles of mukbang videos, with a particular focus on content from the prominent Korean YouTuber, Tzuyang. Employing qualitative analysis, we examined 129 instances of food names across 15 videos, utilizing five distinct translation strategies: transliteration, direct translation, meaning translation, correspondence translation, and mixed strategies. The findings clearly demonstrate that transliteration is the dominant strategy. Additionally, mixed strategies are often employed to effectively address the challenges of preserving the cultural nuances of food terms while enhancing comprehension for international audiences. However, the inconsistencies in the application of these strategies highlight the complexities involved in translating mukbang content. This study makes a significant contribution to the field of audiovisual translation by focusing on less researched YouTube content like mukbang. Moreover, it addresses a critical gap in food translation research by presenting mukbang content as a promising new area for analyzing the transference of gastronomic terms across different languages and cultures.