An Analysis of the English Expository Texts of Cultural Heritage in Incheon

The English language curriculum of Korea states that one of the aims of ELT is to enable students to understand foreign cultures and to introduce Korean culture to other nationalities. Information on Korean history and culture is provided primarily in English and therefore, it must be grammatically correct and coherent as a discourse. The present study aimed to identify and classify common English errors in English texts describing cultural heritage, to identify the causes of these errors, and ultimately to contribute to improved, accurate and appropriate English texts which will better represent Korea by providing. comprehensive information to non-Koreans. This study analyzed the English descriptions of selected cultural heritage in the Incheon area in terms of linguistic and discoursal features. The results reveal that (1) the majority of errors found are at the sentence level with some errors at the discourse level and (2) grammatical errors are most frequently found and followed by orthographic, semantic, discoursal, and morphological errors in order. The results suggest that translators and interpreters responsible for describing cultural heritage in English must have an in-depth knowledge of Korean culture and its history and a high level of proficiency and skills in English to ensure that Korea’s culture, history, and heritage are accurately and clearly presented.