An Analysis on the Performance Differences in Translating the Passive Voice

Transitive verbs are variously used in English written texts and there is a clear distinction between transitive and intransitive verbs in English. As various transitive verbs are used, passive voice are often used. Korean written texts, on the other hand, do not give a clear distinction between the two and create a misunderstanding of the English passive structure. This paper aimed to examine the characteristics or performance differences in translating the passive voice and in relation to the performance test scores. A total of 65 university students participated in this research. One of the findings was that the passive voice directly connected with a prepositional phrase yielded different translating patterns. Preposition that functions to connect space, time, or period was translated correctly and separation with the passive voice was successful. However, students with low performance scores had difficulty separating the prepositional phrase and the passive voice. Instead of adding information with the prepositional phrase, the phrase become the agent and the reason for the recipient of the verb.