8

How can I say "That technology is obsolete" in Korean?

I haven't found a good translation in any dictionary, and my Korean friends say I should use "그 테크놀로지는 더 이상 사용되지 않습니다".

That essentially means "That technology should not be used any more", and is much too different in meaning than simply stating the technology is obsolete.

| improve this question | |
  • 1
    Isn't "더 이상 사용되지 않습니다" more like isn't used any more? Which is one of the flavours of meaning of 'obsolete...' – topo Reinstate Monica Jul 25 '16 at 6:39
  • Would '구식' (old style) be any use? It's used in a couple of examples here : endic.naver.com/… – topo Reinstate Monica Jul 25 '16 at 6:41
  • @topomorto I think you're right, and translating it as "That technology isn't used any more" is much more like obsolete. What about "그 테크놀리지는 오래 됩니다"? That seems to keep it more descriptive than using an action verb like "use". – Verax Jul 25 '16 at 6:49
  • 1
    I think 오래 된 means 'old' in a somewhat neutral way, and can even be seen as positive (이 학교는 역사가 오래되었다 - this school has a long history) so any connotation of 'obsolete' would have to be inferred. – topo Reinstate Monica Jul 25 '16 at 7:05
  • BTW welcome to the site and congratulations for posting our 200th question! – topo Reinstate Monica Jul 25 '16 at 7:37
5

"obsolete" is defined as "no longer used because something newer exists".

사용되지 않다 means "is not used", not "should not used". "더 이상 사용되지 않다" therefore means "no longer used anymore".

There's also 구식이다, 한물가다, 노후되다, etc. 노후되다 "old, decrepit" is the best one-word translation for a technology in my opinion, but it lacks the "not longer used" meaning. 더 이상 사용되지 않다 or 더 이상 쓰이지 않다 is the best translation of "obsolete" for me too.

My translation is

그 기술은 더 이상 사용되지 않습니다.

or

더 이상 사용되지 않는 기술입니다. (more natural in my opinion)

| improve this answer | |
2

The literal translation of "그 테크놀로지는 더 이상 사용되지 않습니다." is

The technology is no longer utilized (in use).

If that's what you are trying to mean by using 'obsolete', you can say

그 기술은 더이상 최신 (the newest) 기술이 아닙니다. (literally) The technology is no longer the latest (newest) technology.

You can use '구식의', '오래된', '더 이상 쓸모가 없는', etc. for 'obsolete', but using '최신이 아닌 (not the newest)' sounds more idiomatic. However, "그 기술은 더이상 최신이 아닌 기술입니다" sounds less natural than the sentence above.

| improve this answer | |
  • I think the word "utilized" can be better expressed with "이용된", yes? – Verax Jul 25 '16 at 23:54
  • @Verax There are three Sino-Korean words meaning to use: the most basic word, “사용하다”, means to use, “이용하다” implies that one uses something in a beneficial way, and “활용하다” means “이용하다” with “satisfactorily well.” “To utilize” means to make practical and effective use of. Using something in a beneficial way doesn't mean it's used effectively, well. Hence the verb “to utilize” is often translated into “활용하다,” rather than “이용하다.” – Константин Ван Sep 23 '18 at 19:49
  • Just because a technology isn't the latest does not mean it's outdated. – Константин Ван Sep 23 '18 at 19:56

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.