均如와 崔行歸의 「普賢行願品」 번역- 문화 간 소통으로서 중세 번역의 이해를 위한 試論 -

Abstract

Can translation in East Asia be understood under the same context with translation seen from the viewpoint of the contemporary West? Or is it homogenous with the basic concept of translation that presupposes the transfer of language among different civilizations, or, in many cases, one-sided acceptance of the opposite culture? To suggest a rough conclusion, the concept of translation in East Asia in the medieval period has to be newly reinterpreted under the context of East Asia in which translation is carried out. Such an issue was raised in the translation studies in China and Japan, which suggested that translation in East Asia embodies “new phenomena and unfamiliar tradition” to which the concept of Western language-oriented translation cannot easily be applied. Choe Haeng-gwi’s version of a verse translated in Chinese letters steps on the linguistic path from (1) the Chinese letters (in China), to (2) hyangchal(鄕札) (in Goryeo) and then to (3) Chinese letters (in Goryeo). Unlike the case of the route from (1) to (2), the route from (2) to (3) can be recognized as one of the characteristic trends in this period. Seen from the perspective of (1) as a starting point, however, the text (3) is the outcome of retranslation. It, therefore, is necessary to figure out how it is the same as or differs from retranslation in modern times as such an examination will help explain how Korea has succeeded in transforming civilization in history. The reasons for Choe Haeng-gwi to translate hyangga(鄕歌) again into a Chinese-letter verse are two-folds: First, Choe had a consciousness of interpreting (2) and (3) as “one culture” that overcame the differences in language between hyangchal and Chinese letters. Second, Choe hoped to let Gyunyeo’s hyangga and the Preface communicate each other in the literary world of (1) by overcoming the dimension of religious practice. This shows Choe had an active sense of communication with other civilizations before the advent of a new East Asian order centering on the idea of zhonghua (中華, Sino-centrism) – literally a combination of zhongguo (中國, China) and huaxia (華夏, Chinese civilization) – which meant the “brilliant center” and was used as a rhetoric denoting China’s self-esteem. From the perspective of translation, such an attempt raises an important question to the concepts of modern West that the source text and the target text can be interpreted as the original and a copy, respectively. In other words, the influence of translation in the form of wielding cultural power did not work in Choe Haeng-gwi’s translation as was mentioned above.