통역의 역사 개관 II (조선전기)

Abstract

In this paper the royal court institution for interpreting of Joseon dynasty, Sayeogwon, and the interpreting officials, Yeoggwan during the first half of Joseon Dynasty, will be introduced. The translated historical documents such as Tongmungwanji (Handbook for Interpreting officials), Gyunggukdaejeon (complete code of law) and Joseonwangjo Sillok (Annals of the Joseon Dynasty) are the main sources of this paper. Furhermore other studies on Korean history and language have been used as references. Sayeogwon, where trainees for the court interpreting acquire their education for Chinese, Mongolian, Japanese and Jurchen, and to which the court interpreters belong has been founded in 1393. To be a trainee, the candidate needs to pass an entrance examination. Most of them need to take the imperial examinations i.e. Yeoggwa, to be an interpreting official. During the education and also after having acquired the status of an official, there have been many different ways of promoting the titles and stipends which will be shown in this article. The official interpreters have been dispatched to the Ming Dynasty (China) or to Japan during the Muromachi period for politicial, diplomatic and economic affairs. Their duties and roles will be presented in the following as well. The third part regarding the second half of Joseon which will be presented in a subsequent paper.