『동국세시기』 번역과 주석의 문제 -정월 풍속을 중심으로-

Abstract

This article aims to compare and examine the aspects of the existing translations and annotations of the part titled ‘Seasonal Customs of Jeongwol(正月)’ of Dongguksesigi(東國歲時記), which is a complete version of Joseon-dynasty sesigi(record of seasonal customs), and to correct and supplement the problems found. The widely known seasonal customs-related information has a greater degree of errors than expected. The practice of providing wrong images of seasonal customs with ambiguous and unclear solutions and also injecting distorted images with interpretations that do not conform to the facts has not been resolved. Given the fact that errors are accepted repeatedly as if they are true, and that new creations are mass-produced under the name of content based on them, it is urgent to set up a precedent for establishing correct translations and faithful annotations. This paper is a kind of case study. The problems of translation are pointed out in a total of 22 cases, and the problems of annotation were pointed out in six examples. These comments may not have meaning in themselves. It is most important to provide an opportunity to clearly reflect on what points should be particularly significant and supplemented in future Sesi translations by carrying out these basic tasks actively. It may sound rather fundamental, but it does not require a second thought that a more complete translation will be possible only when these critical works continue to be carried out. The seasonal customs of the Joseon dynasty, represented by Dongguksesigi, contain widely known content, but sometimes they also contain very professional content. So it is difficult to reach an accurate understanding without the help of proper annotations. This is why faithful annotation work using illustrations such as paintings and photographs is required.