번역과 내셔널리티(nationality) -1950년대 고전번역(國譯) 현황과 그 정치성

Abstract

The research purposes to discuss the overview of the translation of classics and political characteristics thereof in the 1950s. After Korea's liberation, researchers on Joseon studies endeavored to reconstruct Joseon studies to contribute to the construction of the nation, but such initiatives failed due to historical situations such as the establishment of South Korean government and Korean War. In particular, amid such historical situations, researchers on Joseon studies, who could read and comprehend Chinese classics, were lost due to defection to the North and death, making it very difficult to research Chinese text. Also, the prestige of Joseon language as national language still regarded Chinese characters as the legacy of pre-modern times as in the colonial period. Amid this situation, the initial research on Korean literature was conducted to focus on Joseon language text, and despite the prestige of tradition, Chinese text was avoided. In particular, under the Korean-character advocate Syngman Rhee government, Chinese text was not the target of research, but the target of being translated for the people who could not properly read and understand Korean characters. Amid this situation, the translation of Chinese text was carried out by individual researchers on Chinese text, and during the period of reconstructing the nation after the Korean War, such translation became a national project, albeit a small scale. Translation focused on historical books and pragmatic science text. First, the translation of 「Samguksagi (History of the Three Kingdoms)」 and 「Samgukyusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms」, among other historical books, was planned to reconstruct the national history. Participating in this initiative were Lee Byeong-do and other scholars who were active in the colonial period and who could not be free from being suspected with regard to their colonial views; thus ideologies of Joseon studies in the colonial period still prevailed. As pragmatic science text, Jeong Yak-yong's 『Mong- minsimseon (A Guide For Local Government Officials)』 and Yulgok Memorial Association's Yulgok‘s Collected Works were translated into Korean. This project has various scientific and political meanings. First, this initiative reflected the appearance of generous, able politicians after the establishment of South Korea, as well as the then social hopes for realizing politics. Also, the passion for restoring the history of the second half of Joseon after eliminating the history of colonial rule to secure the continuity of national history made it possible to translate the reformist- oriented practical text, instead of Confucian text still regarded as pre-modern ideologies, into Korean. Another important translation at that time was Yi Sun-sin's 『Nanjungilgi (Wartime Diary)』 and Yulgok's text, and this reflected the political intention of the return of heroes to overcome national difficulties. 『Nanjungilgi』 was translated to enlighten Koreans about the reconstruction of the nation following the Korean War. Jeong Yak-yong's or Yulgok's text was translated with such authors being regarded as economic reformists or political philosophers who helped overcome national difficulties, without proper translation of essential meaning of their philosophies. Pragmatic reformation was not properly translated. This aspect is closely related to traditional discourses under the regime's ruling ideologies, the process of forming ideologies of constructing Korean studies, and thus to situations where translation into Korean was gradually led by the state rather than by individuals.