번역연구라는 시좌(視座)의 보람

Abstract

This study was conceived by a question about why translation research, one of the adventures and problematic perceptions in the field of literature study in modern Korea since the 1990s, had not been established fully as a unique category. The study focused on arousing once again the attention to the tasks that had been postponed or not fulfilled in the literature study of modern Korea from the perspective of translation research. In the 1990s, the translation research of Korea faced complex difficulties that were as various as its achievements. They included the absence of general theories about translation and literature in modern Korea, difficulties with conducting research due to no climate for bibliographical research, deep-rooted doubt about the comparative literature theory, and lack of epistemological thinking about translation. The present study proposed tasks for translation research to overcome those obstacles and make a contribution to the literature study of modern Korea, exploring and shedding light on what was episteme around translations in modern Korea and the horizon of "language-literature." It also proposed the tasks forgotten in the literature study of modern Korea since the 1990s on the thorough basis of relativistic thinking and ethical attitude for modern Korean literature to replace both world literature and its own literature with others. It thus explained that such thinking and attitude were new tasks for the comparative literature theory and proposed that implementing the tasks should be a calling and reward of translation research.