근세 일본의 한어통사와 당통사에 관한 일고찰

Abstract

This paper explores occupational characteristics of both 「Korean interpreters (韓語通士)」 in Tsushima (大馬道) and 「Chinese interpreters (唐語通士)」 in Nagasaki in modern Japan and the manners in which they have been then professionally educated and trained for the respective languages and cultures concerned. Firstly, as the members of 「the Sixty-Merchants Association」, Korean interpreters have been responsible for foreign trades as well as interpretations and their duties have been traditionally inherited from generation to generation. Not only has the education for Korean been conducted for them within their family circles, but they have also been intensively fostered to become professional interpreters or have taken up Chosun-associated duties, all of which have been aimed at polishing and improving their capabilities as professional interpreters. Secondly, Chinese interpreter as an occupation has been qualified and appointed only to the Chinese people who be came naturalized as Japanese. As well as for interpretations and foreign trades, Chinese interpreters have been responsible for taking care of and controlling the over all lives of Chinese expatriate living in Japan. Thirdly, both Korean and Chinese interpreters have been perceived traditionally as hereditary occupations and they could gain enormous amounts of wealth and honour through interpretations and foreign trades. Fourthly, the Tsushima state has been given all the trade initiatives to its foreign trades to Chosun by the Shogunate, where as the Nagasaki state’s foreign trades to the Qing Dynasties of China have been controlled by 「the magistrate’s office(奉行所)」 subordinate to the Shogunate. Lastly, while off springs of Korean interpreters have been given historically contextual and integrated ways of education for Korean language through which to learn it as a foreign language, those of Chinese interpreters have been educated rather privately within their family circles by relying primarily on sources inherited from their Chinese-speaking parents. Apart from them, I also feel as a future research subject in question the necessity for further empirical researches concerned with the education systems and programmes of professionally training and fostering Korean interpreters in Tsushima and Chinese interpreters in Nagasaki in modern Japan.