日本古典文学の韓国語訳における諸問題

Abstract

In South Korea, the translation of Japanese classical literature has mainly been carried out by universities and academic institutions. Researchers who studied in Japan have translated works in their respective fields upon returning to Korea. Therefore, the number of translations of Japanese classical literature in Korea can be said to be proportional to the number of researchers. While translations of ancient and medieval works have made significant progress, translations of works from the early modern period are limited to a few literary works, philosophical texts, and haiku books. However, relying on researchers for the translation of Japanese classical literature in Korea poses several challenges. Firstly, as mentioned earlier, translated works tend to be biased towards specific time periods. Secondly, there is the issue of deciphering customs and vocabulary that differ from the time when classical literature was created. Annotations made by translators to accurately convey meaning to modern Koreans can sometimes hinder interpretation. Translating related phrases and wordplay commonly used in genres such as jōruri and ukiyo-zōshi into Korean without annotations is nearly impossible. In such circumstances, the popularity of haiku translations in Korea often indicates potential solutions. Translations of haiku by Korean poets who studied the form independently have gained popularity among Korean readers. Additionally, a comparison between two types of translations of "The Life of an Amorous Man" - one catering to the general public and the other a scholarly work - confirmed that dynamic equivalence aids reader comprehension.