번역사회학적 작품분석을 바탕으로 ‘위안부’에 대한 초국적 이해 모색—증언소설 『한 명』 번역을 중심으로

Abstract

This study explores the social implications of translation by comparing and analyzing a testimonial novel One Left and its English translation. According to the sociology of translation, the translator-translation outcome-reader response are closely correlated; therefore, they need to be investigated holistically. In this study, the translators’ habitus and capital that made the translation possible are examined, including the publishing field at the time when One Left was published in the Anglo-American society. In addition, the translators’ illusio, i.e., the motivation behind carrying out the translation, is investigated. It turns out that the descriptions of places in the translation are more detailed and specific than those in the original, which strengthens the validity of the existence of comfort stations for foreign readers. Furthermore, how the comfort women had felt and what they had experienced in the comfort stations are more concretely conveyed in translation, which helps readers from other cultures to imagine the victims’ excruciating pain. Thanks to the translators’ practice and effort, readers in the Anglo-American society were able to learn about the painful history of the comfort women and their awareness of the issue has been raised. Such accurate and better understandings of the comfort women issue can lay the foundation for transnational discussions and even resolution of the issue.