燕行使團擔任文化媒介的朝鮮譯官－－以金慶門為研究中心

Choson Yokkwan as Cultural Agents in the Yonhaengsa Missions: Kim Kyong-mun as a Case Study

明清時期的燕行研究，近年成為東亞文化交流史研究的顯學，藉朝鮮使臣前往北京及中國各地的紀錄－－「燕行錄」作探討中心，以勾勒出朝鮮王朝歷代的中國觀及如何因燕行而促使朝鮮王朝文化、經濟甚或政治的轉型。同樣亦可從燕行錄觀察到明清時代的中國社會及政治形態，以更廣闊的視野還原帝國時代的中國歷史。以往研究多然忽略了這些參與「燕行」的朝鮮使臣，大部分不能以漢語與中國官員及平民溝通，需依賴譯官作溝通的媒介。換言之，譯官在使團中的工作，對於朝鮮使臣甚至整個社會的中國認識及對燕行的看法，起了別具意義的功能。因此，探討譯官在使團中的種種活動，有助於重新審視中韓關係及東亞文化關係史的交流過程及其細節。本文嘗試利用1721年由趙泰采和李正臣率領的燕行使團作為探討中心，討論使團譯官金慶門如何因其身分、學識及溝通技能，為使團成員處理各種問題，並讓他們了解更多在中國及北京使行期間的種種見聞及資訊。由此可見，朝鮮譯官成為了中韓之間文化交流活動的關鍵媒介。

Korean yonhaengsa (燕行使envoys on missions to Beijing) have been comprehensively studied and discussed by historians and literary scholars over the past few decades. This research has led to a better understanding of the cultural interactions between Ming and Qing dynasty China and Choson (朝鮮王朝, 1392-1910) Korea. These studies, however, overlook the key role played by yokkwan (譯官official Interpreters) working for the yonhaengsa in Korea's interactions with the outside world. It was the duty of yokkwan to arrange ritual activities, resolve translation and interpretation problems, and gather information during missions to Beijing. Because envoys were not necessarily knowledgeable about the world beyond Choson Korea, it is therefore important to understand the work and activities of the yokkwan and how they became agents of interaction between envoys and their knowledge of the outside world. This paper explores this idea with some specific examples from the 1721 mission led by Cho T'ae-ch'ae (趙泰采, 1660-1722) and Yi Chong-sin (李正臣, 1660-1727). Yi Chong-sin was curious about everything he encountered on the mission to China, and so he requested one of the mission interpreters, Kim Kyong-mun (金慶門, 1673-1737) to answer his questions. The dialogue between Yi and Kim can help us better grasp the role of interpreters as agents in helping envoys resolve the problems they encountered during missions to Beijing, and moreover understand how Koreans learned about Qing China.