This thesis considers translation as a means of communication in which different languages contact and exchange, and recreates the meaning of the text in the source language (SL) as the text in the target language (TL), that is, the source text (ST) as conveying the meaning of the target text (TT) to the readers. Therefore, the main interest of this research lies in the 'identity of sense'. In order to achieve the sameness of meaning, translators should create translated texts in which the TL readers can obtain the same literary 'taste' and 'scent' as the SL readers, such as reading the ST.
It aims to investigate how translators identified the meaning intended in ST, which methods were used, and how they re-expressed it in TL. In other words, it examines how translators tried to realize communication between cultures and languages.
The thesis focuses on Japanese novels in first person-narrative and their Korean translations and analyzes the 'person deictic expressions' in the texts.
It analyzes 'person deictic expressions' because it provides a framework for cognition of the original author or characters so that their expected interpersonal consciousness psychologically affects the others. Therefore, interpreting the person's direct expressions is essential to understand the novel properly.
The thesis theoretically and empirically makes an effort to identify translation as cross-cultural communication, analyzes the contrast between Korea and Japan, and clarifies the implications of the Korean-Japanese personal deictic expressions in the pragmatic aspect. The thesis is composed of six chapters.
Chapter 1, as an introductory part, mentions the purpose of the thesis and clarifies the significance of this research by organizing and reviewing previous related research. In addition, it presents the subject and the structure of this thesis.
Chapter 2 sets that translation carries a function of inter-cultural communication. To determine the basic principles, Functionalism, Relevance Theory, and Theory of Sense are the main theoretical backgrounds of this thesis. Based on the above theories, the relationship between translation and communication, the position and role of translators, and the relationship between the author, translators, and TT readers are identified. In this regard, the thesis provides translation strategies necessary for translation analysis. In addition, the definition and classification of meaning related to translation are studied.
Chapter 3 first discusses the factors that determine 'person deictic expressions' in Korean and Japanese. Beyond the generalized English deixis concept, the individual characteristics of personal expressions appearing in Korean and Japanese are integrated. Moreover, by examining the process of translating deictic expressions by translators, the process of translating deictic expressions is integrated and systematized.
Chapter 4 examines whether the meaning of the personal expressions, which the original author tried to convey, is re-expressed in TL. Translations must convey the explicitly stated referential meaning, also the connotative meaning. For this reason, the ST meaning should be discussed whether it is reproduced in the TT. An alternative translation could be suggested if the ST meaning is not reproduced in TL.
Chapter 5 examines the translation aspect through concrete examples from the analysis text. First, based on the Korean and Japanese person deictic expressions reviewed in chapter 3, the systems of person deixis and non-person deixis are established. Translation pattern analysis subdivides the translation methods by citing the dynamic translation analysis method of functionalism. As Gutt(1991/2000) proposed, the subdivided translation methods are applied to the translation strategy to examine the re-expressions of ST meaning.
Chapter 6 summarizes and organizes the above contents and discusses the contributions and limitations of this thesis and future research tasks.
This thesis contributes academically in the following respects.
First, it systematized the concept of person in Korean and Japanese beyond the English deixis concept.
Second, as an attempt for an integrated analysis of deictic and non-deictic expressions, the translation process of deictic expressions is established.
Third, it discusses the connotative meaning of Japanese in texts not discussed in Japanese-Korean translation studies, such as discrimination of transcription, the title terms of 'surname(姓) + title suffix', and suggests methods to translate Korean naturally.
Fourth, the translation methods were subdivided by examining the cognitive factors that translators control in determining the translation methods rather than coming to a standstill at a simple linguistic contrast.
As described above, this thesis would be a fundamental resource that can be used for translation research, communication research, pragmatics research, and Japanese language education.
However, since the thesis is still in a trial phase, some points are needed to be polished to elicit suitability. Hopefully, further research will be made to complement the thesis's limitations, and more extensive research will be developed.