ABSTRACT
This historical study explores the roles and status of interpreters in the Joseon dynasty. Interpreters during this period worked mostly in an official capacity, as members of the Office of Interpreters (Sayŏgwŏn 司譯院). Trained respectively in Chinese, Japanese, Jurchen, and Mongolian languages, the interpreting officials mediated communication between Joseon government officials and foreign emissaries and participated in embassies to foreign states. Interpreters’ duties at the time also included importing goods and acquiring up-to-date information and knowledge concerning intellectual trends and new ideas related to science and technology in foreign lands. During the Joseon period, official interpreters belonged to the chungin 中人 class, a status group that was situated between the highest yangban status and the commoner status group. Although their attempts to rise up in the ranks were mostly thwarted, a number of high-profile official interpreters made successful commercial and cultural advancements, forming well-known lineages of official interpreters in Joseon. They were among the first to accept Western ideas and were at the forefront of campaigns to initiate social reform, which frequently resulted in creating tension and rivalry with the yangban elites.
