Defining Sillan interpreters in first-millennium East Asian exchanges

Rachel LUNG

doi:10.1075/btl.122.01lun

Defining Sillan interpreters in first-millennium East Asian exchanges

Rachel LUNG

Department of Translation

Research output: Book Chapters | Papers in Conference Proceedings › Book Chapter › Research › peer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Interpreting officials are rarely documented in standard histories of imperial China; civilian interpreters are even harder to trace. Surprisingly, however, Japanese monk Ennin’s (794‒864) diary of his China sojourn (838–847) contains thirty-eight references to Sillan interpreters. It is a significant first-hand archive that throws light on Sillan interpreters and interpreting in first-millennium East Asia. Based on a close reading of this diary, I attempt to clarify the idiosyncratic title of “Sillan interpreters”. Using quantitative and qualitative analyses, I outline finer categories of these interpreters, which in turn address questions pertaining to their identities and roles. This chapter demonstrates the value of textual analysis in empirically pursuing the definitions of “interpreter” at a particular place and time.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	New insights in the history of interpreting
Editors	Kayoko TAKEDA, Jesús BAIGORRI-JALÓN
Place of Publication	Amsterdam
Publisher	John Benjamins Publishing Company
Chapter	1
Pages	1-26
Number of pages	26
ISBN (Electronic)	9789027267511
ISBN (Print)	9789027258670
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.122.01lun
Publication status	Published - 2016
Event	First International Symposium on the History of Interpreting - Rikkyo University, Tokyo, Japan Duration: 24 May 2014 → 25 May 2014 https://www2.rikkyo.ac.jp/web/ti-rikkyo/event/2014.html

Publication series

Name	Benjamins Translation Library
Volume	122
ISSN (Print)	0929-7316

Conference

Conference	First International Symposium on the History of Interpreting
Country/Territory	Japan
City	Tokyo
Period	24/05/14 → 25/05/14
Internet address	https://www2.rikkyo.ac.jp/web/ti-rikkyo/event/2014.html

Funding

Research for this chapter was supported by a General Research Fund (LU 341512) from the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong. I am thankful for the comments of two anonymous reviewers and I am grateful to Mr. Takahisa Ichihara for his kind assistance in my use of the Japanese sources.

Keywords

East Asian interpreting
Sillan interpreters
Ennin's travelogue
Silla (ancient Korea)
textual analysis

Access to Document

10.1075/btl.122.01lunLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

Cite this

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title = "Defining Sillan interpreters in first-millennium East Asian exchanges",

abstract = "Interpreting officials are rarely documented in standard histories of imperial China; civilian interpreters are even harder to trace. Surprisingly, however, Japanese monk Ennin{\textquoteright}s (794‒864) diary of his China sojourn (838–847) contains thirty-eight references to Sillan interpreters. It is a significant first-hand archive that throws light on Sillan interpreters and interpreting in first-millennium East Asia. Based on a close reading of this diary, I attempt to clarify the idiosyncratic title of “Sillan interpreters”. Using quantitative and qualitative analyses, I outline finer categories of these interpreters, which in turn address questions pertaining to their identities and roles. This chapter demonstrates the value of textual analysis in empirically pursuing the definitions of “interpreter” at a particular place and time.",

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LUNG, R 2016, Defining Sillan interpreters in first-millennium East Asian exchanges. in K TAKEDA & J BAIGORRI-JALÓN (eds), New insights in the history of interpreting. Benjamins Translation Library, vol. 122, John Benjamins Publishing Company, Amsterdam , pp. 1-26, First International Symposium on the History of Interpreting, Tokyo, Japan, 24/05/14. https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.122.01lun

Defining Sillan interpreters in first-millennium East Asian exchanges. / LUNG, Rachel.
New insights in the history of interpreting. ed. / Kayoko TAKEDA; Jesús BAIGORRI-JALÓN . Amsterdam : John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2016. p. 1-26 (Benjamins Translation Library; Vol. 122).

Research output: Book Chapters | Papers in Conference Proceedings › Book Chapter › Research › peer-review

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Defining Sillan interpreters in first-millennium East Asian exchanges

Abstract

Publication series

Conference

Funding

Keywords

Access to Document

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Interpreters and East Asian Language Mediation in 9th-century China: Evidence from The Travels of Japanese Monk Ennin in China from 838 to 847 (中國九世紀的譯語人及與東亞的語際交流:以日本圓仁法師838-847年間入華的遊記為依據)

Cite this

Defining Sillan interpreters in first-millennium East Asian exchanges

Abstract

Publication series

Conference

Funding

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Projects

Interpreters and East Asian Language Mediation in 9th-century China: Evidence from The Travels of Japanese Monk Ennin in China from 838 to 847 (中國九世紀的譯語人及與東亞的語際交流:以日本圓仁法師838-847年間入華的遊記為依據)

Cite this