미군정의 언어와 권력: 한국과 오키나와 군정포고문 비교 및 일본계 통역사 연구

Language and Power under U.S. Military Government:A Comparative Study of Military Proclamations in Korea and Okinawa, with a Focus on Japanese-American Interpreters

This study explores the contrasting structures of U.S. military rule in postwar Korea and Okinawa by analyzing three interrelated dimensions: international perceptions, the language policies embedded in military government proclamations, and the functions performed by Japanese-origin interpreters. The study further highlights the pivotal role of interpreters—most notably Nisei linguists and the Japanese interpreter Oda Yasuma—whose linguistic mediation significantly shaped information flows and administrative decisions during the early phase of occupation. In Korea, the near absence of U.S. personnel trained in Korean necessitated reliance on Japanese-mediated triangular translation, a practice that deepened Korean mistrust toward the military government. Oda Yasuma, leveraging his extensive connections to the colonial bureaucracy and missionary networks, functioned not simply as a translator but as a political intermediary who influenced administrative continuity and facilitated key interactions between American authorities and Korean actors.