从"通事"到"翻译官"--论近代中外语言接触史上的主、被动角色的转移

在对明清以来中外语言接触的研究中,"通事"作为这一过程的重要交流媒介不可忽视.这些在16世纪至19世纪初担当广东沿海中外贸易和交涉事务的翻译人员有的来自民间,有的为官方指派.他们与后来同文馆、广方言馆科班毕业的"翻译官"不只是表面上称呼的不同,更反映出其时位居高官的朝廷大员是在一个十分"被动"的状态下开始学洋语的:由藐视"番人"、"鬼话"到被迫学洋语,识洋务,从对"通事"的不信任到对"翻译官"的竭力培养.同一个角色所处的地位经历的这种"自下到上"的巨大转变,其背后的社会动因值得作一研究.

From "Linguists" to "Official Translators": On the Transformation between Active and Passive Roles in the History of Language Contact between China and Western Countries

Linguists" who played an important role in the communication between China and western countries should not be neglected in our research on "language contact". These interpreters called "linguists" held posts of translation in trade and negotiation from the 16 th century to the early 19 th century along the coast of Guangdong province. Some of them were from local employees and some others appointed by the government. Their difference from the later official translators who graduated from regular professional foreign language schools is not only one of appellation, but also an indication of the "passive" foreign language learning among the high official scholars at that time. The drastic change from their looking down on western languages to being challenged to learn them and from their belittling "linguists" to trying their best to train official translators must have had some underlying social motives which deserve careful study.