The formulation of translation policies during the late Qing period

Abstract

本文在界定翻译政策的基础上,对晚清时期关于翻译政策的讨论进行梳理。作者将该时期关于翻译政策的讨论分为翻译人才培养、翻译选材、译员雇用、翻译模式、翻译奖励方式、翻译活动监管和教科书编译七类,从这些讨论可以发现晚清时期制定相关政策的过程、方式和动机。其特点具体表现为:1)以官为主,自上而下;2)现学现用,急功近利;3)中学为体,西学为用。作者指出,社会因素是晚清时期关于翻译政策讨论的深层原因,翻译政策的变化在一定程度上反映了中国早期现代化探索的进程。 Proceeding from a working definition of"translation policy,"this paper investigates how official translation policies were formulated in the late Qing period(1840-1911) by sorting out the opinions that influenced the making of these policies under seven headings:training of translators;selection of source texts;employment of translators;modes of translation;incentives for promoting translation;monitoring and regulation of translation;compiling of translation textbooks.The examination throws light on the policy-making process,approach and underlying motives,revealing three salient characteristics of the adopted policies:1) they were mainly issued by government-run institutions;2) they were made for quick success and instant benefits;3) Chinese learning was retained as the fundamental principles while western learning adopted merely for its practical utility.In conclusion,the paper argues that the translation policies in the late Qing period were shaped ultimately by the then prevailing social factors,and that the policy changes in question should be viewed as another manifestation of the ongoing experiments on modernization at that juncture of Chinese history.