明代通事笔译考

Could the Tongshi of the Ming dynasty translate?

翻译人员,按其翻译职能可分为口译人员与笔译人员。由于学界普遍认为辽、宋、金、元时期的通事特指口译人员,加之一些文献对明代通事本等职责的片面记载,故而很多学者认为明代通事也是专指口译人员。仅有少数学者曾指出,明代通事也能笔译,但其仅就中央通事的笔译情况进行了讨论,对于边疆通事则未言及,加之未结合史料展开具体论述,所以不少说法过于笼统而缺乏准确性。本文试图在前人研究与详实的史料基础上,充分论证明代中央大、小通事以及边疆通事都具有笔译能力,也经常从事笔译,而且笔译还是中央大通事和某些边疆通事的本等职责。所以通事一词在明代有时可作为口译、笔译两种翻译人员的统称出现。

Translation officials,according to their translation functions,can be divided into two types:interpretation officials and translation officials.In the Liao Song Jin and Yuan era before the Ming Dynasty,Tongshi was mainly refered to interpretation officials.Therefore,most scholars think it was the same in the Ming Dynasty.Only a few scholars have pointed out that,the Tongshi of the Ming Dynasty could also translate,however didn’t prove their view with detailed and accurate historical materials.So their argument are neither comprehensive nor accurate.This article is based on sufficient historical evidence to prove that,a great many Tongshi in the Ming Dynasty had the ability of translate,and also frequently translated,even some kinds of them taken translation as their duty.Hence,in the Ming Dynasty,the word Tongshis ometimes can be used to as the general term of both interpretation and translation officials.