英国东印度公司对华贸易中的“外籍翻译”问题探究

“Foreign Translator” in British East India Company Trading to China

因缺乏称职的本国翻译,英国东印度公司在对华贸易期间,曾长期依赖外籍翻译。在贸易的不同阶段,外籍翻译的身份及其所译语种也不同,计有"澳门葡语"翻译、"广州英语"翻译和汉文翻译。直到英国新教传教士马礼逊被聘为广州商馆翻译,并在商馆开设中文班,培训中文翻译人才,公司对外籍翻译的依赖才最终结束。

British East India Company depended on foreign translators during its trading with China for a long time due to a lack of qualified native translators.The identity of foreign translators and languages translated by them were also different at different stages of trade,including Pidgin Portuguese,pigeon English and Chinese.The Company’s reliance on foreign translators ended once British Protestant missionary Robert Morrison was hired as interpreter by Canton Factory,and he offered Chinese language classes at Canton Factory to train the Chinese translators.