清代前中期宫廷西洋人的外语服务述论

Court Europeans’foreign language services in the early and middle Qing dynasty

以天主教耶稣会士为主体的西洋人活跃在清代前中期的北京宫廷,为皇帝提供各类服务,外语服务即为其中之一。宫廷西洋人以皇帝奴仆的身份,为欧洲各国使团访华、中俄外交谈判、教皇特使访华等外交事务提供翻译服务。为了在华传教事业,宫廷西洋人利用其译员身份助力或干扰欧洲使团访华活动,有意交好俄国使团成员,谋求中欧陆路交通可能性,但该群体的确无能力和意愿影响传统外交朝贡制度框架。此一时期宫廷西洋人还参与雍正朝内廷拉丁语学馆的教学工作,乾隆朝《华夷译语》“西洋译语”的编撰工作。清代前中期诸帝无意建构中欧交往及语言文化沟通长效机制,作为皇帝奴仆的宫廷西洋人也很少在服务中发挥主动性和创造性。

In the early and middle Qing dynasty,Europeans,mainly Jesuits,served at the Peking court to provide special services like foreign language services for the emperors.As imperial servants,the court Europeans provided translation for Sino-European diplomacy affairs,such as visits by European missions,negotiations on Sino-Russian border affairs,and visits by papal envoys.For the benefit of the Catholic mission in China,the court Europeans,with the responsibility of translation,tried to facilitate or interfere with Europeans missions to China.For the dream of an efficient traffic route by land between China and Europe,they made good relations with Russian missions,but they indeed did not have the capacities and willingness to influence the essential framework of the traditional diplomatic tribute system.At that time,the court Europeans also taught Latin at the court in the Yongzheng period,edited bilingual part The Western language Translation,a part of Translated Terms in Chinese and Ethnic Languages in the Qianlong period.The emperors in the early and middle Qing dynasty had no intention of establishing a long-term mechanism for language contact and cultural exchanges between China and Europe.As imperial servants,they never intended to be proactive in their services.