翻译在近代日本科学知识传播及译语统一过程中的作用

On the Role of Translation in the Dissemination of Science and the Consistency of Its Translated Terms in Modern Japan

中国明末清初的西学翻译和日本的南蛮学、兰学翻译是日本明治维新时期全面翻译吸收西方数学知识的基础,但随着数学知识的不断拓展及译者、译著的增加,数学译语不统一问题日益凸显,阻碍了数学知识的普及与数学教育的顺利开展。日本学者通过在译著中标注译语名称、制作英日数学名词对照表、出版译语词典等多种方式,推动日本数学术语最终走向统一,其中译者的翻译实践是基础,也是推动日本数学术语最终统一的原动力。

The translation of Western science and technology in China's late Ming and early Qing dynasties(known as western learning),as well as in in pre-modern Japan(known as Dutch studies and the like),served as a foundation for the comprehensive translation and absorption of Western mathematics during the Period of Meiji Restoration.However,with the continuous expansion of mathematical knowledge and the springing up of translators and translated works,increasingly inconsistent translated versions of mathematical terms began to hinder the popularization of mathematics as well as the smooth development of mathematical education.Finally,Japanese scholars promoted the ultimate consistency of Japanese mathematical terminology through various means such as doing annotation,creating parallel tables and publishing translation dictionaries.It was the translators'translation practice that served both the foundation for and the driving force behind the ultimate consistency of Japanese mathematical terminology.