无声的译者:重访中日新闻交流史上的古城贞吉

Silent translators:Revisiting Kojo Teikichi in the History of Sino-Japanese News Exchange

在晚清“东学入中”过程中,报刊译者群体发挥了重要作用。其中,古城贞吉应是参与中国近代报刊编务的第一位日本人。然围绕古城,尚有不少史实有待厘清。结合新史料发现:古城由黄遵宪(而非汪康年)邀至时务报馆,其登场本身,牵涉近代中日知识精英间复杂的关系网络。不仅《时务报》,古城在《农学报》《蒙学报》《昌言报》《清议报》等维新诸报的内容生产环节,均系重要角色。同时,其编译文本所展演的知识空间,成为时人获取“东学”的重要来源。以编译实践为起点,古城勾连起更广泛意义上的中日交流活动,成为晚清维新圈的文化中介与“东学”象征。经由重访古城,文章初步反思近代报刊译者群体的集体无声状态,指出该群体及其由报刊活动所引出的中外文化交往,似应引起适当关注。

In the spread of Eastern learning to China in late Qing Dynasty,translators of newspapers and periodicals played a significant role.Among them,Kojo Teikichi was considered as the first Japanese translator to come to China,participating in the practice of newspapers and periodicals editing.As for Kojo Teikichi,there are still many historical facts needing to be clarified.Combining newly discovered materials,it is found that Kojo was indeed invited to the Shiwu Bao by Huang Zunxian(rather than Wang Kangnian).His appearance at the time could be attributed to the complex networking and relationships between modern Chinese and Japanese knowledge elites.Furthermore,not only did Kojo contribute significantly to the content production of the Shiwu Bao,but he played important roles in various newspapers and periodicals of Reformers,including Nongxue Bao,Mengxue Bao,Changyan Bao and Qingyi Bao.The knowledge space presented in his translated texts became a crucial source for contemporary people to acquire“Eastern Learning”.Moreover,starting from his translation practice,Kojo created spaces for deeper culture exchange between Chinese and Japanese,becoming a cultural intermediary and a symbol of“Eastern Learning”within the“Reformers”in late Qing.By revisiting Kojo,this article initially reflects on the collective silence of the modern newspaper translation community,indicating that this group and their cross-cultural exchange activities mediated through newspapers should perhaps receive more attention.