晚清北洋翻譯官曾蘭生研究（1875-1895）

A Study of Zeng Laisun as an Interpreter in Beiyang in the Late Qing Dynasty (1875-1895)

十九世紀六七十年代，在英語人才奇缺的背景下，有留美背景的曾蘭生得到南北督撫的關注和任用。1875年，直隸總督兼北洋通商大臣李鴻章急招時任留美幼童翻譯的曾蘭生回華，自此開了曾蘭生長達二十餘年的北洋生涯。初期，曾蘭生充任直隸總督衙署傳譯；隨後，李鴻章將曾蘭生劄委至北洋海軍各局司，特別是到水師營務處當差，其身分走向職官化。曾蘭生以其語言優勢，廣泛參與了北洋各項事宜，如中秘交涉，中英《煙臺條約》的簽訂，任天津水雷學堂教習，參與電報業的初創，以及成為對外借款的經手人等。在此期間，曾蘭生有少量翻譯之作存世，證實其擅長的翻譯是口譯而非筆譯。曾蘭生在北洋的職名，最初在「翻譯」、「通事」、「翻譯委員」中隨意切換，沒有固定的職銜，直至1888年以後明確稱其為「翻譯官」，反映了晚清對「翻譯」一職認知的深化。十九世紀八十年代以後，李鴻章延聘的翻譯人才漸次增加，與同任英文翻譯官的羅豐祿、伍廷芳相比，曾蘭生始終未得到重用。曾蘭生專任北洋傳譯，這一職司不可或缺，卻是翻譯官中受重視程度最少的群體。與此同時，處於華洋之間的曾蘭生，在來華西人中有很高的地位。曾蘭生的國籍問題，共濟會會員的身分，曾經的上海華人最大地產商，都可以從另外一個視角觀察北洋翻譯官曾蘭生。

In the 1860s and 1870s, against the background of a shortage of English language talents in China, Zeng Laisun 曾蘭生 (1826-1895), a US-educated interpreter, received the attention of and appointments from governors-general. In 1875, Li Hongzhang 李鴻章 (1823-1901), the governor-general of Zhili and minister of Beiyang, urgently recruited Zeng Laisun, a translator and interpreter of the Chinese Educational Mission in the US, to return to China. Upon his return, Zeng served as the interpreter for the office the of governor-general of Zhili, and afterwards, Li appointed him to various bureaus and divisions in the Beiyang Navy, when he gained official status serving as an officer for the viceroy’s naval secretariat. With his linguistic advantage, Zeng participated in an extensive list of matters in Beiyang, such as negotiations between China and Peru, the signing of the Sino-British Yantai Treaty, teaching at the Torpedo School of the Imperial Naval College in Tianjin, the launch of the telegraph industry, and handling the Chinese government’s foreign loans. During the period, Zeng had only a few translation works, which suggests that he was more adept at interpretation than translation. Zeng’s official title in Beiyang was initially not fixed, alternating between “translator” 翻譯, “tongshi” 通事 (a title which connotes the conveying of messages), and “translation committee member” 翻譯委員, until 1888 when his title became “interpreter” 翻譯官, reflecting the deepening recognition of interpretation in the late Qing dynasty. After the 1880s, the number of translators recruited by Li Hongzhang gradually increased. However, compared with Luo Fenglu 羅豐祿 (1850-1903) and Wu Tingfang 伍廷芳 (1842-1922), who were also English language translators, Zeng was never appointed an important government position. Zeng, a bridge between China and West, was nonetheless highly regarded by Westerners in China. Moreover, his nationality, status as a Freemason, and being the largest Chinese real estate developer in Shanghai offer fertile materials for making observations of Zeng Laisun from perspectives apart from his prominent position as an interpreter.