Sutra Translation in Ancient China (1)
中国翻译话语英译选集(上册)
They were charged with conveying the words of the King and explaining his meanings to the envoys so that hamonious relations with these tribe may be maintained.
3. 刘熙: he said, "…people in different parts of the country speakk different langtuages. It is important that these approximate the standard(雅) language…"
6. 道安: P137 He was known for his remarks on the "Five instances of losing the source and three difficulties" in . translating. He was consideres as the first monk-scholar in the history of Chinese discourse on translation to have taken translation criticism in a systematic manner. His translation was unhewn (质), entailing an unabridged version. He had the thirst to produce complete version, which can be analyzed by the polysystemic view. His remarks had a great influence upon later sutras-translators.
考据于版本,忠实乎原文--论美国汉学家奚如谷的译介策略
考据于版本，忠实乎原文——论美国汉学家奚如谷的译介策略谢玉琴韩子满内容摘要：奚如谷作为美国汉学界的领军人物，译介了十余部中国经典戏剧作品，其中《西厢记》最具代表性。
他以直译的方式译介了弘治岳刻本《西厢记》，做到了内容与形式的双重忠实，使西方读者在乐于接受的基础上感受到原文的美学特征。
奚如谷在译介经典戏曲时重视翻译底本的挑选，同时致力于还原文本特定的历史语境和场景。
他的译介和研究为中国戏曲西传起到了不容忽视的推动作用。
关键词：戏曲译介；《西厢记》；翻译底本；奚如谷基金项目：本文是国家哲学社会科学规划重点项目“当代汉学家中国文学英译的策略与问题研究”（项目编号：17AWW003）的阶段成果。
作者简介：谢玉琴，上海师范大学外国语学院研究生，主要研究方向为英语文学文化与翻译。
韩子满，上海外国语大学英语系教授，博士生导师，主要从事翻译研究。
Title: Sinologist Stephen H. West’s Translation of The Story of the West WingAbstract: As a leading figure in the field of American Sinology, Stephen H. West has translated more than ten classic Chinese operas, among which The Story of the Western Wing is the most representative one. Based on Yue’s block-printed edition of the book in the Hongzhi Period of the Ming Dynasty, his translation achieved faithfulness of both the content and form, and through which readers feel the poetic characteristics and aesthetic traditions of the original text in a pleasant way. When translating classic operas, Stephen H. West attaches great importance to the selection of the script, and at the same time is dedicated to reproducing the specific historical context and scenes of the text. His translation and research have played an important role in promoting Chinese opera in the west.Key words: opera translation; The Story of the Western Wing; translation script; Stephen H. West Author: XieYuqin is postgraduate student at the School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Normal University (Shanghai 200234, China). Her research interest is English literature and translation. Han Ziman is professor and Ph. D. Supervisor at School of English Studies, Shanghai International Studies University (Shanghai, 200083, China), whose major research interest is translation.美国汉学家奚如谷（Stephen H. West，1944-）是“美国汉学界的领军人物”（吴思远 388），同时也是一位翻译家和哲学家。
中国翻译简史
林语堂
• 中国现代著名作家，学者、翻译家、语言 学家、新道家代表人物，1895年生于福建 漳州平和县坂仔镇一个基督教牧师家庭， 原名和乐，后改名玉堂，又改名为语堂， 早年留学美国、德国，获哈佛大学文学硕 士，莱比锡大学语言学博士。回国后分别 在清华大学、北京大学、厦门大学任教。 林语堂于1940年和1950年先后两度获得诺 贝尔文学奖提名。
中国译历史简介
A general introduction to the history of translation in China
•
中国的翻译史有史籍记载的已长达三千余 年，早在史前三皇五帝时代就存在翻译活 动，一般认为“五四"以前，中国翻译史上 出现过三次翻译高潮。
三次翻译高峰（three translation peaks）
• 1）东汉--唐宋时期 • 2）隋唐--明末清初 • 3）鸦片战争--五四运动
第一次翻译高峰期
• 佛经翻译（sutra translation）
• 释道安首创译场制度，提出著名"五失本，三不易"理论， 他主张严格的直译 • 天竺人鸠摩罗什创立了一整套译场制度，开集体翻译， 倾向于意译，注重文质结合，既忠实与原文的神情，能 “以实出华”，他反对译经时用“格义”。 • 玄奘(唐朝佛经翻译达到顶峰)，他不但把佛经翻译成汉 文，而且把老子著作的一部分译成了梵文，成为了第一个 把汉文著作向国外介绍的中国人，制定了“五不翻”的原 则，即：秘密故、含多义故、无此故、顺古故以及生善故。 译文中运用的种种技巧：补充法、省略法、变位法、分合 法、译名假借法、代词还原法。
第二次翻译高峰期
• 科技翻译（science and technology translation） • 代表人物：中国科学家徐光启和意大利人 利玛窦，合作翻译《几何原本》前六卷。 • 这一阶段主要是外国人口译，中国人笔述， 国人选择译品的余地不大，译者对翻译理 论技巧知之不多，所以译作大都有“文义 难精”之弊。
中国文化相关词汇英文翻译
中国文化相关词汇英文翻译第一篇：中国文化相关词汇英文翻译中国文化相关词汇英文翻译1.元宵节 Lantern Festival2.刺绣embroidery3.重阳节Double-Ninth Festival4.清明节Tomb sweeping day5.剪纸Paper Cutting6.书法Calligraphy7.对联(Spring Festival)Couplets8.象形文字Pictograms/Pictographic Characters9.人才流动Brain Drain/Brain Flow 10.四合院Siheyuan/Quadrangle 11.战国Warring States 12.风水Fengshui/Geomantic Omen 13.铁饭碗Iron Bowl 14.函授部The Correspondence Department 15.集体舞Group Dance 16.黄土高原Loess Plateau 17.红白喜事Weddings and Funerals 18.中秋节Mid-Autumn Day 19.结婚证Marriage Certificate 20.儒家文化Confucian Culture 21.附属学校Affiliated school 22.古装片Costume Drama 23.武打片Chinese Swordplay Movie 24.元宵Tangyuan/Sweet Rice Dumpling(Soup)25.一国两制One Country, Two Systems 26.火锅Hot Pot 27.四人帮Gang of Four 28.《诗经》The Book of Songs 29.素质教育Essential-qualities-oriented Education 30.《史记》Historical Records/Records of the Grand Historian 31.大跃进Great Leap Forward(Movement)32.《西游记》The Journey to the West 33.除夕Chinese New Year’s Eve/Eve of the S pring Festival 34.针灸Acupuncture 35.唐三彩Tri-color Pottery of the Tang Dynasty/ The Tang Tri-colored pottery 36.中国特色的社会主义Chinese-charactered Socialist/Socialist with Chinese characteristics 37.偏旁radical 38.孟子Mencius 39.亭/阁 Pavilion/ Attic 40.大中型国有企业Large and Medium-sized State-owned Enterprises 41.火药gunpowder 42.农历Lunar Calendar 43.印/玺Seal/Stamp 44.物质精神文明建设The Construction of Material Civilization and Spiritual Civilization 45.京剧Beijing Opera/Peking Opera 46.秦腔Crying of Qin People/Qin Opera 47.太极拳Tai Chi 48.独生子女证The Certificate of One-child 49.天坛Altar of Heaven in Beijing 50.小吃摊Snack Bar/Snack Stand 51.红双喜Double Happiness 52.政治辅导员Political Counselor/School Counselor 53.春卷Spring Roll(s)54.莲藕Lotus Root 55.追星族Star Struck 56.故宫博物院The Palace Museum 57.相声Cross-talk/Comic Dialogue 58.下岗Lay off/Laid off 59.北京烤鸭Beijing Roast Duck 60.高等自学考试Self-taught Examination of Higher Education 61.烟花爆竹fireworks and firecracker 62.敦煌莫高窟Mogao Caves 63.电视小品TV Sketch/TV Skit 64.香港澳门同胞Compatriots from Hong Kong and Macao 65.文化大革命Cultural Revolution 66.长江中下游地区The Mid-low Reaches of Yangtze River 67.门当户对Perfect Match/Exact Match 68.《水浒》Water Margin/Outlaws of the Marsh 69.中外合资企业Joint Ventures 70.文房四宝笔墨纸砚“The Four Treasure of the Study” “Brush, Inkstick, Paper, and Inkstone” 71.兵马俑cotta Warriors/ Terracotta Army 72.旗袍cheongsam。
History of Translation in__ China
1) The introduction of Karl Marx’s (1818-1883) and Lenin’s (1870-1924) classical works on socialist and communist theories. April, 1919: Chen Wangdao (陈望道，1890-1977): the full text of the Communist Manifesto (Marx and Engels, 1848) 1922: Lenin’s Nations and Revolution (1917) was translated; 1930: The translation of Marx’s monumental work Capital (1859) was published. The translations and publications of the classical works of Marxism –Leninism provided an ideological preparation for the birth of new China.
History of Translation in China
The earliest historical documents recording (the Rites of Zhou 《周记》 and the Books of Rites《礼记》) sporadic (分散的，个别 的)translation activities in China can be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty (c. 11th century-221 BC) ， when officials entitled xiangxu (象胥) or sheren (舌人) carried out translation activities so as to make communication possible between different nations. “ The Song of Yue Nationality”(越人 歌) appeared in the Spring and Autumn Period (722BC -481BC), which might be considered as the first poem translated in ancient China.
论我国早期的佛经翻译特点——从东汉到西晋
Characteristics in the Early Buddhist Sutra Translation in China——From Han Dynasty to
Western Jin Dynasty
作者： 刘长庆[1];王桂琴[1]
作者机构： [1]襄樊学院外语系,湖北襄樊441053
出版物刊名： 襄樊学院学报
页码： 83-88页
主题词： 佛经翻译;外来僧人;直译与意译;文与质
摘要：我国早期的佛经翻译特点呈现出多层面性。
从翻译主体来看，译经者主要是外来僧人或者久住中国的外籍后裔，汉地僧人或居士参加很少，且多从事辅助工作，翻译往往全凭口授；从翻译行为来看，这一时期的译经多属个人行为，没有得到政府的直接支持；从翻译方法来看，汉末基本采用直译法而偏于“质”，三国时期，基本采用删繁就简、尽量适应当地文化的意译而偏于“文”，西晋时期再予纠正而采用直译，译文偏于更高层次的“质”；从译文受到目的语的影响来看，佛经翻译深受道家思想影响；从译经者的素质来看，他们都是从事佛教工作的专业人士，这保证了译文能最大限度地传译原作的思想；随着译经的不断发展，经师们开始对已有的翻译文本进一步完善和深化，或“重译”（“校译”）或会译或注译。
总的看来，早期的佛经翻译尽管还没有形成成熟的、系统的翻译理论，但却为以后的佛教翻译在理论上做了比较充分的准备。
translation导游英语翻译
TranslationUnit11.The Temple of Heaven (天坛) is the largest intact alter temple(坛庙) of China. The Temple of Heaven used to be a place where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshiped and offered sacrifices to Heaven（祭天）to pray for good harvests and fine rain（五谷丰登、风调雨顺）.译:天坛是中国现存最大、保存最完好的坛庙。
是明清两代皇帝每年祭天、祈祷五谷丰登、风调雨顺的地方。
2．The Fragrant Hill（香山）looks very much like a censer（香炉）, often girdled (环绕) by wisps of spiraling (缭绕) mist as if it were giving out incense-smoke hence it was called the “Censer Hill”(“香炉山”). Later, it was shortened as the “Fragrant Hill”.译：香山因其形状似香炉，周围常常云雾缭绕，看起来犹如香烟弥漫。
因此人们便称之为香炉山，简称香山。
3.The Beihai Park (北海公园) is located to the west of the Jingshan Park (景山公园) . The existence of the park can be traced back to the mid-eleventh cent ury when a temporary royal residence named “Yaoyu”(瑶屿) was built here during the Liao Dynasty.译：北海公园位于景山公园的西面，早在11世纪中叶，辽代就在这里建立瑶屿行宫。
《 英汉互译(一)》第1课教案
广西师范学院《英汉互译（一）》课程教案编号: 15-1 开课单位：外语系授课教研室：翻译写作课程名称：《英汉互译（一）》授课教师：唐旭光教材：《新编英汉互译教程》，授课对象：06级英语专业2、3、5班《英汉互译（一）》第一讲翻译简论与主要翻译方法（A Brief Discussion of Translation and Major Translation Approaches）1. IntroductionTranslation studies started along with translation practice. Translation theories developed flourishingly in the 20th century, especially in the second half of the last century.In fact, translation, which is a very complex phenomenon, is related to different disciplines, such as linguistics, psychology, sociology, cultural anthropology, communication theory, literary criticism, aesthetics, and semiotics. As translation study is a cross-discipline and cross-culture subject involving many aspects of human knowledge, the lack of a fully acceptable theory of translation should not come as a surprise. Meanwhile, quite a number of translation approaches and strategies have become universally acceptable and widely applicable. They are, of course, the fruits of many translation theorists and translation practitioners at home and abroad.2.The Origin of TranslationLanguage makes it possible for people to communicate with one another freely so as to complete important tasks in human life. Translation makes it possible for people from different languages to communicate with one another so as to complete important tasks in their life.Theodore Savory points out, “Translation is almost as old as original authorship and has a history as honorable and as complex as that of any other branch of literature”(申雨平, 2002:4).In Zhou Dynasty there were different forms of address for translators in different places. “Translators are called Ji in the east, Xiang in the south, Didi in the west, andYi in the north(东方曰寄，南方曰象，西方曰狄鞮，北方曰译)”（陈福康, 2000:3）.3. Function of TranslationIt has helped people to better communicate with one another, and in the mean time it has facilitated the development of culture and civilization of all nations, such as the Sutra translation （佛经翻译）in China and the Bible translation in Western countries.Actually, translation, as a means to bridge different cultures, has been playing a very important role in promoting global economic and cultural development, and China in particular benefits a great deal from translation, which is obvious to all.4. Nature of translationOne school of theorists maintain that any interpretation is translation. Translation thus defined includes intra-lingual rewording（语言内的重新措辞）, inter-lingual （语言之间的翻译或语际翻译）translation and inter-semiotic transmutation（符号转换）.But most scholars who are interested in translation maintain that translation is a communicative activity which entails a most adequate or identical reproduction in a target language of a written message or text in a source language.5. Definition of translation in our textbook as follows: Translation or translating is a communicative activity or dynamic process in which the translator makes great effort to thoroughly comprehend a written message or text in the source language and works very hard to achieve an adequate or an almost identical reproduction in the target language version of the written source language message or text. In terms of its nature or character, translation is both an art and a science as well, since it calls for a good command of at least two languages, a flexible application of their rules, and some knowledge of at least two cultures, as well as a good grasp of the necessary translation theories.6. Other scholars’ viewpoints about the translation1). The traditional viewpoint about the nature of translation is that translation is an art only. This viewpoint is still maintained by Xu Yuanchong（许渊冲）, a well-known professor at Beijing University, and a few other scholars.2). Professor Liu Zhongde vigorously advocates that translation is a science as well as an art mainly because of the following reasons:Firstly, like any other art and science, translation requires a good grasp and a flexible use of the necessary specialized knowledge and skills.Secondly, like any other art and science, translation calls for independent, honest and creative effort.Thirdly, just like any other art and science, translation demands that the translator be very careful about and highly responsible for his or her work.7. Principle for translationThe 13 statements on page 81). A translation must reproduce the words of the SLT(Source Language Text).2). A translation must reproduce the ideas (meaning) of the SLT.3). A translation should read like an original work.4). A translation should read like a translation.5). A translation should reflect the style of the original.6). A translation should possess the style of the translator.7). A translation should retain the historical stylistic dimension of the SLT.8). A translation should read as a contemporary piece of literature.9). A translation may add to or omit from the original.10). A translation may never add to or omit from the original.11). A translation should let the readers of the SLT and the target language text (TLT) have essentially the same response.12). A translation should convey what the SLT author intends to convey.13). A translation should satisfy the need of the client.Evidently, though each of the above statements is right in a certain sense, yet it is not adequate or comprehensive enough to serve as a translation principle. Some of the principles proposed by various translation theorists can find their expression in the statements given above. Interlinear translation is an illustration of the first statement. Yan Fu’s three-character principle can be a combination of statements 2, 3 and 6. Nida’s functional equivalence is best express ed in statement 11.8. Yan Fu’s Considerations for translation?Strictly speaking, a translation theory in its true sense in China originated from Yan Fu(严复). He proposed the famous triple principle for translation, namely, faithfulness(信), expressiveness(达) and elegance(雅).1). His faithfulness means that the translated text should be faithful to the original text, ie, the version should keep the content or ideas of the original.2). His expressiveness means that the translated text should be expressive and coherent without anything awkward. In other words, his expressiveness requires that the version should be fluid, smooth, and easy to read and understand.3). His elegance demands that the translated text should be exquisite and that its style ought to be very graceful.9. Professor Liu Zhongde argues against “elegance” as a principle for translation of the original styleHe argued eloquently against “elegance” as a principle for translation of the original style. We all know that not all works are characterized by the elegant style. Different writers display different styles. For instance, Lenin wrote in a bold style, and Hemingway wrote in a simple, symbolic style. Even the same writer shows different styles on different occasions for different purposes. Naturally, different works demonstrate different styles. Thus, it is impossible & absolutely wrong to achieve the effect of elegance in the translated text if the style of the original is not elegant.10. The compiler of the textbook in favor of “closeness”1). We are in favor of Professor Liu’s triple translation principle. He changed Yan Fu’s “elegance” into “closeness”, which represents his contribution to the translation theory. His “closeness” is central in meaning. It is suitable for translation of all types of texts with different styles.2). If the original text is characterized by the elegant style, the translator should do his utmost to render it into a graceful text in the target language whose style is close to the original elegant style.If the original style is highly technical with a wealth of technical terms, thetranslator ought to employ plenty of corresponding technical terms in the target language and make the translated style as close to the original technical style as possible.3). If the original style is colloquial with a lot of informal words and colloquial sentences, the translator should translate it into a text with an informal style as close as possible to the original one by using many colloquial words and informal sentences.If the original style is ornate, the translator should follow suit and make effort to render the translated style as close to the original as possible.If the original text contains some vulgar words and sentences, the translator is not entitled to replace them with elegant words or sentences, and he should reproduce the original by using some corresponding vulgar words and sentences in the receptor language. Translators are duty-bound to do so, for the simple reason that they are translators.4). As we know, Yan Fu’s triple translation principle is highly concise and well rhymed and quite easy to learn by heart, which is one of the reasons why it is still very popular in China today.Professor Liu’s triple principle is similar to Yan Fu’s in that it is equally concise and easy to remember.Though Professor Liu’s triple principle is n ot rhymed, yet it is very forceful and impressive, for the Chinese character “切” is uttered in the falling tone, carrying the implication that faithfully conveying the original style or rendering the translated style as close to the original as possible is absolutely necessary and worth the translator’s great effort.11. Nida’s principle for translationEugene A. Nida and Taber stated emphatically (1969:12): “Translation consists in reproducing in the receptor language the closest natural equivalence of the source language message, first in terms of meaning and secondly in terms of style”.His dynamic equivalence is defined as a translation principle, according to which the translator seeks to translate the meaning of the original in such a way that the target language text wording will produce the same impact on the target text audience as the original wording does upon the source text audience. Later on, Nida changed “dynamic equivalence” into “functional equivalence”, because it seemed much more satisfactory to use the expression “functional equivalence” in describing the degree of adequacy of a translation.12. The literal translation approachProfessor Liu Zhongde (1994: 172) defines literal translation as follows: “In the process of translation, literal translation treats sentences as basic units and at the same time takes the whole passage into consideration; a translator who attaches great importance to literal translation does his or her best to reproduce the ideas and writing style of the original work, retaining in the version as many rhetorical devices and sentence structures of the original as possible.”ExamplesHe is said to be a rough diamond.人们说他是一块浑金璞玉。
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中国古代的翻译工作概述一、中国古代的翻译工作中国历朝历代都有专人从事翻译工作，远在商周时期就有人开始做类似工作。
香港《文汇报》今日刊发署名“王东峰”的文章，对中国古代的翻译工作进行了梳理。
文章中称，中国是一个多民族国家，自古以来，又与其它国家保持外交关系和友好往来。
民族相异，国家不同，语言和文字就千差万别，因此，历朝历代都设有专人专职或专门机构从事翻译工作。
仅就官职而言，周代有“寄”、“像”、“译”等；秦汉时期有“九译令”、“译官令”、“译官丞”；南北朝有“译令史”；隋唐时期置“通事舍人”；宋辽金时期分别有“润文史”、“译史”、“通事”；元朝设“怯里马赤(蒙古语，指口语翻译)”；明朝有“译字生”；清朝设“通译官”。
这些翻译人员的级别不高，一些朝代的翻译人员甚至没有品级。
清代的通译官一般为七、八品，光绪年间，各使馆的头等通译官始提高待遇，定为正五品，限额一名，严禁超编。
古代的翻译工作远在商周时期就开始进行了。
据西汉伏胜《尚书大传》载：交趾之南有越裳国，“周公居摄六年，制礼作乐，天下和平；越裳以三象重译而献白雉，曰：…道路悠远，山川阻深，音使不通，故重译而朝‟”。
“像”是翻译官，“重译”就是多次翻译的意思，越裳国包括今越南大部和柬埔寨部分地区，与中国相距遥远，言语不通，所以需要翻译成汉文才能看懂。
从史料记载来看，从南北朝至唐代，官方的翻译机构和译员主要从事佛经的翻译工作。
南朝梁惠皎《高僧传.佛陀什》云：“先沙门法显于师子国(今斯里兰卡)得《弥沙塞律》梵本。
未被翻译而法显迁化。
京邑诸僧闻什既善此学，于是请令出焉，以其年冬十一月集于龙光寺，译为三十四卷，称为《五分律》。
”另外比较著名的，就是唐代高僧玄奘法师，他从印度带回大小乘佛教经典520夹、657部。
回到长安后，住大慈恩寺，专心译经，前后共翻译佛经1300多卷，同时，将《老子》等中文经籍译成梵文，传入印度。
宋辽金时期，为了适应对敌国斗争的需要，在生员考试中增加了翻译女真文、契丹文和西夏文的内容。
而西夏、辽和金国，为了吸收中原地区的先进文化，特别重视翻译工作。
西夏仁宗时，专门设立“刻字司”，翻译《孙子兵法》、《六韬》、《贞观政要》等大量汉文典籍。
辽国则在州以上行政机关设立专门的译文机构。
为了激励译员的工作积极性，辽道宗下诏制定了译史的升迁等级，按照供职时间长短和工作水平的高低决定其是否升职。
金世宗下令成立译经所，先后将《孝经》、《易》、《书》、《论语》、《孟子》等汉文典籍译成女真文。
元代疆域广阔，民族众多，先后设立了“蒙古房”、“蒙古官学、唐古特学及托忒学”等官署，培养熟谙蒙文、藏文、托忒文的专门人才，并负责翻译蒙、回、藏文书籍。
明朝初年，为了了解元朝的情况，朱元璋命翰林院侍讲火原杰、编修马沙亦黑等人编撰《华夷译语》，以汉文解释蒙古文。
明成祖永乐五年，在京城设立“四夷馆”，内分蒙古、女真、西蕃(西藏)、西天(印度)、回回、百夷(傣族)、高昌(维吾尔)、缅甸八馆，“置译字生、通事，通译语言文字”。
明神宗时，又增设暹罗馆(泰国)。
清初，四夷馆更名为“四译馆”，减去女真、蒙古两馆。
乾隆时，这一机构又与专门接待少数民族官员和外国使臣的“会同馆”合并，改名为“会同四译馆”，分设西域、八夷两馆，直到光绪二十五年(1899)废止。
Sutra Translation in Ancient China (1)I. General IntroductionA vast country with scores of regional languages, China has probably witnessed translation and interpreting activities since the first tribal battle or produce-exchange. Early historical works such as the first century BC Records of the Grand Historian contain many references to translation in the context of diplomacy and commerce. As early as the Zhou Dynasty, in the ninth century BC, there were special government officials in charge of interpreting and translation work; their titles varied according to the group of languages they covered. An integral part of protocol, they were always present at meetings with foreign emissaries. The term for a government interpreter of this period was sheren, literally …tongues-man‟. The current Chinese word for …translation‟, yi, forms the basis for the official title adopted since the Han Dynasty: yiguan and yishi, literally …translation official‟. Historical records also show that during the Dan dynasty, translators/interpreters (yizhang) were routinely employed by merchants on their long trips to South-East Asia and India; they were also present in the merchant caravans bound for states such as Bactria to the north-west of China. During the Tang Dynasty, a period in which cultural exchanges between China and her neighbouring states reached new heights, a considerable number of foreigners who lived in China were employed as government interpreters and were allowed to accompany Chinese officials on diplomatic missions.In the 3,000 years from the Zhou dynasty to the present, the bread-and –butter of the Chinese translator‟s work has always been in government and commerce. There are extant poetry translations dating back to at least the fourth century BC, but these early literary translations were mostly recorded as part of the experience of various diplomatic missions. There have been periods, however, when t ranslation played a crucial role in China‟s cultural and social development, going far beyond the confines of government and commerce. The most significant of these periods relate to the translation of Buddhist scriptures, the work of Christian missionaries, the political and cultural events leading to the May fourth Movement, and the emergence of the People‟s Republic of China and subsequent contact with European countries. But translation and interpreting have also had a role to play in China outside of such peak periods and, apart from the major languages involved in those periods, a significant number of Chinese books have been translated from the eleventh century onwards into such languages as Mongolian, Western Xia, Manchurian andJapanese.附录：1．《越人歌》原载西汉刘向（约公元前77年至前6年）著的《说苑》一书中的《善说》篇里.《善说》记述着春秋时代楚令尹鄂君子晰在游船上赞赏榜枻越人唱歌的生动故事。
作者刘向在文中通过楚大夫庄辛之口，描绘了这场富丽豪华的舟游盛况之后，紧接着这样写道：“会钟鼓之音毕，榜枻越人拥楫而歌，歌辞曰：…滥兮抃草滥予？昌桓泽予？昌州州湛。
州焉乎秦胥胥，缦予乎昭澶秦逾渗。
惿随河湖‟。
鄂君子晰曰：…吾不知越歌，子试为我楚说之‟。
于是乃召越译。
乃楚说之曰：…今夕何夕兮？寨洲中流。
今日何日兮？得与王子同舟。
蒙羞被好兮，不訾诟耻。
心几顽而不绝兮，得知王子。
山有林木兮木有枝。
心悦君兮君不知。
‟于是鄂君晰乃＃修袂行而拥之，举绣被而复之。
”Song of the Yue今夕何夕兮。
搴舟中流。
今日何日兮。
得与王子同舟。
(蒙羞被好兮，不訾诟耻。