ABSTRACT

The first British embassy to China headed by Lord Macartney brought into contact two imperial discourses, each vying to subject the other to its own vision of world order. Translations produced in such a context have much to reveal about the relationship between empire, discourse and translation. This article revisits two letters from King George III to the Qianlong emperor and their four Chinese versions made by translators on both sides, focusing on how the apparently “equal” relationship as envisioned by George III had been transformed, wittingly or unwittingly, into one of British inferiority or downright subjection. The article ends with reflections on translation as a medium of discursive transfer, on the translator’s discursive stand, and on the role of discourse – both prohibitive and productive – in the production, circulation and reception of translation.

摘要

英国首位以马卡特尼勋爵为首的驻华使馆将两种帝国主义话语联系起来，彼此争夺对方对世界秩序的看法。在这种情况下产生的翻译对于帝国，话语和翻译之间的关系有很多启示。本文回顾了乔治三世国王给乾隆皇帝的两封信，以及双方译者制作的四个中文版本，着眼于乔治三世所设想的显然“平等”的关系是如何被有意或无意地转变为其中之一。英国自卑或彻头彻尾的臣服。本文最后对反思作为话语转移的媒介，译者话语立场以及话语在生产中的作用（包括禁止性和生产性）进行了反思。