斯賓塞到中國－－一個翻譯史的討論

Herbert Spencer Came to China: A Discussion of Translation History

英國學者斯賓塞，是19 至20 世紀西方世界著名的社會學、生物學、心理學、倫理哲學者。斯賓塞的著作，隨著清末「西學東漸」的熱潮來到中國。其中最主要的路徑便是透過「翻譯」一途。當時中國的翻譯事業十分興盛，大批西方傳教士、國內知識分子、中國留學生紛紛投入其行伍中。以譯介斯賓塞思想為例，是留日學生為主的「東學式」翻譯，與近代中國著名翻譯家嚴復為首的「西學式」翻譯為大宗。以日本留學生為主體的譯介，在數量和速度上都有十分傑出的表現；但是它的內容卻大多是經由「翻譯再翻譯」而來，較為分散、混雜。而嚴復雖然「產量」不如留日學生，但其內容則是「直譯且來自英國原著」的。兩種相異的手法，遂造成晚清人們在閱讀及接受斯氏論著、學說上的一些問題。本文首先將處理東學式的譯介成果。筆者利用晚清的報刊、學人文集，以及一些西學書目表，來探察斯賓塞思想由此進入中國的情形。其次則是針對嚴復譯自斯賓塞《社會學研究》（The Study of Sociology）的《羣學肄言》，考察他翻譯此書的經過，重建嚴復認識斯賓塞的歷程。拙作分別描寫這兩條途徑的翻譯事業，是試圖理解它們在譯介斯賓塞思想到中國的過程中，各自具有怎樣的特色和影響？這進而可反映出兩者在近代中國翻譯史裡各自代表怎樣的意義。

British scholar Herbert Spencer was a famous sociologist, biologist, psychologist,and ethical philosopher in western world during 19th and 20th century.Spencer's books spread to China following the trend of ‘‘xi xue dong ji''. Formost part of his books, the path which they came to China was ‘‘translation''. At thetime, the translation business was very prosperous in modern China. A largenumber of missionaries, Chinese intellectuals, and students studying abroadtook part in this ‘‘translation work''. With regard to the translation ofSpencer's thought, the work was taken up primarily by students studying abroadin Japan, who represented ‘‘dong xue shi'' translation, and the famous translatorsin China, Yan Fu, who represenetd ‘‘xi xue shi'' translation. The studentsstudying abroad in Japan performed translation of high speed and in guantity;however, the translated contents were rather scattered, resulted from the factthat most of them are the product of “re-translation”. Although the quantity of YanFu's works was much smaller, the content was originated from original Englishworks. These two different ways of translating caused problems for people inthe late Qing Dynasty for reading and comprehending Herbert Spencer's works.The first part of this article discusses the ‘‘dong xue shi'' translations, anddescribes the circumstance in which Spencer's thought spread to modern Chinaalong this path. The second part discusses Yan Fu's translation from Spencer'sThe Study of Sociology to Qun Xue I Yan. By portraying these two types of translation,I try to understand their different features and influences on the processof translating Herbert Spencer's ideas, and further realize the meanings of thesetwo paths in the history of modern Chinese translation.