40.
Such men must be well paid and win a responsible position. A salary under £300 a year, and no position superior to that of the Deputy Registrar will ever secure efficient men.
Chinese interpretation has answered fairly well in the Police Court, why should it not do so in the Supreme Court? I believe there would be a considerable improvement in interpretation in the Supreme Court if the interpreters at the Magistracy were promoted, but still it would not be what it ought to be.
It may seem paradoxical to say so, but thorough knowledge of English is of more importance than thorough knowledge of Chinese. The Englishman who knows both thoroughly is, of course, the model interpreter, but between an educated Englishman with a fair knowledge of Chinese and an educated Chinaman with a fair knowledge of English, the former is, to my mind, infinitely preferable.
A man who can understand fully and accurately what is said by Chinese witnesses without being able to speak fluently is of great use, but it is hard to follow in their footsteps. During the few years that officials in the court would speak and read Chinese, and if a man could book a special dialect for his study, outside assistance would never be needed.