CO129-241 - Governor Des Voeus - 1889 [1-7] — Page 157

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Enclosure 1.

156

MESSAGE OF HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR (SIR G. WILLIAM DES VEUX, K.C.M.G.) TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL IN CONNECTION WITH INTERPRETATION.

G. WILLIAM DES VEUX.

The Governor, in accordance with the intimation made to the Legislative Council last year, has had under consideration the Report of the Commission which was appointed to enquire respecting the interpretation in the Courts and other Government Departments; and as the result of further enquiries and much discussion of the subject, he is now prepared with definite recommendations, which, if adopted, will he hopes promote a more general knowledge of Chinese in the Public Service and bring about a substantial improvement in its interpreting capacity.

It should however be mentioned in the first instance that the existing state of things proved on investigation to be scarcely as defective as might be supposed from the report of the Commission. The Judges and Magistrates (from whom no information was sought or obtained) did not altogether confirm the view taken by the Commissioners in paragraph 7 of their report, and have furnished evidence showing that in respect of Hakka, the most important of the dialects specifically mentioned, the Colony is fairly well served. And even as regards the dialects of Swatow and Amoy the Governor, as the result of his enquiries, is not disposed to think that there is so wide a gap between present deficiency and what is practically obtainable as a superficial consideration of the subject is apt to indicate.

It is to be borne in mind that ideal perfection in interpretation is quite impracticable of attainment even when the two languages are far more akin than English and any dialect of Chinese. In the quick translation of any one language into any other the success of cross- examination, is, and must be, frequently affected by the failure to distinguish delicate shades of meaning; and in view of the fact that there are used by witnesses here a great number dialects of a language so utterly unlike English as is that of Chins, it is quite hopeless to expect the attainment of a condition under which the Courts would be altogether free of difficulty and embarrassment in respect of interpretation.

Of the Hakka dialect alone which is mentioned in the report as one single dialect there are, the Governor is informed, several varieties, each sufficiently distinct from the rest to render a good interpreter of any one very possibly a bad interpreter of any other: and it is obvious that under such circumstances to secure for the Courts the command of satisfactory interpretation in all cases is a work of no ordinary difficulty, which at the best can only be accomplished approximately.

It would be evidently inexpedient to attempt the provision of all the necessary capacity and qualifications in a class of officers employed on no other duty. For that would not only involve the very great expense of a large Department of Interpreters and of students (many of whom would probably prove ineligible for office after large sums bad been spent on their training) but it would mean a body of officers, for the most part required for service only very occasionally, and whose idleness, as regards public work, in the intervals would be perhaps injurious to themselves, and certainly to the Government service generally.

For this reason it seems desirable to depend on regular interpreters only in respect of the two or three dialects in most common use; and as regards the less common dialects or varieties of dialects to provide the requisite capacity among other Public Officers whose services as interpreters would be called for only when actually required.

Partly with this object therefore, and also to promote improvement in all interpretation, as well as to obtain greater efficiency, through improved knowledge of Chinese, in other departments than the Judicial, the Governor has drafted certain regulations (I) which are now laid on the table and offered for consideration, as appearing likely to secure what is required within reasonable limits of expense, and under other conditions least open to objection. With further view to the same objects, the Governor has deemed as well worthy of the test of experiment the suggestion of the Commissioners as to the encouragement of the acquisition of Chinese among the younger members of the non-Chinese, community; and some proposals for the purpose in the form of regulations (II) are also offered for consideration.