CO129-298 - Governor Sir Blake Administrator Major Gen Gascoigne - 1900 [3-4] — Page 336

335

Service. We have to repeat that condemnation now. The post

of translator in the Supreme Court was vacated a few months

ago, and the Board of Examiners reported that none of the

candidates for the post was competent, There is a tendency

now in Chinese who receive an education in English -

to neglect their own language. The young men who present

themselves as candidates for the lower class of interpreter-

shops are deplorably ignorant of it. This want of competent

translators can only be made good by special instruction

at the expense of the Government and in no other way. If

there was a regular demand for tranlators the supply would

come naturally. But it is not to be expected that young

men will take up a special branch of duty on the chance of

a suitable position becoming vacant some time within ten

years. The natural head of the Translation Department is the

T

Registrar-General, who is the Officer now responsible for GO.

Vinaent translations. Outsidethe Government Service the only

class in which anyone can be found competent for such a post

is the Missionary Body, and it is not likely that clergymen

will